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The Happy Couple: A sparkling story of modern love, from the author of EXCITING TIMES
Naoise Dolan
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Description for The Happy Couple: A sparkling story of modern love, from the author of EXCITING TIMES
Hardback. Signed by the author. Order includes an exclusive branded tote bag, while stocks last. Meet the happy couple. Luke and Celine, are in mutual unrequited love with each other, set to marry in a year's time. The best man, Archie, is meant to want to move up the corporate ladder and on from his love for Luke; yet he stands where he is, admiring the view. The bridesmaid, Phoebe, Celine's sister, has no long-term aspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette and getting to the bottom of Luke's frequent unexplained disappearances. Then there's the guest, Vivian, who with the benefit of some emotional distance, methodically observes her friends like ants. As the wedding approaches and these five lives intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after - but does it lie at the end of an aisle? Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times, makes the Marriage Plot entirely her own in a sparkling ensemble novel that is both ferociously clever and supremely enjoyable.
'A brilliant contemporary novel' COLM TÓIBÍN
'So witty, observant and wise' MARIAN KEYES
'I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent' DOUGLAS STUART
'A dazzling follow-up to Exciting Times' KATHERINE HEINY
'Beautiful' PANDORA SYKES
Meet the wedding party:
THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Celine and Luke are meant to get married and live happily ever after. But Celine's more interested in playing the piano, and Luke's a serial cheater.
THE BRIDESMAID
Phoebe, Celine's sister, is meant to finish college and get a real job. Instead she pulls pints, lives with six flatmates, and has no long-term ... Read moreaspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette.
THE BEST MAN
Archie, Luke's best friend and ex-boyfriend, is meant to move up the corporate ladder and on from Luke. Yet he stands where he is, admiring the view.
THE GUEST
Vivian, Luke's other best friend and other ex, was meant to put up with Luke's bullshit when they dated. But she didn't. And now she is contented, methodically observing her friends like ants.
As the wedding approaches and these five lives intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after - but does it lie at the end of an aisle?
From the author of Exciting Times, this is a sparkling ensemble novel about love and marriage, fidelity and betrayal, that is both ferociously clever and supremely enjoyable
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Product Details
Publisher
Orion Publishing Co
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 2 to 4 working days
About Naoise Dolan
Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. She studied at Trinity College, followed by a master's in Victorian literature at Oxford. She writes fiction, essays, criticism and features for publications including the London Review of Books, the Guardian and Vogue. Naoise's debut novel Exciting Times was published by W&N in the UK and by Ecco in the US ... Read morein 2020, and became a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated and optioned for TV. She has been shortlisted and longlisted for several prizes, including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Show Less
Reviews for The Happy Couple: A sparkling story of modern love, from the author of EXCITING TIMES
I pure LOVED The Happy Couple. So witty, observant, wise and funny. Nihilistic about heteronormative relationships but so charmingly done I barely noticed. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it
Marian Keyes Dolan, whose debut novel Exciting Times was a storming success, is sure to bring her sparkling wit and insightful understanding of human relationships to this ... Read moresecond outing
Irish Independent
Sassy and smart and wickedly funny, Dolan's voice is uniquely her own. I inhaled every irreverent page
Ruth Gilligan, author of THE BUTCHERS I just finished The Happy Couple and I loved it - an extremely funny examination of modern love, with depth, bite and poignancy
Daisy Buchanan, author of INSATIABLE A cracking ensemble, The Happy Couple is a beautiful sonata about our relationships and a sad fugue for fear and loneliness. The book is a tough, all-engrossing love-test. Dolan's acerbic humour is unapologetically analytical. She breaks the rule of intimacy with wit and panache that are second to none. I was kept on tenterhooks till the last few pages and my heart wouldn't stop pounding afterwards. I don't want to say goodbye to Luke and Celine.
Kit Fan, author of DIAMOND HILL Endlessly funny, endlessly inventive - a bold and stylish novel that slipped down and burned like a shot of something lovely
Rebecca Wait, author of I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY A sophisticated character study of a young couple coming to terms with their relationship, in this biting, whip-smart look at modern love and the tangled messes we leave behind us. I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent. And so glad my twenties are over
Douglas Stuart, author of YOUNG MUNGO and SHUGGIE BAIN The Happy Couple is a dazzling follow-up to Exciting Times. Dolan spins her magic again with humour and insight and the sharpest of prose. Not a word out of place
KATHERINE HEINY, author of STANDARD DEVIATION and EARLY MORNING RISER The Happy Couple is just as satisfying as Exciting Times, and deals with class, money, gender dynamics and bisexuality with similar ease. Set between London and Dublin, it is a beautiful exploration of love, fidelity - and whether either are compatible with marriage
Pandora Sykes The Happy Couple is one of those rare novels that feel like it's been written just for you. It's precisely what I love to read: engaging, fast-paced, hilarious, but still tender and moving. Also, is Dolan an actual genius? The pages just sparkle with smartness. It's a true joy to read, I adored it from the first page to the last
Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days Using daring, exciting sentences and close, sharp observation, The Happy Couple is a brilliant contemporary novel
COLM TÓIBÍN The Happy Couple hooked me the way that heteronormativity hooks its ambivalent protagonists. Dolan's prose absolutely crackles with wit, humour, and empathy
Clare Fisher, author of ALL THE GOOD THINGS The Happy Couple reminded me of Muriel Spark in its precision of language and emotion
Emma Forrest, author of BUSY BEING FREE Fun, addictive and laced with astute observations
Vogue
A deep dive into love, betrayal, monogamy and sexuality. Sensational
Daily Mail
One of the most talked about books for 2023
Stylist
A funny and perceptive play on the traditional marriage plot that cements Dolan as one of the cleverest, most amusing new writers around. Marriage, it seems, is a laughing matter
The i paper
The Happy Couple rises towards an affecting ending that asks what illusions and armour one has to shed in order to feel free
Observer
The funniest writer you will read this year. Every page crackles
Irish Independent, on EXCITING TIMES Droll, shrewd and unafraid
Hilary Mantel, on EXCITING TIMES Witty, compelling, with a razor-sharp social commentary. I guzzled it
Pandora Sykes, on EXCITING TIMES It's flawless
Colm Tóibín, on EXCITING TIMES I found myself purring with pleasure. This is comic writing at the highest level
Craig Brown, on EXCITING TIMES Ice cool, self-aware and very funny. Shares of Lorrie Moore and The Bell Jar
Graham Norton, on EXCITING TIMES I had real fun with Exciting Times. It is a very funny, spiky, Marxist, feminist comedy and it's really mean
Zadie Smith, on EXCITING TIMES A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it
David Nicholls, on EXCITING TIMES Naoise Dolan's prose accommodates equally well a quickening heart and a mind on fire
Joshua Ferris, on EXCITING TIMES Fiercely intelligent, brutally funny and written with such heart, EXCITING TIMES announces an impressive new voice in literature
Nathan Filer, on EXCITING TIMES 'A taut, witty tale'
Daily Mirror
Sharp, hilarious - and cuttingly observant!
Woman & Home
I loved everything about this ferociously clever contemporary reworking of the marriage plot. Sensational.
Daily Mail
This book confirms her as an artful comic novelist with a distinctive signature style
The Telegraph
I ran through my proof copy in a few greedy hours, enjoying the snark Dolanisms and the way she toys with form
The Times
This is a warm and sympathetic novel, ready to let even its worst offenders off the hook
The Observer
Witty and insightful... a complete winner
Glamour
This novel is a joy to read
Literary Review
Smart and sharp on 21st century love and loneliness
Grazia
A darkly funny, clever look at modern relationships with a wonderful cast of maddening yet endearing characters
Red
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