This Side of Married

By Rachel Pastan

Book Overview

Rachel Pastan?s first novel is pure pleasure-a crisp and witty page-turner for smart women everywhere. The Rubin daughters are three eligible sisters from an affluent suburban Philadelphia family whose well-meaning but domineering mother is single-mindedly determined to see them all happily married. The book opens at a Sunday brunch where Dr. Rubin, mother and obstetrician, is scheming to introduce her eldest daughter, Alice, to a doctor who is almost too good to be true. But why hasn?t Alice been able to find a husband on her own? Is her sister Isabel, the real heroine of the story, genuinely happy in her marriage? And is Tina, the youngest of the sisters, as shallow as she seems, or is she something worse than shallow? Reminiscent of the work of Laurie Colwin, This Side of Married is a brilliant, ironic domestic comedy of manners. Full of surprises, yet filled with feeling, This Side of Married is witty, intelligent, and utterly delicious.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670033065
• ISBN13: 9780670033065
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Choose this for your next book group--

I would highly recommend This Side of Married by Rachel Pastan as an ideal book for any women's book group. The story, set in Philadelphia, revolves around three sisters and their overbearing mother. The mother's goal is to see each of her daughters happily married and pregnant. The daughters, each in her own way, struggle to obtain the good life, which includes finding the ideal spouse. The book is fast-paced and very enjoyable. My book group had one of its livelier discussions about family dynamics and marriage.

A thoughtful, witty story

This delightful book is Rachel Pastan's first novel. It gives us a fresh look into the hearts of three sisters trying to balance the expectations of their parents with the realities of modern love, betrayal and selfishness. The message in this book is, "you get what you pay for." We find true love by being true to ourselves and generous to others.

Extraordinarily Clever

Psychologically astute and wise in the intricacies of contemporary courtship and family life, this modern riff on Pride and Prejudice is full of felicities, including a romantic hero with a bald spot, and a Brobdingnagian villain. I started to read and read on with extreme happiness.

Jane Austen in the 21st century

A most enjoyable novel. You really care about these sisters from Philadelphia and it's great fun to see the plot's twists and surprises. I felt that I really knew Alice and Isabel by the end of the book. I look forward to more books by Pastan.

Wonderful read!!

I read the excellent review of "This Side of Married" in the Boston Globe and bought the book immediately. I love this novel--the intriguing characters, the unexpected situations, the humor, and the wisdom. I couldn't put it down and have recommended it to all my friends.