The Break

I loved this novel, even though it wasn’t as funny as some of Keyes’ previous work. I really got emotionally involved. As with Keyes’ other work, Amy is part of a large, complex Irish family. After struggling to survive as a young single mother when her first husband abandoned her and her daughter, she finally, finally lets herself fall for Hugh.

For seventeen years, Hugh and Amy have a good, strong marriage. When Hugh’s dad dies, and then a good friend dies not long after, he can’t shake his depression and says he needs to take a break from their marriage and go traveling. He promises to return and that he’ll always love her and their kids, but during their break, he may or may not sleep with other people. But this means that Amy is also on a break. Will she act on a crush?

Obviously devastated, Amy has to soldier on to take care of her teenage and twenty-two-year old daughters. I loved Amy and all her kooky family members. I felt Amy’s ups and downs acutely even though I don’t have kids and my marriage didn’t last anything close to seventeen years. This is an emotional roller coaster ride and I loved it.

Once again Ms. Keyes has written a page turner that is filled with truth, humor and a vivid look into the intimacy of a marriage. I loved this book. I loved Amy. Her pain and confusion over her marriage were real, as was her realization of what really happened. I loved her 3 girls and I even loved Hugh. I raced to the end, then was disappointed the story was done. This story is still with me 3 days later. It was that good.

I found myself in the Shannon, Ireland airport looking for a book to purchase since my carry-on had been confiscated and checked (too heavy). All my books and entertainment were in that bag, so I set about the task of choosing something new from a selection of surprisingly unfamiliar titles in the airport bookstore. Upon closer inspection, I realized that nearly every book for sale in that store was written by an Irish author. Therefore I was excited to make a new literary discovery and I chose this title by Marian Keyes, who is apparently a hugely popular bestselling author in Ireland and the UK. I get it: the book is funny, touching, and impressively well-written. The author has a gift and the large library of successful title under her name is no fluke. I didn't immediately understand every cultural reference and I wan't always familiar with the slang or local dialogue, but the story is universal and very relevant. The pain and confusion experienced by the protagonist will be immediately familiar to any reader who has experienced the difficulties of maintaining long-term relationships. There is even an abortion subplot that deals with Ireland's prohibition of abortion, which caught my attention since Ireland voted to lift that ban while I was there purchasing this book. I might even buy another book by Keyes, because I'm interested to know what else she has done.

It was a struggle to read this to the end. I didn't enjoy reading it. I love other Marian Keyes books but this one won't make you laugh (it's not funny) and it's not at all romantic. There isn't a love story that will make you feel comforted or happier when you finish reading it. I don't recommend reading this. I wish I hadn't.

Interesting themes that feel very timely.

Amy’s husband Hugh is going through a mid-life crisis following the death of his father and wants to take a six-month break from their apparently happy marriage. Amy is devastated. She thought they were partners for life. Her family is unconventional enough as it is – and now this.

Narrator Amy is a great character: smart and spiky yet sympathetic, totally normal yet engagingly eccentric - her taste in clothes and addiction to online fashion and make-up shopping provide some fun moments in the story.

The Break is my first Marian Keyes and I much enjoyed the Irish lilt of her writing. This is nice, easy, zeitgeist-y reading (Amy works in PR and is very on the ball) and it was nice to spend time with all of Keyes' characters – though maybe nigh on 600 pages was rather too much of a good thing.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

Marion Keyes has done it again. Well written, funny, poignant, a book I just didn’t want to put down. Well worth the read!!

I'm halfway through and am savouring it because I don't want it to end. While I agree that its not as good as some of her earlier works like "last chance saloon" and "sushi for beginners" its still a wonderful read. I think what is missing is more of those hilarious laugh out loud moments. But as usual she had effectively in tuned to all the emotional roller coasters that relationships are!

We all fell in love with Keyes after reading Watermelon and Rachel's Holiday well over a decade ago. Since then Keyes books have been lacklustre. She'd set her writing talent benchmarks so high, her fans wanted more great writing from her. So after years of average to good novels, I can excitedly reveal that Keyes has got her mojo back. KeyesShe's got a winner on her hands with The Break. Long awaited kudos, respect and a standing ovation for Keyes, back in top form. Read it, she's nailed it, you love it

My Thoughts

Your husband wants a break. What do you do? Do you flip your top? Do you push him to go and enjoy his break or do you make him stay?

A break for me says someone in a marriage/relationship isn't happy and needs time for themselves. I mean, that's the only logical explanation I have because I, myself, have never been on one before so.... I got curious when I saw the book and read the synopsis.

It's scary when you're married or in a relationship to think about a break when you don't even need one. But what would happen if I or my husband would reach that point? Hof would either of us react? Would we survive? Or would we split up and go separate ways?

The ride home from the bookstore was gruesome, to say the least. I had so many questions and needed answers from the chick-lit I had bought.

I love Marian Keyes books. She has an amazing writing style. It's truly a pleasure to read her stories because they're so easy-going with the perfect amount of depth.

`The Break`was a fun and exciting read with so many feels. I had so much love and hate boiling inside me but then again- I felt alot of understanding for the characters and their actions.
( Not the break part. That crushed me.)

Without wanting to give anything away I would say this is a relatable read. The idea of a couple that loved each other to bits, even after so many years of being together, suddenly being challenged by one tiny life choice... plus the involvement with kids and work and everything else that comes with life is really not too far fetched.

My kind of Chick-Lit!

I did not only enjoy reading this relationship romance because it made me go through the „what if's“ afterwards... I also enjoyed `The Break`for what it was- Entertaining.

It took me 2 days to start and finish 568 pages, and boy... was my heart all over the place.

The only complaint I have it that the end was a bit „So, this happens,... color out the rest for yourselves.“. The end didn't quite get as much attention as I hoped for.

A reader gets alot of well written scenes on what happened before the break, during the break, and after the break. It felt like the real closure didn't get a proper spotlight moment.

Nonetheless- I still enjoyed reading `The Break` by Marian Keyes.

Would I reread the story? Sure. Sometime in the future, most definitely.

Would I recommend this read? Absolutely. Although it's a rather larger book it's well written and the reading flow is great. Chick-Lit lovers will definitely get a kick out of this one.

The Cover – 5 stars ( A total eye-catcher. Simple, in-your-face subtle.... I love it )

The Story – 4 stars ( As a whole I'd say it was really enjoyable. But the end didn't really do it for me. I expected more.)

The Characters – 4 stars ( Great. All aside from Amy's husband, Hugh. Would have liked for him to have more... more.... more.)

My emotional state after finishing this read- Satisfied and waiting to read something new from the author.

I'm giving `The Break` by Marian Keyes 4 out of 5 stars.