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The Break
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'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'
If only.
Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.
He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.
Yes, it's a mid- ...more
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'
If only.
Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.
He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.
Yes, it's a mid- ...more
Hardcover, 576 pages
Published
September 7th 2017
by Michael Joseph
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Rebekah
Good question! I had to listen to the audiobook.
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Start your review of The Break

Well - I feel as if I've been put through the wringer with this one and hung out to dry! Yes I've gone through the whole gamut of emotions along with protagonist Amy.
Amy and Hugh are having a break. Not a romantic weekend kind of a break, no this is much more serious. Hugh has decided that he needs a 6 month break from his marriage, his family and his home. He flies to South East Asia on an 'anything goes' backpacking vacation. Amy is completely devastated - she was married previously, and her ...more
Amy and Hugh are having a break. Not a romantic weekend kind of a break, no this is much more serious. Hugh has decided that he needs a 6 month break from his marriage, his family and his home. He flies to South East Asia on an 'anything goes' backpacking vacation. Amy is completely devastated - she was married previously, and her ...more

For some reason, I really was in place where I loved reading this latest offering from Marian Keyes set in Dublin and London. I spend a lot of time reading dark fiction, that it is often necessary to have a book like this - comic, quirky, light and pure entertainment. Amy is 44 years old, married second time round to Hugh for 17 years. Neeve, with her youtube channel, Bitch, Please, is her daughter from her short lived marriage to footballer, Richie. Kaira, is her ultra mature and ethical daught
...more

5☆ Compelling, Funny, Emotional..Loved it!
This is my first book by Marian Keyes and it definitely won't be my last! I was gripped from the first few chapters!
The Break is a book about Marriage and the struggles of life and trying to make it work through the ups and downs. Its about Family, Love, Grief, Relationships, and starting over.
When Amy is suddenly told by her husband Hugh he needs a break as he can't take it any more.
He loves Amy he just needs to be free with the understanding there wil ...more
This is my first book by Marian Keyes and it definitely won't be my last! I was gripped from the first few chapters!
The Break is a book about Marriage and the struggles of life and trying to make it work through the ups and downs. Its about Family, Love, Grief, Relationships, and starting over.
When Amy is suddenly told by her husband Hugh he needs a break as he can't take it any more.
He loves Amy he just needs to be free with the understanding there wil ...more

3.5 Stars
The Break by Marian Keyes is just one of those lazy summer reads that you know you are going to relax have a giggle and just go with the flow. I read quite a bit of Non Fiction and War related books and every now and again I need a book just for a giggle and having read Rachel's Holiday
kand Watermelon
many moons ago and knowing this author is good for a story as well as a laugh I was looking forward to her latest novel. and the The blurb alone had me intrigued.
A Mid Life Crise ...more
The Break by Marian Keyes is just one of those lazy summer reads that you know you are going to relax have a giggle and just go with the flow. I read quite a bit of Non Fiction and War related books and every now and again I need a book just for a giggle and having read Rachel's Holiday


A Mid Life Crise ...more

I haven't loved Keyes last two, three books, though I gobbled up all of the others eagerly. I am happy to report, The Break did not disappoint. Without giving too much away, this is the story of a couple who goes "on a break" - cue Ross and Rachel. Like Keyes other books, this one offers a dose of themes like coping with mental illness, complicated family structures, humorous social critique, and romance. It is quite a long book for this genre, but Keyes has a chatty voice and very real characte
...more

I loved this novel, even though it wasn’t as funny as some of Keyes’ previous work. I really got emotionally involved. As with Keyes’ other work, Amy is part of a large, complex Irish family. After struggling to survive as a young single mother when her first husband abandoned her and her daughter, she finally, finally lets herself fall for Hugh.
For seventeen years, Hugh and Amy have a good, strong marriage. When Hugh’s dad dies, and then a good friend dies not long after, he can’t shake his dep ...more
For seventeen years, Hugh and Amy have a good, strong marriage. When Hugh’s dad dies, and then a good friend dies not long after, he can’t shake his dep ...more

Marian Keyes is an author on my auto buy list. I love her style and have been a huge fan of her for many years now! So when I was approved a copy of her new book to review, i was like an embarrassing fan girl whooping away like a mad 'un.
What I love about Marian is her writing really makes you feel like she's one of your mates. Her books are funny, heart warming, down to earth, wise, full of the dramas of families, never fail to make you fall in love with her characters, witty yet also touching ...more
What I love about Marian is her writing really makes you feel like she's one of your mates. Her books are funny, heart warming, down to earth, wise, full of the dramas of families, never fail to make you fall in love with her characters, witty yet also touching ...more

Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors and I was eagerly awaiting her new book 'The Break'. You can guess how happy I was to receive an ARC copy.
Amy's husband has announced that he is taking a six month break for his job, his marriage and his children. How will she cope without him? I loved this book about a dysfunctional family and how they cope with what life throws at them. There was plenty of laugh out loud moments too. This book reminded me of her earlier books Watermelon and Rachel's ...more
Amy's husband has announced that he is taking a six month break for his job, his marriage and his children. How will she cope without him? I loved this book about a dysfunctional family and how they cope with what life throws at them. There was plenty of laugh out loud moments too. This book reminded me of her earlier books Watermelon and Rachel's ...more

I've not read anything by this author before and I'm not sure I will in the future.
The two lead characters in this have been married some time they have a family, and everything seems okay till Hugh the husband has a mid life crisis and wants to go off on his own backpacking somewhere remote for 6 months and experience life, I just got the feeling he just wanted to have some new experiences with other women. Amy his wife doesn't really seem to know how to handle this, she doesn't seem to do much ...more
The two lead characters in this have been married some time they have a family, and everything seems okay till Hugh the husband has a mid life crisis and wants to go off on his own backpacking somewhere remote for 6 months and experience life, I just got the feeling he just wanted to have some new experiences with other women. Amy his wife doesn't really seem to know how to handle this, she doesn't seem to do much ...more

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
*3.5 stars
It seems like a significant amount of time has passed since I last read a Marian Keyes book. Keyes was one of my favourite authors in my late teens and early twenties and her books have always been on my auto buy list. When this one hit shelves, I admit to rushing out to the shops to immediately purchase a copy. The latest from Keyes, The Break, takes an introspective look at a 40 something couple’s marriage that falls into a deep rut and the fallo ...more
*3.5 stars
It seems like a significant amount of time has passed since I last read a Marian Keyes book. Keyes was one of my favourite authors in my late teens and early twenties and her books have always been on my auto buy list. When this one hit shelves, I admit to rushing out to the shops to immediately purchase a copy. The latest from Keyes, The Break, takes an introspective look at a 40 something couple’s marriage that falls into a deep rut and the fallo ...more

I don't think I've read Marian Keyes before, so upon seeing this library audiobook, I decided to give it a go.
The Break is a life-lit novel, that in many ways was very relatable, as it addresses relationships and relationship breakdown, family, work and all the other things that make up modern life.
This was an easy read, but at times, there was way too much mundanity. I mean, you'll have to write all that in order to fill over 550 pages or 19 hrs on an audiobook. I call that self-indulgent. Sure ...more
The Break is a life-lit novel, that in many ways was very relatable, as it addresses relationships and relationship breakdown, family, work and all the other things that make up modern life.
This was an easy read, but at times, there was way too much mundanity. I mean, you'll have to write all that in order to fill over 550 pages or 19 hrs on an audiobook. I call that self-indulgent. Sure ...more

I am a big fan of Marian Keyes' work - her books are always guaranteed to make me laugh! 'The Break' was another fantastic read from this wonderful author, I absolutely loved this book.
Amy is 44 years old and has been happily married (or so she thought) to her husband Hugh for 18 years. Hugh has been struggling after the death of two family members and decides he needs a 6 month break from his marriage, job and kids. Amy is convinced by family and friends to date other men, I mean if Hugh is on ...more
Amy is 44 years old and has been happily married (or so she thought) to her husband Hugh for 18 years. Hugh has been struggling after the death of two family members and decides he needs a 6 month break from his marriage, job and kids. Amy is convinced by family and friends to date other men, I mean if Hugh is on ...more

Oh what fun!!! I listened to the audio and the narrator was perfect. I used to love all Marian Keyes books, but stopped a few years ago, when I read one or two that felt more depressing than uplifting. I am so glad that one of my friends convinced me to try her newest offering. I fell in love with the whole extended family, and laughed and cried with Amy. I especially loved that her colleagues formed such a big part of her support structure, and enjoyed the office banter. Yes this is light and f
...more

I did enjoy this book, but I'd have enjoyed it so much more if it was about 40% shorter. The premise - husband has a midlife crisis and decides he wants to take a break from his marriage/parenting responsibilities and travel the world for 6 months - is simple, and there's no way this book needed to be as long as it was. Marian Keyes' books are always brimming with family drama, advice-giving friends and wonderful characters, but there was waaaaay too much of it here. I found myself checking the
...more

This book owned me, took over my thoughts and stayed with me until I managed to find more time to pick it up again. Despite it being mega -angsty and gut wrenching it was the best book I've read in ages.
The author totally nailed the slightly boring, average, going through the motions family dynamic in this. I'm a similar age, been married a similar number of years and I recognise all too well that slightly depressing sense of watching life go on elsewhere while you taxi the kids around, go to wo ...more
The author totally nailed the slightly boring, average, going through the motions family dynamic in this. I'm a similar age, been married a similar number of years and I recognise all too well that slightly depressing sense of watching life go on elsewhere while you taxi the kids around, go to wo ...more

This review was originally posted on Between My Lines
Twitteresque reviews are for books where I never wrote a full review but I want to give you a flavour of how I felt during the book. All in 140 characters or less! These are all books I read during the summer, but I didn’t want to leave them drift away without reviewing them.
One of my favourite books of 2018. A realistic family portrait that made me laugh and cry, and full to the brim of fab characters.
...more
Twitteresque reviews are for books where I never wrote a full review but I want to give you a flavour of how I felt during the book. All in 140 characters or less! These are all books I read during the summer, but I didn’t want to leave them drift away without reviewing them.
One of my favourite books of 2018. A realistic family portrait that made me laugh and cry, and full to the brim of fab characters.
...more

Forty-four-year-old Amy is gobsmacked when her husband, Hugh, declares that he wants to take a break from their marriage. He plans to travel through South East Asia and sever all contact for six months. Leaving Amy and three children behind, he heads off with a rucksack, a quick-dry towel and a newly discovered sense of freedom. Amy is devastated but, in true Irish style, she picks herself up and carries on, regardless. With some words of (not your average) wisdom from her daughters, sisters and
...more

It's not news to anyone who has ever asked me about writing and who I admire that I am a huge fan of Marian Keyes. Like - I even embarrass myself with how gushing I am about her - and having now met her a few times, I have made a complete gom of myself on each occasion.
You would think then that being such a huge fan of Marian Keyes would mean reading this book and reviewing it would be a breeze; but it hasn't been for a number of reasons.
1) Before I started to read I took the fear that I wouldn ...more
You would think then that being such a huge fan of Marian Keyes would mean reading this book and reviewing it would be a breeze; but it hasn't been for a number of reasons.
1) Before I started to read I took the fear that I wouldn ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

It has been a rough week for our family and I needed a book that I would enjoy but was a bit lighter and required less thinking thank my usual thrillers and serial killers. Marian Keyes did not let me down.
This book made me laugh and it made me cry. It gave me the distraction that I needed. Great characters and story. Very enjoyable
This book made me laugh and it made me cry. It gave me the distraction that I needed. Great characters and story. Very enjoyable

Jul 15, 2017
Bookphenomena (Micky)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc-read,
angst,
contemporary-romance,
strong-woman,
married-couples,
emotional,
jerk,
uncomfortable,
2017-read,
netgalley
THE BREAK was a strangely refreshing read considering that it was, at times, difficult to read in terms of storyline. What Marian Keyes managed to accomplish was narrating the heartbreak of a seemingly solid marriage breaking up, with wit alongside real, tough emotional pain.
There are a number of key characters in this book, but Hugh and Amy are at the fore, it's their marriage on a break after all. I went through many changes in how I felt about both these characters. There were times I could ...more
There are a number of key characters in this book, but Hugh and Amy are at the fore, it's their marriage on a break after all. I went through many changes in how I felt about both these characters. There were times I could ...more

I started listening to this book over a weekend, and the weirdest thing happened.
While I was at the shops I had complete strangers coming up to me and just starting a conversation out of the blue. I figured out later that I was probably walking around, earphones in, with a big smile on my face, making me look way to approachable.
This is old school Marian Keyes at her best, but with a slightly more mature voice. There’s a big, eccentric Irish family that feels similar to the Walshes that featured ...more
While I was at the shops I had complete strangers coming up to me and just starting a conversation out of the blue. I figured out later that I was probably walking around, earphones in, with a big smile on my face, making me look way to approachable.
This is old school Marian Keyes at her best, but with a slightly more mature voice. There’s a big, eccentric Irish family that feels similar to the Walshes that featured ...more

Another enjoyable book from Marian Keyes. I just love the way she manages to blend humour and serious issues in a light hearted manner.
This is told from the POV of Amy a mother of three in her forties who is going through a bad patch with her husband...in fact he is leaving her...only for 6 months though!
Yes it's a bit predictable but aren't we all sometimes?!
Lots of laughs and a few tears I would recommend this comedy/family drama. ...more
This is told from the POV of Amy a mother of three in her forties who is going through a bad patch with her husband...in fact he is leaving her...only for 6 months though!
Yes it's a bit predictable but aren't we all sometimes?!
Lots of laughs and a few tears I would recommend this comedy/family drama. ...more

A modern day Irish family/ relationship drama. I have read books by Marian Keyes in previous years and liked them. This one was OK ( I would give it a 2.5*). I found the excessive use of swearing to be unnecessary, nor did I think the sex scenes added anything to the whole angst driven drama. A pity really , as the author does tackle some very valid and interesting themes, the power of social media, fidelity, abortion laws in Ireland, and the dilemma of ageing parents, however I felt the story t
...more

If I could give this a zero stars, I would. What woman in their right mind allows their husband to go off for 6 months and fuck or 'explore' other women? You wanna do that, act like you're single? You're gonna find your ass single real motherfucking quick. I usually love the authors books, but this one just. Pissed. Me. Off. The characters were whiney, selfish, immature and annoying to hell and back. Sofie!! This bitch!! She annoyed the everlovingshit out of me!! Grow up, admit your mistakes, an
...more

A great beach read.Not my usual genre but thoroughly enjoyable.I have had a long stretch of intense thriller/dark novels and wanted a fun read.This definitely fit the bill,although there were times I felt so bad for Any I wanted to give her a hug.
Amy was left suddenly by her husband Hugh, who had decided he wanted 6 months off their marriage to go galavanting around the world.What a bad egg!However,Amy picks herself up for the good of her family and you learn what had happened in the lead-up to ...more
Amy was left suddenly by her husband Hugh, who had decided he wanted 6 months off their marriage to go galavanting around the world.What a bad egg!However,Amy picks herself up for the good of her family and you learn what had happened in the lead-up to ...more

Marian Keyes was one of the first "grown up" female authors that I read. I was a big fan of Stephen King and Anne Rice in my early teens, but it was Marian who taught me about families, friendships, loves, losses, and real life experiences. Life (and being a stroppy teenager) got in the way, and I hadn't kept up with her books. I follow her online, and love her on Twitter, YouTube and Podcasts - but I hadn't read any of her newer books in YEARS.
Reading this was like catching up with an old frie ...more
Reading this was like catching up with an old frie ...more

Mariane Keyes is one of my favourite authors. It doesn’t matter what story she tells in her novels I am always totally booked out with my reading schedule glued to the story. I absolutely loved reading every page of The Break. As readers should know by know one of my favourite subjects I like to read about is fiction marriage problems. Here’s the problem poor Hugh needs to take a break from his marriage to Amy and the kids, but to matters worse he only wants to go to swanning of to South East A
...more

It's been a long time since I've read Marian Keyes, so I was eager to get my hands on her forthcoming book 'The Break'.
Whilst the book was entertaining, I felt as I was constantly waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did and at around 50% I started to get a little frustrated with the storyline. Perhaps it's because this book was so far out of my usual comfort zone of crazed killers but to me, it just didn't seem anything other than bog standard domesticity and I had predicted the ou ...more
Whilst the book was entertaining, I felt as I was constantly waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did and at around 50% I started to get a little frustrated with the storyline. Perhaps it's because this book was so far out of my usual comfort zone of crazed killers but to me, it just didn't seem anything other than bog standard domesticity and I had predicted the ou ...more

It was so great to be back into Marian Keyes' head. She does Women's Fiction right. The issues she deals with are so real but she always injects humour to help with the tough stuff. I'm always a little nervous when I see the length of her books. It stresses me out that there is so much time before things (hopefully) work out. As always, once I get a little farther along into the story, I realize how much I'm just so happy to be there, and I don't want it to be over.
I love her spin on things. I' ...more
I love her spin on things. I' ...more
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Goodreads Librari...: please add publication date | 3 | 13 | Dec 28, 2017 10:55AM |
Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes includ
...more
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