The Honeymoon’s Over

Andrea Chapin and Sally Wofford-Girand are friends.  They are both involved in the literary world.  They hung out as families, talked, drank and as most of us do come up with great ideas that we rarely execute on.  Not these two.  They thought wouldn’t be a great thing to create a book that had a collection of essays from a variety of interesting people and authors that write about their relationships, marriages, divorces etc.  Womens perspective only.  Great idea.  Interesting topic.  They did it and I love the title.  The Honeymoons’ Over, True Stories of Love, Marriage and Divorce. Their book came out this past week and the reviews have been stellar.

I went to their book signing Monday night.  You could feel the excitement in the room.  It is pretty exciting to not only get your book published and be acknowledged by your friends and your community but to get fantastic reviews from publications that are read around the country is a whole other ballgame.

I read the first chapter and am sure I will plow through this book.  Both Sally and Andrea will be making an appearance at our April book club to discuss the book with us.  Andrea happened to be one of the original members of our book club and had to bow out once the book began.  Sally attempted to join but timing wasn’t right.  I do hope they return.

I really like the topic.  It appeals to women everywhere.  Why marriages work, why others don’t, how nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors, and how it is never easy having relationships work for decades, it is hard work.  Then having interesting people who write really well write about their personal experiences.  Thought provoking, for sure.

I remember years and years ago when I first got together with my boyfriend, who is now my husband.  He was my best friend.  After we finally made the plunge realizing there was more there than being just good friends, I freaked.  He wasn’t  Jewish, perhaps it was time to date someone who was Jewish because this might end up being the person I married ( I was a Junior in college).  We came from such different backgrounds.  Was this going to work as the years passed because our baggage was so incredibly different?  Hmmm.  I expressed those feelings with him.  His advice was brilliant, then of course he was interested in my fears being allayed.  He said "Joanne, no matter who you are with, you are going to hate the way they brush their teeth in 2 months, there is always something that you will find charming at the start that will start to make you crazy at one point.  If being Jewish is the only thing that you are concerned with, we can always fix that".  Case and point.  We have now been together for over 26 years and I really don’t mind the way he brushes his teeth.