Hell Hath No Fury: Women's Letters from the End of the Affair

By Anna Holmes and Anne Boleyn

Book Overview

It's as old as time: the breakup letter. The kiss-off. The Dear John. The big adios. Simple in its premise, stunningly perfect in its effect. From Anne Boleyn to Sex and the City writer/producer Cindy Chupack, from women both well-known and unknown, imaginary and real, the letters here span the centuries and the emotions--providing a stirring, utterly gratifying glimpse at the power, wit, and fury of a woman's voice. In a never-before-published letter, Ana s Nin gives her lover, C. L. Baldwin, a piece of her mind. Charlotte Bront , in formal fashion, refuses the marriage proposal of Henry Nussey. In a previously unpublished letter, Sylvia Plath writes to her childhood friend and brief lover, Phillip McCurdy, expressing her wish to maintain a platonic relationship. And "Susie Q." lets "Johnny Smack-O" know that she's onto his philandering. The brilliance of the mad missives, caustic communiqu s, downhearted dispatches, sweet send-offs, and every other sort of good-bye that fills these pages will surely resonate with anyone who has ever loved, lost, left, languished, or laughed a hearty last laugh.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034546544X
• ISBN13: 9780345465443
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Just what the doctor ordered

I loved this book! It is funny, sad, heart-wrenching, depressing, disturbing, uplifting, and causes you to re-think all of your relationships, spouse/partner-wise and others. No matter what personal relationship hell you have been through, it will make you realize that you are not alone, others have been through it as well, and it will leave you some great templates for expressing your feelings. For anyone who has been betrayed and looking for the resource book on just how to cope - this will help. This isn't classic literature. It isn't even good literature. If that is what you are looking for, this isn't for you. But if you have been betrayed, dumped, or just plain used, you will love hearing how these folks have expressed their rage in similar instances.

Great gift

This book is simply a lot of fun to flip through. It's a neat way to see a different side of famous figures, ranging from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu to George Sand to Dorothy Sayers to Anne Boleyn, Mary Wollstonecraft, Charlotte Bronte... I was impressed with the sheer range of figures represented. It's an addictive read.

I think you're wrong

While some of the letters in this book are disturbing and intense, I disagree with the reviewer who says that the book is sickening. There are many loving letters as well as cruel ones, and the loving ones WAY outnumber the cruel ones. And the arrangement of the letters in the book is proof that we all react to breakups differently...some more maturely than others.

Perfect thing to read for the breakup!

Not that I am a bitter person :) but this book is so refreshing to read when a relationship has gone badly. Everyone can relate to a relationship that has ended. This book is so enlightening as it places many different letters from healthy and the not so healthy relationships in one place. This book is refreshing in the sense that you can see the bad points in your relationship and move on. Giving you a wide range of author's this book gives you a large canvas to view relationships and their demise from. Some letters are from famous ladies, and the others are not so famous. I think the value of this is walking away with the knowledge that life goes on without that particular person in your life. All in all a book that evokes sympathy, laughter, and a tear or two.

Very Interesting Book!

This book contains, as described, letters from women to their partners at the end of the relationships. Some of the letters are laugh-out-loud funny, some poignant, some sad, some cruel, some pathetic and desperate. Some of the letters were written hundreds of years ago, and if you like classic literature, you will really enjoy the writing that comes directly from the hearts of women such as Anais Nin, Charlotte Bronte and Simone de Beauvoir. The letters are divided into categories such as "The Tell-Off", "The 'Just Friends'" and "The Divorce Letter". In each chapter, the letters are arranged chronologically, so if you are looking for a light, amusing read, you can flip to the middle of each chapter and read the more contemporary letters. Not all of the letter-writers are famous women. In fact, one of the leters was found lying on a sidewalk, its author never positively identified. I would recommend this book to someone who really enjoys reading, and enjoys the voyeurism of the peek into what is often the most interesting part of a relationship- its end.