Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the Mood for Love Marriage at the crossroads is the subject of Why We Stay Together: 25 Writers on Marriage and Its Rewards, an anthology of essays, poetry and fiction about the critical moments that test marriages. The previously published pieces, selected by Jennifer Schwamm Willis (Explore: Stories of Survival From Off the Map), vary wildly in style, tone and genre. They are all, however, thoughtful, honest explorations of the travails and rewards of marriage. Excerpts from Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets, John Bayley's Elegy for Iris, and Thich Nhat Hahn's Teachings on Love are all here, alongside journalist Cheryl Jarvis's piece on taking a marriage sabbatical and psychotherapist Holly Hein on why infidelity occurs. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Willis (editor, Wizards: Stories of Magic, Mischief and Mayhem) perceives marriage as a model for "the human community at large," and her selection for this anthology certainly reflects a good portion of the human community and its experiences with marriage. The entries, both fiction and nonfiction, each touch on an aspect of conjugal love, ranging from respect to infidelity, from forgiveness to transformation. O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," James Joyce's "The Dead," and Anton Chekov's "At a Summer Villa," as well as an assortment of Pablo Neruda's sonnets for his wife, appear alongside pieces that take a more studied approach to marriage, covering topics such as sexuality and separation. Adding to the diversity of the mix are pieces by Grace Paley, Winston and Sarah Churchill, and Thich Nhat Hahn. Most of these authors are from the Western world, so this work cannot be construed as a global anthology. And those seeking examples of, or solutions to, a particular aspect or problem of marriage may find this work too diverse to use as a guide. Nevertheless, it forms a provocative account of that most complex of relationships and all that preserving it entails. Nedra Evers, Sacramento P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
