Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
A three-sisters treasure: tender, witty, and filled with love. (Luanne Rice) At once moving, funny and true . . . A wedding bouquet of great wit and affection. (Meg Wolitzer) Jane Austens honey-and-vinegar spirit is alive and well in Rachel Pastans delightful novel. (Rosellen Brown)
Synopsis
Witty and delicious, this ironic domestic comedy of manners delves into the character and love lives of three eligible sisters from an affluent family whose domineering mother is determined to see them all happily married.
Synopsis
The comedy of domestic manners gets a delightful update in this intoxicating novel that suggests a latter-day Pride and Prejudice transplanted to an affluent suburb of Philadelphia. Well-meaning but domineering Dr. Evelyn Rubin has one consuming wish, that her three daughters be happily married. Alice, the eldest, is about to tumble into a speedy engagement. Sensible Isabel is already married, and having second thoughts. Tina, the baby, remains blithely single, though always dreams of a perfect wedding down the line. As various mensome good, some fascinatingly badenter from the wings and the romantic complications mount, This Side of Married stands unveiled as a novel thats as heady as good champagne and as rich as a genuine Sachertorte.
About the Author
Rachel Pastan is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop whose stories have appeared in a range of publications and won a number of awards, including the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. This is her first novel.