""We think we know the ones we love." So Pearlie Cook begins her indirect, and devastating exploration of the mystery at the heart of every relationship--how we can ever truly know another person.


It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful young housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District in San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health, but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep, and everything changes. Lyrical, and surprising, The Story of a Marriage is, in the words of Khaled Housseini, "a book about love, and it is a marvel to watch Greer probe the mysteries of love to such devastating effect.""

Acquired through PaperBackSwap.com (Unabridged on 6 CD's; read by S. Epatha Merkerson)

I really wanted to love this book, having loved Greer's "Confessions of Max Tivoli". But I have to be honest. While I didn't dislike it, I didn't love it either, and I can't put my finger on why exactly that is. Looking back after finishing the novel, I can appreciate the way the story was put together & how the plot was revealed gradually. But listening to the audio, my mind easily wandered & at times I had trouble really following what was going on. The pace of the novel was a little slow to begin with, and I think the reader in this case compounded that fact. To be fair, I think I would've enjoyed this more with book in hand, versus audio, in order to fully appreciate the lyrical writing & to gain an overall better appreciation of the storyline.

Placing into my CD Audio BookBox (2).

Taking this out of indy's CD Audio Bookbox.

Thanks!

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Unabridged, 6 CDs, approximately 7 hours, read by S. Epatha Merkerson

I admit that I was doubtful about this book when I first started it. In fact, I started listening to this, got about halfway through the first CD, and then stopped listening in favor of another book. I'm glad I went back to this one, though. It's a beautifully subtle book that grew on me.

Pearlie and her husband, Holland, are raising their son in San Francisco in the 50s. Holland is a WWII veteran. This family is working fine—Pearlie keeps house and takes care of her little boy, Holland goes off to work each day. Theirs isn't a passionate marriage, but Pearlie is content, or at least she thinks she's content. She says, "I silenced everything in me that was not mild and good" and this seems to sum up her personality. There are emotions boiling underneath, but Pearlie has worked hard at presenting a calm presence in her home and to the outside world. When an old friend of Holland's knocks on her door one morning, everything is turned upside down.

Although I often wanted to reach into the speakers and shake Pearlie, I think that Greer does quite a good job of creating a character as she probably would be in this setting—a young, middle-class African-American woman trying to make her way in 1950s America. Class issues, cultural issues, racial issues, gender issues, sexual identity issues—there were times in this reading that my heart actually ached for this sweet but naive and repressed woman and for the man with whom she has chosen a life.

"I am one who sees nothing and then sees everything." This is a (not so great) paraphrase of Pearlie's, but it's one that I think sheds so much light on the events in this novel. Pearlie sees nothing because she chooses to see only certain things. Then everything is suddenly made known to her and she struggles to find meaning.

It's late, and I'm running the risk of beginning to sound like I'm slurring "I love you, man," over my last beer of the evening, so I'll stop now! I'll just say that the story was more powerful to me than I originally thought it would be. It's lyrical and heartbreaking.

CD #6 has bonus video content that includes an interview with the author. I tried to watch but the audio was so horrible (lots of static and loud pops). I don't know if it's my system that's screwed up or if something is wrong with that disc. It seemed to be interesting though because Greer was talking about what inspired him to write this particular story. If a future reader/listener is able to see the whole video, please include some of that info in a JE. I'd love to know what else Greer said. :)

msjoanna chose this from the CD Only Audio VBB over on BookObsessed. I should have it in the mail to her by the end of the week.

Thanks for sharing this one. I enjoyed The Confessions of Max Tivoli, so was interested to try another one by this author.

Thanks also for sending the stamps -- totally above and beyond what was necessary!