The Triumph of Love Over Experience: A Memoir of Remarriage

Just when Wendy Swallow had nearly healed from her divorce, had given up on the prospects love after an endless string of bad dates, and had decided she did not "need" a man, she met Charlie--in many ways, her "double." They shared the same career path (both having worked at the "Washington Post), the same backgrounds, and the same interests. But most importantly, they both had two teenage sons and had both just exited failed marriages. They fell in love and remarried. In a humorous, reflective voice, Swallow explores the emotional journey of remarriage. Remarriage promises Wendy and Charlie a promise of a fresh start, an opportunity to avoid mistakes made before. But reality often trumps fantasy, and, in this engaging, poignant memoir, Swallow traces the triumphs and the pratfalls of remarriage.

After surviving divorce, Wendy Swallow had given up on love for good. A series of bad dates simply confirmed it--she did not need a man. She could be happy on her own. Then, when she wasn't looking, Charlie appeared. In a humorous, reflective voice, Swallow shares with us her honest, emotional journey of remarriage. Navigating the rubble of failed marriages-the blame, the embarrassment, the disrupted parenting--Wendy and Charlie aim to create a union unadulterated by the loss and pain of previous mistakes. But reality is often different than intention, and Swallow's memoir is poignant and engaging, as she traces the pitfalls and triumphs of remarriage.

A former staff writer for the Washington Post, Wendy Swallow is currently a journalism professor at American University. The author of Breaking Apart, she lives with her husband and their four sons in Washington, D.C.