A Special Relationship: A Novel

by Douglas Kennedy

Book Overview

Sally Goodchild is everything you'd expect of a thirty-seven year old American journalist - independent, strong-willed and ambitious. That is until she meets Tony Hobbs, an English foreign... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439199132
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Atria Paperback
• Length: 500 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

So engaging, Could not put it down

This was one of the most engaging books I have ever read. It is also the first Douglas Kennedy books I have read. It won't be the last. This was a story about Sally, a journalist who goes to Somalia to report on a major flood. There she meets Tony, he is also a reporter. He is attractive and very charming. So, Sally and Tony hook up. Soon after, Sally finds out she is pregnant. So, Tony offers to marry her if she would move to London with him. For most of the book, I did not care for Sally's character at all. You can't help but feel some compassion for her because of her difficult pregnancy and post-natal depression. However, I thought she was totally irresponsible with Tony in the first place and she never really took control of her life until it was too late. It is amazing to me that Kennedy did such a great job writing in the voice of a woman. Especially a pregnant woman. This was one of those books that kept me up late so I could finish it. I highly recommend it.

Riveting Page Turner

Sally is a journalist for the Boston Post based in Cairo, when she meets Tony, an English foreign correspondent. Their relationship develops quickly and within months she is married, pregnant and living in the UK. But her pregnancy is anything but smooth and a complicated delivery is followed by an acute dose of post-natal depression. What happens next is even worse and she is forced on the defensive as both a wife and mother. This is an unusual subject for a male author to tackle, especially written as it is in the first person. It takes a while for Kennedy to find his stride. Initially Sally failed to win my sympathy and I thought the description of her new days as a mother was less than convincing. But the book picks up momentum as it goes and before too long I was riveted - to the point where I would wake in the middle of the night and seriously consider getting out of bed to read more! Although the story is relatively simple, there are some nice little twists and Kennedy sets a good pace. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in two days.

Douglas Kennedy's Talent Shines in this Novel

This is an extraordinary novel. It is extraordinary because the author writes from the perspective of a woman. Writing in the first person as a woman, might not sound that unusual, however Kennedy expresses her most inner feeling and insanities as a woman experiencing Post Natal Depression. You might say that a `man' would not have the slightest clue about such things, but after reading the novel and giving it to family and friends (women) who have experienced post natal depression or even the less serious, post natal blues, after reading the text, have come back to me startled and amazed at how accurate and spot on the mark the author was in terms of his unusual depth of understanding. A thirty something journalist, Sally Goodchild, meets a handsome Englishman in Cairo while on assignment. Tony Hobbs is a foreign correspondent for a major London newspaper and as one thing leads to another, Sally ends up pregnant and Tony offers to marry her though insists she must come back to England. This all sounds rather mundane, but as the narrative unfolds, we find that all is not as it seems in their relationship. Sally experiences all the cultural differences as an American living in London. She experiences `cultural shock' to a minor degree, but while reading her observations and feelings, and having lived in different countries as well, could relate, however her husband Tony, strangely, never offered any support, leaving the poor (pregnant) woman to her own devices. Sally finally has the baby and it is not a smooth delivery. She comes out of the experience a total wreck, emotionally and less so, physically. She finds the hospital staff without empathy and in some cases, sadistic. Sally has no support from family as she is all alone. Tony becomes a phantom, occasionally coming home and ignoring the baby. Sally attempts to describe her dilemma, her feelings, but her husband merely scoffs and arrogantly disapproves, giving her the impression that she's being a child and should "grow up!" Needless to say, Sally comes close to ending it all, hitting rock bottom. Douglas Kennedy is a master at taking a character to the heights to then drag them down further than the reader would think possible: The Big Picture and his first novel, The Job, are good examples. We feel Sally's desperation, her insanities, her frustration as a new mother and her various reactions to her situation. Does this poor woman bounce back? This is an excellent novel, the author doing his job, immersing us into the character, feeling her emotions and her desperation and finally, her choice to climb out of a terrible, hopeless situation...and she does it with flair and style. A Special Relationship is entertaining and informative, revealing what good writing is all about...A firm 5 Stars.

I cannot stop reading this book.

I am a foreign personn and I was trying to find a book to read in English. I tried so many but I have never finished any. But this one is The Book. I love the story, I cannot stop reading. Last night at one am. I forced myself to leave the book and sleep. Don't hesitate, get it, you will love it.