Man and Wife

By Tony Parsons

Book Overview

Harry Silver returns to face life in the "blended family." A wonderful new novel about modern times, which can be read as a sequel to the million selling Man and Boy, or completely on its own.

Man and Wife is a novel about love and marriage - about why we fall in love and why we marry; about why we stay and why we go.

Harry Silver is a man coming to terms with a divorce and a new marriage. He has to juggle with time and relationships, with his wife and his ex-wife, his son and his stepdaughter, his own work and his wife's fast-growing career.

Meanwhile his mother, who stood so steadfastly by his father until he died, is not getting any younger or stronger herself.

In fact, everything in Harry's life seems complicated. And when he meets a woman in a million, it gets even more so...

Man and Wife stands on its own as a brilliant novel about families in the new century, written with all the humour, passion and superb storytelling that have made Tony Parsons a favourite author in over thirty countries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0006514820
• ISBN13: 9780006514824
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

lovely

A lovely story that is so real and takes your heart, and makes you want to finish it

Very special

What is not to love about a Tony Parsons novel? (If there is something, I don't want to know.) The people that fill his pagers are practically as real as seeing someone face-to-face. The relationship between his son and Cyd's daughter is so beautifully written - which can be said for all the character interaction. Parsons writes flawlessly about imperfect people screwing up and learning from their screw-ups. This book is no exception.

I LOVED this book!

This book is about Harry Silver, who following the failure of his first marriage, is trying to build a new `blended' family for him and his son. This situation is so common nowadays that it should make for pretty boring material... right? Not so. Tony Parsons is so good at deconstructing feelings that this book is a joy to read. Parsons' documentation of a Harry's love for his son and his indecision over a faltering relationship, is moving without being sentimental. Harry Silver is no angel, but I found him to be immensely likeable none-the-less. Even when he's failing, the right intentions are there, and I couldn't help but sympathise. - Harry only wants what's best for his son ... don't we all? - Harry just wants the newness of falling in love to last forever ... wouldn't we all? This book not only realistically tackles the dynamics of modern family relationships (children, parents, and spouses - current and ex), but is also surprisingly tender in addressing the unconditional and endless love one can only truly feel for their children. This book really struck a chord with me - Mr. Parsons, I can't thank you enough for writing it.

Such Insight!

I read Man and Boy and was so excited for the next book. True to form, in Man and Wife, Mr. Parsons continued with his insightful documentation of the emotional turmoil he went through during his divorce. I secretly hoped in his second work, he and "Gina" would get back together. This series is so real, I recommended it to a man fighting over custody of his son. It documents with clarity what children of divorce should know about thier parents anguish, making decisions with and without regard to thier children's emotional outcome. It put into words, what causes a man to want to stray and sometimes with horrible outcomes. Such a sensitive author! Bravo!

A True Look Inside A Man's Head

"Man and Wife" by Tony Parsons is a wonderful and enlightening look into the mind of married men everywhere. This sequel to the very well received "Man and Boy", is a tremendous picture into the lives of "the husband, the ex-wife, the new wife, the son and the new stepdaughter. "Man and Wife" explores the questions that face every blended family and really tackles the tough questions. The most intriguing part of this book is the fact that it is told from the male perspective and that was really interesting. I loved this amazingly smart, thoughtful and heartfelt journey of a man and his new life.Great book and would make an interesting book club selection. I bet there are tons of families out there with these same questions.