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The Divorce Party

by Laura Dave (Goodreads Author)

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 1,159 ratings · 193 reviews

Two women at the opposite ends of marriage are trying to answer the same question: When should you fight to save a relationship and when should you begin to let go?

On their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, Gwyn Huntington and her husband, Thomas, invite friends and family over for a most unusual celebration. Their home, Huntington Hall, has been in the family for generati...more

Hardcover, 246 pages

Published May 15th 2008 by Viking Adult

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Nov 10, 2008 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

I zipped through this book and here's why: The story caught my attention because the plot did not sound like any story I had ever read. It is set in the outer reaches of Long Island where a family reunites for a party to mark the end of the parent's marriage (THE "divorce party") and the chance to meet the son's new fiance. The story is told alternately from the perspectives of two female characters (aren't the women always the story-keepers in families?): the mother, Gwyn, and the new fiance, M...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"When I first read the marketing information about this book, I was intrigued. Divorce parties? Really? Isn't that all a bit...odd?[return][return]It turns out that there are perfectly acceptable reasons for throwing a divorce party. While I may still be uncomfortable with the idea, I do see their merit, especially when the parting is amicable. However, in spite of its title, this book is not about divorce parties but about marriage and love and, just like the synopsis reads, what it takes to ma...more "When I first read the marketing information about this book, I was intrigued. Divorce parties? Really? Isn't that all a bit...odd?[return][return]It turns out that there are perfectly acceptable reasons for throwing a divorce party. While I may still be uncomfortable with the idea, I do see their merit, especially when the parting is amicable. However, in spite of its title, this book is not about divorce parties but about marriage and love and, just like the synopsis reads, what it takes to make it all work.[return][return]After thirty-five years, you would think that Gwyn and Thomas know what it takes, but does anyone? And Maggie and Nate just starting out? How do you know when you are at the cusp of your life together? As Maggie and Gwyn's stories unfold, the reader becomes aware that no matter where you are in life, marriage takes work. Some people are willing to put forth the effort, and some just aren't. Some even get tired after several decades and no longer want to work at their marriage. To think that you get your happily-ever-after just by saying ""I do"" is naive and illogical.[return][return]Rather than being uncomfortable with the book, as I was feeling based solely on its title, I enjoyed my time with Maggie and Gwyn. I felt their pain, wanted to comfort them as they each struggled to figure out just what amount of effort they were willing to put forth. It also got me thinking about my own marriage and my willingness to stick with it when the going gets tough (it confirmed my belief that my marriage is worth all the blood, sweat and tears). Rather than depressed, I felt renewed and regenerated. Not bad for a book with an ominous title like The Divorce Party.[return][return]One of the things I enjoyed the most was the writing itself. Ms. Dave made me not only picture Montauk but made me want to pack up my house and move there. Her descriptions are delicious, and the reader truly gets the impression of what life is like there. Her ability to discuss philosophical relationship issues while getting you to sympathize the characters must be commended. It would be all too easy to forgo one or the other, but she does both with ease.[return][return]The Divorce Party has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood. One can easily see why, as it has lush surroundings, pertinent questions regarding marriage and love, humor and pathos all rolled into one package. However, there is something to be said about taking your own journey through the questions asked by each character while they are asking the questions, to be able to answer them as they pertain to your own life. Any movie will not give you this ability to do so. It is the one thing that will stick with me for a long time.[return][return]I thoroughly enjoyed this book, more so than I ever imagined. While it could be considered ""chick lit"", some of the topics and questions faced by the characters make it more introspective fare than your traditional ""chick lit"". I would recommend this for anyone facing their own relationship crossroads or anyone looking for an intriguing read.[return][return]Thanks to Anna Suknov at FSB Associates for the opportunity to review this book!"(less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would actually give this book 2.5 stars - I didn't dislike it, but I didn't really like it, either.

The book was filled with a lot of strife and tension - Gwen and Thomas are divorcing, Maggie and Nate are engaged but he has lied to her and she's just finding out - and the ending (I felt) was depressing. I guess I should have seen that coming, since the title is "The Divorce Party".

I also felt that the book spent a lot of time trying to be a deeper, wiser book than it actually was. There were s...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Jalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-star, book-nuts-challenge, not-for-me, reviewed

I'm going to do this review differently than my normal reviews because I don't feel like my typical What I liked/What I disliked will express my feelings for this book correctly.

As a warning: ******THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS******

I don't know why I thought there might be a happy ending to this book. Maybe I'm just the kind of person that thinks all things will end well for those who want it that way, but I don't think anything really ended well for these characters, except for Georgia maybe....more

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Jul 13, 2010 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book gives “Meet the Parents” a new twist.

Gwyn Huntington has been married 35 years to the day and she’s having a divorce party… for herself. Her husband Thomas has claimed he is found religion and wants to move on, but she knows the real truth. What will Thomas do when she reveals her surprise?

Maggie MacKenzie is engaged to Nate Huntington and they are planning to scrape enough money together to open a restaurant. As if that isn’t enough she is meeting her future in-laws at their divorce p...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Trisha W. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was about two different women, each at different ends of their marriage. Gwyn and her husband of 30 some years are getting divorced and throwing a divorce party. And Maggie is with Nate, Gwyn's son. So Maggie and Gwyn know each other because of Gwyn's son. It was sad at some points in the book. Like when Gwyn is having doubts on if she is still in love with her husband, then she finds out what he is really doing, when he said that he was at Buddhism classes. And Nate is h...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Jeanette Stingley rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Divorce Part by Laura Dave is one of the best books I have read in awhile. You know a book is good when it only takes me 3 days to read it!

The whole book takes place in one day. Maggie is about to meet her future in-laws at their Divorce Party. Yes, Divorce Party. The couple, Gwyn and Thomas, is throwing in the towel after nearly 35 years of marriage. Thomas has found religion (or at least that is his version of him growing apart from his wife) and doesn’t see Gwyn as part of his journey int...more The Divorce Part by Laura Dave is one of the best books I have read in awhile. You know a book is good when it only takes me 3 days to read it!

The whole book takes place in one day. Maggie is about to meet her future in-laws at their Divorce Party. Yes, Divorce Party. The couple, Gwyn and Thomas, is throwing in the towel after nearly 35 years of marriage. Thomas has found religion (or at least that is his version of him growing apart from his wife) and doesn’t see Gwyn as part of his journey into Buddhism. Gwyn decides the throw a Divorce Party to celebrate the end of the relationship and the beginning of their new futures.

Then we have Maggie and Nate, Gwyn and Thomas’ son. Newly engaged, about to start a restaurant business of their own, and head over heels for each other. Maggie has been a commitment phobe her whole life mostly because of the traumatic experience of her mother walking out on her when she was younger. Maggie hangs in there through each revealed secret until Nate’s sister Georgia spills the biggest secret of Nate’s past. I didn’t blame Maggie for second guessing her entire relationship and future with Nate at that point. I don’t want to give any spoilers because I want you to go devour the book like I did but you will discover just how clever Gwyn is as her story unravels to the very end.

The story is told by alternating back and forth between Maggie and Gwyn. I love the way Laura Dave writes. Page after page the back story of these two women are told as secrets are revealed about each man and how Maggie and Gwyn are seeing their lives unfold before them. Dave is a very gifted story teller. She keeps you hanging at the end of every chapter. You do have to read chapter in succession because they build upon each other. Dave makes you feel as if you are right there at the side of each character watching the story unfold. It is the way these 2 women analyze their lives(past, present and future) that makes the reader get sucked in.

I highly recommend this book for a lazy weekend when you can shut off the phone, grab a cup of coffee and relax with a good story!

Laura Dave is the author of London is the Best City in America, which was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, Self Magazine, ESPN the Magazine, Redbook, and The New York Observer. She lives in New York City; visit her online at lauradave.com. The rights to the story to be made into a movie were bought by Jennifer Aniston’s production company!!!!(less)

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May 14, 2009 Kerri rated it 3 of 5 stars

First of all, I read most of this book while laying on my new awesome hammock so that may have added to the enjoyability!

I think the book would be just a light, quick read. And it was pretty quick! But, it was pretty thought-provoking, actually. Made me think about marriage, and what it means- And more importantly, the whole idea of truly being intimate and honest. I'm a songwriter, and it's a topic I find comes up over and over in my writing. That need and want to lay all the cards out for som...more

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Jul 30, 2010 ICPL Staff Picks added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, kara, staff-picks-blog

I read Dave’s London is the Best City in America awhile back and enjoyed it so I though I’d try her new book. Maggie and Nate are working together to open a restaurant. Maggie loves her life and its challenges until she realizes that she doesn’t know her fiancee Nate very well. The first clue is that Nate has been hiding some envelopes from an investment company from her. Maggie is unsure if she should fight to save their relationship or let it go.

This story is contrasted with Nate’s mother’s s...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Heather Adams rated it 3 of 5 stars

Based on the title and the cover, I expected this to be a light and fluffy "chick lit" type book. I don't mean that to be disparaging; I like that type of book sometimes. In any event, I was surprised to find that this book was more serious and thoughtful than I had imagined it would be. I really enjoyed the stories of both Gwn and Maggie. I thought it was a little unlikely that Nate would try to hide so much, but maybe I'm just naive. I liked reading about the women's internal struggles and the...more

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Aug 01, 2009 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story is told by the two main female characters: Gwyn and Maggie. Gwyn Huntington is planning a Divorce Party that falls on the day of her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Her husband says that he has found a new religion and that they are now too different from each other, but she knows better. Maggie is Gwyn's soon to be daughter-in-law. On the day that Maggie is to meet her in-laws for the first time, she finds out all about Nate's, her fiance, hidden past. The two women must overcome s...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gwyn Huntington is getting ready to throw the most important party of her life…her divorce party! Yes you hear me right…a divorce party. It is like a tradition to host one, when your divorce is final. It is like freeing yourself of the old and saying I am ready to take on the world again. Someone who can’t understand what Gwyn is going through is Gwyn’s soon to be daughter in law, Maggie Mackenzie.

Maggie has found the man of her dreams and his name is Nate. He comes from a wealthy family. She i...more

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Jul 12, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Susan

Shelves: fiction, owned, reviewed-books, womens-fiction

If London Is the Best City in America is a good book, this is a GREAT book. I loved the characters and the setting. It was very cinematic, and I think it will translate into a movie quite well.

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Jun 23, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, chick-lit, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story starts off in 1938 during a hurricane in Montauk, New York. Champ and Anna Huntington are at first unaware of the storm when it sets in although it is immediately clear that after only a year of marriage, their relationship is strained. However, when Champ sees the destruction of Montauk, he realizes how much he loves Anna and wants to stay with her.

Flash forward 69 years and you meet Maggie, Nate Huntington's fiancee (Champ Huntington's grandson). They have just bought a restaurant a...more The story starts off in 1938 during a hurricane in Montauk, New York. Champ and Anna Huntington are at first unaware of the storm when it sets in although it is immediately clear that after only a year of marriage, their relationship is strained. However, when Champ sees the destruction of Montauk, he realizes how much he loves Anna and wants to stay with her.

Flash forward 69 years and you meet Maggie, Nate Huntington's fiancee (Champ Huntington's grandson). They have just bought a restaurant and having borrowed from multiple banks, Maggie is worried about money. She's also worried about meeting Nate's parents for the first time at their divorce party and when Nate reveals that his family has almost a half a billion dollars, Maggie has every right to be shocked. Soon Maggie learns that there are other things about Nate that are a mystery to her and she begins to question how strong her relationship is with the man she is supposed to marry.

There is also Gwyn, Nate's mother. It becomes very clear that throwing a divorce party is a complicated and emotional endeavor. She still loves her husband but he has drifted away from her and she knows it's because he's in love with another woman.

The day of the party reveals secrets that Maggie could never have imagined. Through Nate's very pregnant sister Georgia, Maggie learns that Nate, the love of her life, used to be married to another woman, a revelation she never saw coming. Maggie battles with the knowledge, unsure if she wants to be with Nate. Gwyn has her own agenda during the party, hiring Eve as the caterer, the same woman who is sleeping with her husband Thomas. Both women are filled with emotion on this day and I love how this story follows both of their thought patters; making this story feel more whole and genuine. I loved how in the end, Maggie knows she must try with Nate and Gwyn realizes she must let go. I also love how the last chapter flashes back to Anna and Champ and the creation of the swing that was a wedding present for Thomas and Gwyn. They put song lyrics on the bottom, hoping someday someone will find these words and gain strength from them. Maggie does indeed find these words which are:
"And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I ever felt pain"

I couldn't put this book down.
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Jul 09, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love books and movies about marriages. The happy, the sad, the damaged. There is something so complicated about this relationship and no two are ever the same. Gwyn is facing the end of her marriage, but there is still something there, love or hope, or both. And Maggie is faced with a future husband who is willing to keep the most basic truths about himself a secret from her. The chapters alternated between the two women and I loved it. It was thoughtful and thought-provoking, meaningful and s...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Bridget rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gwyn is a party planner who has been a leader in all different kinds of celebrations for other. Including Divorce Parties. After being married for thirty-five years, her marriage is over. Now, she is throwing her own divorce party which she knows will be different from all the rest.

Meanwhile, Maggie is looking forward to starting her life with the man of her dreams. This may sound wonderful right now, but she still has to meet the in-laws.

Weddings and divorce may seem like complete opposites but...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Cassie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast read, and was easy to get through. The entire book (minus the prologue and epilogue)takes place in one day, yet you get so inside these two women's lives, it feels like you know everything about them. The back and forth between Maggie & Gwyn keeps you going. I thought both of these women were great characters and they had a pretty fabulous supporting cast. Even with all their faults, I found myself really liking these characters. Nate & Thom...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maggie is engaged to Nate. She is traveling out to Montauk to meet his parents for the very first time at a party that they are having to celebrate their divorce. The idea of the party is to let everyone know that they can honor their past life and remain friends into the future. But does each person have secrets that they haven't revealed to others? Why haven't they revealed those parts of themselves? Are there ever good reasons to have secrets and if they come to light can we forgive, forget,...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

A banquet of suprises that nudges your taste buds with emotional flavour. An indepth drama that unfolds as a stale marriage is to be celebrated with a divorce party to be held on the couples thirty fifth wedding anniversary. By reflecting on happier times with family and friends at this gathering they hope those close to them will understand their decision to seperate. Then the older couple can move forward with the changes in their future. A well written novel that touches the heart strings and...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Jules rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

I really like Laura Dave's writing style, but I could see how someone else wouldn't. She delves so completely into the emotional and mental life of her characters that every action and decision is imbued with ample weight and meaning. Nothing is simply careless. I could see how that would irk people or they could find it ponderous, but I like it as a window into all the quirks of someone else's mind. It feels intimate, particularly because Dave is so great observing and capturing the tiny detail...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

I started this delightful book after dinner last night, and finished it by midnight. I felt as if I were living inside a Noel Coward play, with his wry sense of humor and sly understanding of love and marriage and secrets. This novel was so well written, never overly sentimental, and always held my interest. A young man and his fiance head to Montauk, to his family estate home to attend the divorce party being given by his parents to commemorate the good years of their long marriage, that is now...more

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May 09, 2012 Hayden rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a really really good read. With divorced parents, I can't really understand why a couple would split up if they were happy enough with their union to celebrate a split. But the story goes alot deeper than I predicted. I was expecting a comedy, and while there were funny parts in this novel, there were also surprisingly deep and heart stirring developments as well.

This book gives the reader a look at just a few of the infinite ways that love can be expressed.

It left me wondering i...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy reading anything by Laura Dave; I find that her characters embody a perfect blend of endearment and fault that really make them human. Dave does not disappoint with The Divorce Party, an entertaining novel that sheds valuable insight about the nature of relationships.
In The Divorce Party, Gwyn and Thomas are toasting to the end of their marriage by hosting a celebration at Huntington Hall, their fit-for-a-postcard home in Montauk, Long Island that’s been in the family for generations (a...more I enjoy reading anything by Laura Dave; I find that her characters embody a perfect blend of endearment and fault that really make them human. Dave does not disappoint with The Divorce Party, an entertaining novel that sheds valuable insight about the nature of relationships.
In The Divorce Party, Gwyn and Thomas are toasting to the end of their marriage by hosting a celebration at Huntington Hall, their fit-for-a-postcard home in Montauk, Long Island that’s been in the family for generations (a home that even survived the Great Hurricane of 1938).
Paralleling the decline of a thirty-five year marriage is the storyline of another couple, who are embarking on a different journey. Gwyn and Thomas’s son, Nate, currently lives with his fiancée, Maggie, and he’s bringing her back to his childhood town and ocean-front house to meet his parents for the first time - at their divorce party, no less.
The Divorce Party delves into the intricacies and complexities of characters who harbor secrets.
“I had two main characters – a woman struggling to begin a marriage and another trying to gracefully end hers – both asking the question: how hard should I fight for the person I love,” Dave said in an interview on Examiner.com. “It was very rewarding to see them both find the answer to the question that was ultimately going to lead to their happiness.”
What I personally found interesting is how both father and son were not happy with their past, and while they tried to “start over,” they expressed this need very differently; all at the cost of the women they loved.
Thomas tried to fill a void he couldn’t fill for himself; yet, Gwyn suspects that even his idea of beginning anew can’t save him.
“You can do the work to honor what you created, or you don't,” Dave wrote. “But if you don't, you get to the same point with the next person, don't you? You get to the same point, the same questioning, until you push through it. Until you are brave enough to not expect anyone else to see in you what you can't see in yourself.”
Meanwhile, Nate didn’t disclose a very important part of his story to his soon-to-be wife, which Maggie uncovered during her visit to Montauk. Like Thomas, Nate was also looking for a clean slate; however, he chooses to confront himself and his prior experiences, wishing to preserve his current relationship. He wants to accept that air of responsibility and dig deeper within himself. It’s a lesson his father may long to learn as well.
An interview with the author that was posted on the Printasia blog site discusses the message that Dave wants the readers to understand – she wants them to walk away with the theme of forgiveness in mind. Instead of finding a sense of failing in forgiveness, she focuses on its strength.
“I believe that there is no weakness in forgiveness,” she said. “But we are conditioned these days to think that there is, that the brave thing is to move on when someone disappoints us,” she said. “It makes it hard to make a relationship work, if the premium’s as much as leaving as it’s on figuring out a way to stay.”
With an eye-opening view of the inner workings of relationships, Laura Dave’s The Divorce Party is definitely a page-turner and a recommended read.

-L(less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Eric Klee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Finishing THE DIVORCE PARTY felt like an amicable split. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't in love with it, so I didn't feel sad when it ended. It tries to be a tale of revenge, but it's not that vengeful. It's more about relationships and moving on after "life-altering" events shape your future, but it just comes off as a bit too lifeless.

In the novel, the affluent Gwyn is planning a divorce party for she and her soon-to-be ex-husband Thomas after 35+ years of marriage, inviting hundreds of their...more Finishing THE DIVORCE PARTY felt like an amicable split. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't in love with it, so I didn't feel sad when it ended. It tries to be a tale of revenge, but it's not that vengeful. It's more about relationships and moving on after "life-altering" events shape your future, but it just comes off as a bit too lifeless.

In the novel, the affluent Gwyn is planning a divorce party for she and her soon-to-be ex-husband Thomas after 35+ years of marriage, inviting hundreds of their closest friends. Also invited are their son Nate and his fiance Maggie, and their pregnant daughter Georgia and her music band boyfriend Denis (rhymes with penny). Each couple has their own relationship problems, none of which are particularly interesting. Nate has secrets from Maggie. Secrets like coming from a wealthy family. Is this really a deal-breaker? Sounds like a d@mn nice surprise to me. Denis is absent from Georgia's life, yet she still loves him and thinks he's the greatest man in the world for her; a bit too cliche.

The novel alternates chapters focusing on Gwyn and Maggie. We see the situations that each woman is going through with their own relationships, as well as their individual viewpoints of situations in which they're both present. Both women, though, over-think and over-analyze everything. The ongoing descriptions of their thoughts felt like too much thinking/telling and not enough showing. They're so overdramatic, like an episode of The Bachelor.

I won't spoil anything, but I was pleasantly surprised at a couple of the plot twists that the author threw into the novel. They managed to grab my interest and pull me back into the novel when I was drifting away. It probably needed more of them.

This is my second novel by Laura Dave. She's a decent writer; she writes very conversationally. However, the story felt a bit thin. I would have liked to have read more substance. As it stands, it's not a novel I would care to have a conversation about. There's not much to say, and there's not much that I took away from the book. (less)

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Mar 31, 2009 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

Simply amazing.

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Jan 17, 2012 Vicky Norton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nice smooth writing; realistic story; I love the characters doing what real people would actually do, good and bad. I like that it covers one day, I always think it's amazing when authors (and movie directors) can do that. The storm of 1938 that starts the book could have had more to do with it; I know it made the patriarch of the family stay at Montauk, but I wonder if the storm at the end was really needed. Anyway, the use of almost my favourite Van Morrison song at the end of this gets it fiv...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When reading a Laura Dave book, I almost feel like I am reading an Emily Giffin book. Dave’s stories – or at least the two I have read: “The Divorce Party” and “The First Husband” – like Giffin’s are centered on females with complicated love lives. What separates Giffin and Dave from other authors in the romantic comedy/chick lit genre, though, is that their stories have substance. While their books may be quick-paced and perfect for the beach, they aren’t full of fluff. They can actually be qui...more When reading a Laura Dave book, I almost feel like I am reading an Emily Giffin book. Dave’s stories – or at least the two I have read: “The Divorce Party” and “The First Husband” – like Giffin’s are centered on females with complicated love lives. What separates Giffin and Dave from other authors in the romantic comedy/chick lit genre, though, is that their stories have substance. While their books may be quick-paced and perfect for the beach, they aren’t full of fluff. They can actually be quite thoughtful and resonate within the reader (or at least this reader).

With all that said, though, Dave isn’t quite on the same level as Emily Giffin. Don’t get me wrong - “The Divorce Party” was a terrifically engaging story. Told in alternating chapters by the interconnecting characters Maggie–the young woman on the verge of marriage–and Gywn–the seasoned woman on the verge of divorce–the chapters always left me wanting to read more. I also appreciated how the story surprised me. When I thought Dave was going a predictable direction, she went into another.

But I gave Laura Dave’s “The Divorce Party” 3/5 stars because I felt like the story was a little rushed. Coming in at only 244 pages in a small sized book, I finished the book in two days and probably could have made a run at one day if I started the book earlier on day one. The book seemed to place emphasis on brevity and concision because at some points the characters would say something and I would not know how they got to the point. It almost seemed like there were lines missing that were edited out for whatever reason. The flow of the story was definitely interrupted due to the need to reread lines and make my own inferences. After noting a typographical error in the text, I found myself wondering if the book was rushed for publication and did not receive proper and concentrated editing.

Nonetheless, I did like “The Divorce Party” and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys chick lit with substance (got to give props to my friend Marisa for that characterization). Laura Dave may not be Emily Giffin, but she could at least be the author you read in between Emily Giffin’s books.
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Oct 03, 2012 Adriana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, 5-star

This is by far Laura Dave's best work. She not only captures the angst of being young (relatively speaking), in love and determined to make a relationship work (which is essentially what her other two books have been about), but she also manages to interweave this story with that of another relationship in its death throes. Maggie's fiance, Nate, is bringing her home to meet his parents, which is difficult enough under the best of circumstances. Unfortunately, these are not the best of circumsta...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Margherita Dolcevita rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit-women

In copertina c'è una torta a forma di cuore spezzato.
Dietro, sotto la trama, c'è scritto "Una commedia nera piena di ironia"; ok, lo scrive ELLE, che non è esattamente la bibbia per quanto riguarda la narrativa, però uno che legge e recensisce i romanzi ci sarà anche lì.
Bene, con questi presupposti uno cosa si aspetta? Una commedia nera piena di ironia sul divorzio.
Sbagliato. Di comicità non c'è traccia, meno che mai nera, l'ironia se la sono dimenticati da qualche parte e il divorzio è nel tito...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Perhaps I am becoming a softie...I liked this book too! Another quick read, great plot, the premise quirky, the drama pretty far fetched, but it IS fiction afterall. The beginning went very smoothly for me, but with the "twist" it seemed too fast paced for what had come prior. Almost as if the author took it up two notches instead of what I would have preferred to have seen - one. I would have rated it four, if it not had been for this hiccup. The younger female character accelerated the develop...more

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About Laura Dave

I'm the author of the novels: The Divorce Party and London Is The Best City In America. And... THE FIRST HUSBAND (coming this May from Viking Penguin).

I will post about books that I am reading and enjoying. And I look forward to meeting other readers and writers on goodreads---

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Quotes from The Divorce Party

“There are different ways to be confused about how someone's disappointed you. Some lie about the future because they wanted to forget the past. But some will lie about the past because they think it will give you both a future.” — 55 people liked it

“These things...they are who you are. They brought you here. To this day. You didn't give me a chance to understand that ever the unattractive parts of you, the messy parts, were something I could accept.” — 34 people liked it

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The Divorce Party

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