Husbands and lovers by Ruth HarrisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Narcissists & the Women Who Love & Suffer Them" would also be a good title for Husbands & Lovers.
When a book begins with a main character toting a gun & on a collision course with a spouse & their lover & their lover's lover, all one can do is find out how all this came to be. This was a fast paced & sometimes fun, sometimes infuriating read. Ruth Harris writes characters that feel so true you can't help but go along on their emotional rollercoaster ride lives. Carlys, Kirk, Jade & George are a palette of greys, with none being wholly a hero or villain. I enjoyed that because it made them believable & also went a long way making the story flow well to a satisfying conclusion. The men were just as infuriating as the women & for anything the women endured (Winn & Barry, I'm looking @ you!), I couldn't help yelling "Make better choices! You don't have to take that!" As a woman who didn't experience this period in history (the 70s & early 80s), I find it's fascinating to read & take in all the points of view the characters are caught up in shaded by the times & trying to figure out the next step. They seem to be running away from things just as much as they're running toward other things. I think I can see why my mother had all the authors books on her bookshelf. They're quite engaging. Like watching Mad Men set a bit later. The rules were technically different but people were still people & don't just change attitudes or the way they were brought up, overnight. I'd recommend this if you're looking for something to read over a weekend. It's soapy & still gives you moments to ponder.
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