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The Married Look
With little passion left in his marriage, a middle-aged scientist begins having a series of romantic encounters with a beautiful young woman who he later discovers is his wife from another time.
Waking up one morning, middle-aged scientist EDWARD, our narrator, is dismayed to discover that he cannot remember what his wife’s face looked like when they were young. They have a steady relationship, but the passion has long since cooled. Though Edward is a scientist, spending his life exploring the mysteries of the universe, RUTH has always been the serious, stable one in the relationship. While driving to work, Edward gets lost in a dense fog and meets a charming, mysterious and idealistic young woman named CLEMENTINE. Edward isn’t sure what to make of the seemingly magical encounter . was it a dream? He bumps into Clementine on several other occasions, and they fall in love, often talking romantically and unrealistically about the life they will have together. Though Edward tries to forget Clementine, she continues to appear. Edward is torn between this fantasy and his reality. He can’t quite put his finger on the odd similarities between this vibrant young woman and his wife. Eventually, Ruth’s brush with death finally reveals to Edward the supernatural connection between the two women.
“Mr. Nathan is, I should say, at least at his tender best. Whimsical enough, stepping neatly over the line into fantasy and then back again at will, romantic in Mr. Nathan’s own special sense, this is a short novel that will make its friends by the thousands.”
J.H. Jackson
San Francisco Chronicle
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Robert's bookshelf: read
goodreads.com
QUOTE
"There is no distance on this earth as far away as yesterday"
Waking up one morning, middle-aged scientist EDWARD, our narrator, is dismayed to discover that he cannot remember what his wife’s face looked like when they were young. They have a steady relationship, but the passion has long since cooled. Though Edward is a scientist, spending his life exploring the mysteries of the universe, RUTH has always been the serious, stable one in the relationship. While driving to work, Edward gets lost in a dense fog and meets a charming, mysterious and idealistic young woman named CLEMENTINE. Edward isn’t sure what to make of the seemingly magical encounter . was it a dream? He bumps into Clementine on several other occasions, and they fall in love, often talking romantically and unrealistically about the life they will have together. Though Edward tries to forget Clementine, she continues to appear. Edward is torn between this fantasy and his reality. He can’t quite put his finger on the odd similarities between this vibrant young woman and his wife. Eventually, Ruth’s brush with death finally reveals to Edward the supernatural connection between the two women.
“Mr. Nathan is, I should say, at least at his tender best. Whimsical enough, stepping neatly over the line into fantasy and then back again at will, romantic in Mr. Nathan’s own special sense, this is a short novel that will make its friends by the thousands.”
J.H. Jackson
San Francisco Chronicle
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Robert's bookshelf: read
goodreads.com
QUOTE
"There is no distance on this earth as far away as yesterday"
- GenresMagical Realism
195 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 13, 2019
Meh, mi aspettavo di meglio. Non mi ha affascinato come credevo, l'ho trovato un po' inconcludente. Mi ha lasciata abbastanza insoddisfatta anche perché il potenziale c'era, la scrittura dell'autore è scorrevole e coinvolgente. Peccato!
September 18, 2018
A man struggles to remember how his wife's face looked when younger.
One day, in a fog, the man meets a mysterious woman who appears familiar. He constantly bumps in to her and wonders who she is, then over time he begins to question her reality. I love Nathan's gentle fantasy style (he wrote Portrait Of Jennie). This is probably my favourite of his novels. Always fascinating. It's a pity he seems to have drifted into the mists of time - just like a character from one of his stories.
One day, in a fog, the man meets a mysterious woman who appears familiar. He constantly bumps in to her and wonders who she is, then over time he begins to question her reality. I love Nathan's gentle fantasy style (he wrote Portrait Of Jennie). This is probably my favourite of his novels. Always fascinating. It's a pity he seems to have drifted into the mists of time - just like a character from one of his stories.
October 24, 2015
Purchased last month from the Willis Monie bookstore in Cooperstown. (www.wilmonie.com) I just pulled it off the shelf, read the first paragraph and decided to buy. Why not? Had no expectations and I was quite surprised and pleased by the tale it tells. Not sure what to make of it but I liked it anyway.
July 17, 2013
I was impressed. A touch of magical realism--had no idea American writers in the 50s were doing this. Lovely tale, very sweet. Super quick read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews