Ambivalence, a Love Story: Portrait of a Marriage

By John Donatich

Book Overview

Ambivalence, a Love Story is a deeply nuanced accounting in which two people come together to make a marriage work. Rarely has marriage and its compromises been so intimately portrayed, especially when tested by depression, unemployment, miscarriage and other realities of contemporary life. Whether inside the sterile out-placement offices for reengineered executives or traipsing through the suburban homes and competing lifestyles with perky realtors, Donatich muses on life's transitions with rare candor and insight. Ambivalence traces the inner life of a man coming into adulthood: on being first generation, on interfaith marriage, on playing the accordion and ultimately on the question of whether we are better off solitary or coupled. But at heart, it is a tender -- if circumspect -- love story. An astonishing middle-aged debut.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312326548
• ISBN13: 9780312326548
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Honest and Heartfelt

Donatich explores his roles as son, lover, worker, husband, and father. He grapples with the concept of manhood by examining unemployment, religion, gender relations, the immigrant experience, the pursuit of identity through lifestyle, and family life. With openness and honesty, he shares the bittersweet feelings of a "middle-aged, married, mortgaged, and mortal" man to celebrate and define the book's title. Ambivalence--and a good relationship--means being of two minds; having moral strength, not certitude; mindfully loving, not clinging to the blind faith of being in love.