The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer
The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer
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The Story of a Marriage
A Novel

Author: Andrew Sean Greer

Narrator: S. Epatha Merkerson

Unabridged: 7 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/29/2008

Synopsis

"We think we know the ones we love." So Pearlie Cook begins her indirect and devastating exploration of the mystery at the heart of every relationship: how we can ever truly know another person.

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful young housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District in San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep, and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived and tried to protect her family are thrown into doubt. Does she know her husband at all? And what does the stranger want in return for his offer of a hundred thousand dollars? For six months in 1953 young Pearlie Cook struggles to understand the world around her, and most especially her husband, Holland.

Pearlie's story is a meditation not only on love but also on the effects of war, with one war recently over and another coming to a close. Set in a climate of fear and repression–political, sexual, and racial–The Story of a Marriage from bestselling author Andrew Sean Greer, portrays three people trapped by the confines of their era, and the desperate measures they are prepared to take to escape it. Lyrical and surprising, The Story of a Marriage looks back at a period that we tend to misremember as one of innocence and simplicity.

About Andrew Sean Greer

Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of several works of fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less, and The Confessions of Max Tivoli, which was named a Best Book of the Year by both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Chicago Tribune. He is also the recipient of the Northern California Book Award, the California Book Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, the O Henry Award for Short Fiction, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Public Library. Greer lives in San Francisco.

About S. Epatha Merkerson

An Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner, S. Epatha Merkerson has won critical acclaim for her brilliant work in theatre, television, and film.  She is perhaps best-known for her role as Lt. Anita Van Buren on the hit series Law & Order, for which she received a 2006, NAACP Image Award and 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Award Nominations.  On stage, she has appeared in Come Back Little Sheba, Suzan Lori-Parks' F**KING A, Piano Lesson, I'm Not Stupid, and Birdie Blue.  She's also appeared in the HBO film Lackawanna Blues, Jersey Girl, Mother and Child, Terminator II: Judgment Day, and Black Snake Moan, among others.  An Earphones Award-winning narrator, Epatha read The Story of a Marriage, written by Andrew Sean Greer and published by Macmillan Audio.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Daniel on May 27, 2008

I read this novel after finishing Greer's "The Confessions of Max Tivoli," knowing nothing about the storyline. Having been utterly ignorant of the various plot twists, I was able to enjoy "Marriage" to the fullest. Yes, it's lyrical and poetic, as Greer is one of the most naturally gifted writers I......more

Goodreads review by Nood-Lesse on May 08, 2024

Gli incipit di Andrew Sean Greer sono ruffiani? Se così è pazienza, mi piacciono: Crediamo tutti di conoscere la persona che amiamo Dopo il secondo romanzo letto con soddisfazione, ho voluto sapere in che anno fosse nato uno che scrive "la gente ha un’immagine romantica e sbagliata degli anni ’50". And......more

Goodreads review by Edan on August 07, 2008

Taking this to Kauai... ...So I took this on my trip because the plot intrigued me, and because I've been curious about Andrew Sean Greer's work for a long time, and, well, because its shortness pleased me. Weight is always a factor when choosing beach reading, isn't it? Some of the prose here is love......more

Goodreads review by sfogliarsi on July 24, 2023

"Non so che cosa unisca le parti dell'atomo, ma a legare gli esseri umani sembra sia il dolore." Pearlie si innamora del marito, Holland, entrambe le volte che lo incontra, il loro è un amore a prima vista e il matrimonio avviene in un battibaleno. Impossibile non innamorarsene vista la sua bellezza.......more

Goodreads review by Silvia on February 05, 2023

3,5 per un'esperienza di lettura che non lascia indifferenti, la prosa molto controllata e poetica, anche se ha volte l'autore mi ha dato l'impressione di farsi gioco del lettore, e questa non è una bella sensazione. Un viaggio che comunque merita nel non detto delle relazioni umane.......more

Quotes

“Merkerson's nuance and projection inject character elements in Pearlie that while not present in the beginning of the novel come to fruition later on, thus performing the intriguing feat of vocal foreshadowing.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“... [a] convincing performance. [Merkerson] conveys the subtle strength that emerges in Pearlie's voice as the story reveals how she matures and triumphs over unexpected challenges.” —AudioFile, Winner of Earphones Award

“...be drawn in by S. Epatha Merkerson's extraordinary, finely nuanced performance, to find out, as Pearlie ultimately does, who Holland really is, where his passions lie and how the story of this marriage played out.” —BookPage, Sukey's Favorite

“Andrew Sean Greer is a devastating new writer” —Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours

“[Greer] has an eerie maturity not often found in young novelists. His prose, incantatory but not overheated, idles along with a top-hatted, almost courtly elegance.” —David Kipen, The San Francisco Chronicle

“Try Andrew Sean Greer's The Story of a Marriage for a compelling and unexpected story of a highly unusual marital dilemma in early 1950s San Francisco...It is Merkerson's deep and rich vioce that gives true voice to Pearlie Cook and the agonizing choice she must face about giving up or fighting for her husband. Greer's writing is sensitive without ever descending to sentiment, and literary without any condescension to his characters or his storytelling.” —Winston-Salem Journal

Awards

  • Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards: Best in Category
  • Washington Post Best Books of the Year
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