The Marriage of True Minds

By Stephen Evans

Book Overview

In this unconventional love story, Nick and Lena are divorced, but can't quite separate. They had once run a successful environmental law firm together, until Nick's charmingly erratic behavior got in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932961461
• ISBN13: 9781932961461
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Unbridled Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Highly entertaining read

Steve Evans' first novel is pure fun. It may have more literary, theatrical, and musical references than I have encountered in a novel - more probably than many readers will catch - but they help make it a blast from start to finish. His characters are well drawn and so convincing that part of me hopes his next offering will continue to develop them now that he has made such a delightful introduction. Whatever he chooses to tackle next, I can't wait!

"True Minds" Shows True Heart

In his debut novel, Stephen Evans presents an engaging, touching, and very funny look at relationships (marriage in particular), and also makes a strong, though not heavy-handed, case for animal rights. With a playwright's keen ear for dialogue - sort of a cross between Neil Simon and Tom Stoppard - and an artist's sense of time and place, Mr. Evans shows great skill as he lets the story of Nick, Lena, and Sancho unfold in its Minneapolis setting. But ultimately, it is Mr. Evans's skill as a novelist that will captivate you as he effortlessly takes us from present to past and back again in Nick and Lena's relationship, and also provides depth to the supporting characters - Preston, Sharon, Ralph, Alice, and Wolfram. I won't go into plot detail, as others on this site have already done an excellent job of that. And nothing reveals the plot better than Mr. Evans's own nimble writing. Someone in Hollywood should be taking notice, as this novel seems readily adaptable to the screen. It has been noted by others that this is a great summer read, one for the beach. If you're reading at the beach, be prepared to touch up the sun screen under your eyes in a couple of instances, and to have others ask you, "What's so funny?" Read this book! You will enjoy the characters for their quirkiness, humor, and humanity (including the dog puppet). And you will be contributing to a good cause - Best Friends Animal Society.

Save the Lobsters, Save the World

In his debut novel, Stephen Evans has created a quirky - yet touching - story about love, loss and our moral responsibility to our fellow earthlings, human and non. Lawyers Nick and Lena are the titular couple in THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS. On a whim, law school student Lena enrolled in Nick's environmental law course, and by term's end, the two had fallen head-over-heels in love. After they married, Lena joined Nick's law firm, and the two became crusaders for human and environmental rights. In time, Nick's seemingly tenuous grasp on reality unraveled, as did his marriage to Lena. When Nick's increasingly erratic behavior became too much for Lena to bear, the two divorced; she bought out his half of the house and firm, and set up a bank account for his living expenses...which he promptly squandered on a "guerilla activist" prank involving 144 lobsters, the mayor's swimming pool and the Minnesota Zoo. In addition to costing him upwards of $250,000, Nick's latest eco-prank is also threatening his very freedom. Enter Lena, who agrees to defend him in court - against her new beau, one Preston Winter. (Awkward!) Without revealing too much of the plot, suffice to say that the brilliant Lena succeeds in saving Nick from both jail and psychiatric commitment - that is, if he can manage to complete his court-ordered community service and mandatory counseling without incident. Given that the volunteer work is to take place at the local animal shelter, Nick's chances don't look good. Throughout it all, the long-suffering Lena is appointed Nick's supervisor/guardian by the court, further complicating their already complicated relationship. Since theirs is a marriage of true minds (and Preston is kind of a tool), you'll be rooting for Nick all the way. Rounding out the cast of characters are Ralph and Alice, the grim-but-dedicated husband-and-wife team in charge of the animal shelter; Oscar, Nick's psychiatric attendant and sidekick; Sharon, Lena's personal assistant and sidekick; Wolfrum, a geriatric Irish Wolfhound slated for euthanasia at the shelter; and Sancho, Nick's sassy and anthropomorphized canine hand puppet. In his press materials, Stephen Evans describes the inspiration behind THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS. When asked "How did this story start for you?", Evans replies: "When I learned about the issue of euthanasia in animal shelters. There are millions of dogs and cats every year who are perfectly healthy and don't have homes, and they are euthanized after just a few days of being there. I had no known about that problem, and I wanted to write something about it. I knew that if I wrote a non-fiction book about it, it would be a very difficult thing to read and wouldn't have the reach that it would have if I wrote it a different way, so that was the genesis of trying to imbed the issue within a different kind of story that would be a little more uplifting." Evans has succeeded in presenting the problem of companion animal overpopulation as

The Marriage of True Minds -- Charming and Delightful

In his first book, Stephen Evans uses witty dialogue to give us a view of the lives of lawyers Nick and Lena. When Nick's erratic behavior becomes too tiring for Lena, their marriage ends, but their feelings for each other continue. While Lena is trying to live a predictable life, Nick is pulling political stunts to protest animal cruelty. Lena is compelled to work to keep Nick out of jail and out of trouble at the expense of her own well being, so she thinks. In this short novel, Evans makes us rethink our notions of love, relationships, conformity, and insanity. While you are laughing, you will hardly realize that you are being given a message about what it means to be crazy and what it means to love. I hope Evans has more novels to come.

Intelligent Fun

Esmeralda M.. Treen 1575 E. Washington Blvd., #530 Pasadena, CA 9110 Book Review by Esme Treen The Marriage of True Minds by Stephen Evans If you are looking for a book to take with you on vacation this is for you. Or if you simply want to read a charming novel filled with surprises this book is for you. Or if you are the kind of reader who wanders into a drug store or super market and grabs any book just because you want something to read and don't care what it is, you will have a most enjoyable read if you pick this one. Not only will you read a delightful story but you will truly enjoy the two protagonists who dominate it. The book has great dialog and it moves very fast. However, you will find that you need to know Puccini, law references, and an overall knowledge of animal welfare as it is practiced in too many communities today. You will also learn some of the geography of Minneapolis. Starting with the initial prank of putting 150 lobsters into the Mayor's swimming pool, having prepared the water with tons of salt, until the very end of the story, The Marriage of True Minds will keep you on your toes. And the humor is such that you will laugh at something on almost every page. The characters are real, drawn well and without a lot ot description to take away your first impression. The hero, if he can be called that, is certainly attractive although he is slightly off his rocker and admits it. The heroine works hard to help him in his recovery. Any more revelations would spoil the book for you. Read this and enjoy. I have read it cover to cover twice and shall probably read it again in case I have missed any of the wonderful nuances in the repartee. This is the perfect summer book. it allows you to relax yet it tells a great story and holds your attention all the way through. Read and enjoy.