The Stuff That Never Happened

If you watch BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY over and over again, THIS IS FOR YOU!

The characters were very believable and loveable. It's about relationships, parenting, lost loves, and aging. This book is about being in a long relationship and looking back with regrets of what could have been. I enjoyed the format, the way the author weaved the info into the story by flashbacking appropriately to explain why the characters felt the way they did. Annabelle and Grant were married for thirty years and were feeling the empty-nest syndrome. Annabelle proves her statement, 'It is possible to love two men," to be true. The essence of a twenty-six year old affair lingers to cause much trepidation and longing. Annabelle finds herself face to face with Jeremiah in a store the two used to visit together. If you are one who watches BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY over and over again..this book will be just the thing for you!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Must read for married people!

This is a great story about relationships: marriage, and the relationships daughters and mothers have with each other. The story is more geared towards the perspective of women, and I think it is a must-read for anyone who is married, or who has ever experienced doubt in that marriage, or even in a relationship, or thought that her mother was so flawed that you could never be like that. It's just a great story and changed my perspective on a few things!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!

I really enjoyed this book. I did not guess the end, but I can't tell you what I thought was going to happen, without giving away a big part of the book. The entire book kept taking different turns throughout the book. I loved how Annabelle stood up for herself and what she wanted. I liked the different extremes of her two children and how as a mother, she was able to relate to both of them. Unlike Grant, she was able to accept them for who they were and the choices they made. The book jumps back and forth between later seventies/early eighties and 2005. As the present is unfolding, the choices Annabelle makes are explained by reading about her past. I really liked this format and thought the author did an excellent job going back and forth and interweaving the story. I recommend you read this book.

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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Gerat book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were developed well, and the story kept me interested. It was a typical love story, and talked about the difficulties in marriage that most people dont talk about. I would definitely recommend this book.

Enjoyed!

I really enjoyed this book! Very easy to read and I felt like I knew the characters. Great for anyone that realizes that life is not perfect.

Great book!

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The characters are well developed, and easy to relate to. I would definitely recommend this book.

Wonderful Book!!

I fell immediately in love with this book and have been unable to put it down. It is filled with witty humor, genuine emotion, and fully relatable characters. You won't want it to end...I'm sad to almost be finished!

Pretty Good!

If it hadn't been for the language in this book I would have given it four stars. I'm picky in how much profanity I will tolerate in a book and this was one had a little too much.

But putting that aside - I thought The Stuff That Never Happened was a very interesting look at marriage and extramarital affairs. An interesting look at what constitutes real solid love over the passionate, rip your clothes off kind of excitement. I found myself asking if the later was truly love or just an adrenaline rush. I found the portrayal of a long time marriage accurate and wonderfully portrayed. And found myself really rooting for Grant (the husband) even with his reserved understated personality (actually reminded me of my own husband).

The pacing was good and the writing well done. There were moments of laughing, shaking my head at character's stupidity and moments of emotion as characters worked at and grew through their experiences. Overall a good read. If language doesn't bother you I would recommend it!

Wonderful!!

I thought this was a great book! The author did an excellent job keeping me engaged throughout the entire book!! Absolutely LOVED it!!

Great read

This would be a great book for a book club. I thought the author descibed the charactors and setting very well. Just an all around enjoyable book.

So Real!

This book is wonderfully written and relatable. A must-read!

Very enjoyable!

I liked the style of how this book was written. Was a fun, quick read, and I really liked it!

Best Book I've Read in a Long Time

I've noticed a few reviewers have referred to this book as "chick lit" but that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, this book is geared toward women and written from a woman's point of view weaving together her present day marriage that is experiencing the empty nest syndrome and a passionate affair that nearly destroyed her marriage some 26 years earlier. However, because I associate chick lit with somewhat dim, but loveable women, whose main interests are shopping and "winning" the guy and living happily ever after, this doesn't fit that genre. The story here is much more complicated and weighty--think Anita Shreve, or better yet, Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone"--and stresses the reality that marriage is a complex, not always fulfilling, rarely perfect endeavor, where compromises are made all the time, but which has its rewards as well. Annabelle is no Cinderella, but Maddie Dawson makes it very possible to relate to her. A very worthy read.

Wonderful book!

Highly recommend this book.

Great Read

I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. It's a great story with great characters and I love the way it examines such a common feeling within a marriage. I loved it!!

Good Read

I enjoyed this book. It was a typical women finding out in her later years with grown kids that she maybe missed out on something that really wasn't there. Good...But not a Great read.

entertaining chick lit family drama

She had thirty years of marriage to historian Grant McKay, but with their two kids gone, Annabelle wants more as she always loved someone else although her husband is a nice kindhearted person. When her pregnant daughter Sophie has a major health issue, Annabelle comes to Manhattan to help her.

The city reminds her of her first love back in the 1970s when as newlyweds with Grant teaching at Columbia University, they lived with his sponsor Jeremiah. Both Jeremiah and Annabelle knew an affair between Grant's beloved wife and his cherished mentor would destroy him. However, they could not resist the passion. Now back in New York, she knows Jeremiah is near; Annabelle must choose between the two men she cares most about.

This is an entertaining chick lit family drama held together by Annabelle as readers compare her and her two loves in the 1970s with her as an about to be grandma with two loves in 2005. The triangle is strong as is Sophie and the city. Although the ending feels abrupt and too pat, fans will enjoy The Stuff That Never Happened as the lead protagonist has a second chance at selecting between the two men she loves.

Harriet Klausner

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