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The Stuff That Never Happened A Novel Maddie Dawson 9780307393678 Books

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The Stuff That Never Happened A Novel Maddie Dawson 9780307393678 Books

I would have found this book much more believable and enjoyable if i had been given any reason to find Annabelle intriguing or likeable. But i found her flat. Nothing that was said indicated to me that she would be the sort of woman that would have two men fall madly in love with her - other than the fact that it was alluded to that she was beautiful. She gave me the impression of someone weak, and needy, and indecisive. I liked Grant - he was a man of character. Jeremiah struck me as a pariah (rhyme intended), a non-desirable, a user.

I am not a believer in soul mates. Or at least not to the extent that each of us has only ONE soul mate. I believe we are all capable of loving several people - it is a matter of circumstance, proximity, or luck that we find ourselves falling for the person that we do. And if by chance, another person crosses our path, it is very possible we could fall for that person too. But it’s what we choose to do about those loves that matters. And we can experience different types of love - steady and strong and true like Grant. Or exciting and lusty and forbidden, like Jeremiah. The lucky ones are those that find all these qualities in one person.


Tags : The Stuff That Never Happened: A Novel [Maddie Dawson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>What if you were married to a wonderful husband for twenty-eight years but in love with another man? What if you were in love with them both?</b>   Annabelle McKay knows she shouldn’t have any complaints. She’s been in a stable marriage that’s lasted almost three decades and has provided her with two wonderful children,Maddie Dawson,The Stuff That Never Happened: A Novel,Crown,0307393674,Psychological,Cuckolds;Fiction.,Married people;Fiction.,Triangles (Interpersonal relations);Fiction.,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,Cuckolds,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Contemporary Women,Fiction Psychological,Fiction Romance Contemporary,General,Married people,Triangles (Interpersonal relations)

The Stuff That Never Happened A Novel Maddie Dawson 9780307393678 Books Reviews

This book came into my life at the perfect time (when I needed some introspection). The main character struggles as I suspect many women do - and she eventually comes to a conclusion. I highlighted a couple of passages with some really thought provoking prose. "I had this, I lost it, and what I got instead was ... what? ... why can't I have it all ..."

Definitely worth a read if you wish to examine your key life relationships.
This is the story of an almost-50 yo woman whose husband is not the greatest match for her, and she's been in love with someone else for her whole adult life, although she hasn't seen the guy for almost 30 years. When she finally does, enlightenment dawns all around. This is a fine depiction of the complexities of a long-term marriage, the reasons we become who we are and develop a certain way, the negotiations with our mates, our parents, our kids. The tales we tell ourselves. Yet the author doesn't explain much to us, just letting the story unfold. What talent. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Having read any number of books about marriages - strong ones, weak ones, ones flailing about, ones still finding their wheels - I stumbled upon Maddie Dawson's book. Here I found a story of a marriage that managed to portray a long-held marriage as the challenge that it is -- and still kept its sense of humor (as you must), a sense of hope (which is key) and a sense of believability (which is one hell of a feat by Ms. Dawson!).
You can love someone and still find them quite unlikable and even utterly icky from time to time. And you can love someone else at the same time you love that "key" someone, and somehow, there is room for all of that within your one self. This is the situation Annabelle finds herself in, over the course of a long marriage to her husband, Grant. Dawson's detailed view of what happens in a long marriage (25+ years) is spot-on, and the ability to portray this relationship as she does is rare. The plot was detailed, believable and pivots on particular incidents that are true turning points in relationships - new jobs, birth of your children, moving, birth of a grandchild. I was sorry to reach the last page, but was impressed all along with Ms. Dawson's wonderful language, plot management and grace. Thank you for the novel - I simply could not have enjoyed it more.
I had hopes for Maddie Dawson’s The Stuff That Never Happened considering the story is centered around the complicated world of relationships specifically marriage. And yet, about over halfway through the book, it hit me that I’m just basically going through the motions of reading the book with the intent of getting to the finish line. After that realization, it was time to figure out why I wasn’t as engaged in the book as I hoped I would be and it inevitably boils down to what has often happened in the past with other lackluster reads.

It would’ve been so easy if Dawson’s writing was horrible and unreadable, but on the contrary, the writing was good. While in the end the switching between the present and the past got a little tiresome for me, I thought that in general she made good use of the tool where knowing the outcome played into the suspense (for lack of a better term) of how it all came to fruition and actually left you with some doubt as to whether things will resolve happily.

With all that said, this is very much a character(s) driven book/story and unfortunately for me, they never made an impact on me, in the sense that I never truly got to the point where I cared for them. None of them really had that charisma in which to draw me, as a reader, into their story. Probably the only one that came close was Annabelle, but that’s probably due to the fact that she was the one narrating this story so there was a more direct connection to her and her conflicts. Even so, it wasn’t on a level that I was looking for. In fact, I never really liked most of the other casts, especially Annabelle’s daughter Sophie who progressively made reading the rest of the book with scenes she is difficult with how judgemental, whiny, and childish she comes off. She was a big turn off for me in regards to this book. Furthermore, I was never invested or passionate in Annabelle’s and Jeremiah’s affair. There was tension but not on a level where I could buy a woman being so enthralled with as to abandon her new marriage. It didn’t help that I thought there was something off about Jeremiah.

In essence, with a story involving people’s emotions with high stakes and consequences, I expected to read a story with characters that I can form a bond and care for. Unfortunately, I read this book as if I were a robot, not having any sort of connection and therefore lacking any sense of feelings, sympathy or otherwise for any of them (and in certain cases would be considered an irritant). As much as the technical aspects of a book, like writing and plotlines, play a part in my enjoyment of a book, having charismatic characters that draw you into the story plays just as big of a part as those other aspects. This book didn’t and its other positive aspects couldn’t overcome it.
I am kind of surprised by all of the great reviews for this book. For me, it was just meh. Overall, it was Annabelle the main character justifying her affair early on in her marriage, and pining for her old lover, until oh wait for it, she meets up with him again in NYC in a chance meeting. She seemed like one big complainer, who didn't appreciate her solid, faithful if sometimes distant and boring husband. Why be married? Rationalizations abound in this book and it glorifies infidelity, which is a sordid affair, pun intended. Bleh.
I would have found this book much more believable and enjoyable if i had been given any reason to find Annabelle intriguing or likeable. But i found her flat. Nothing that was said indicated to me that she would be the sort of woman that would have two men fall madly in love with her - other than the fact that it was alluded to that she was beautiful. She gave me the impression of someone weak, and needy, and indecisive. I liked Grant - he was a man of character. Jeremiah struck me as a pariah (rhyme intended), a non-desirable, a user.

I am not a believer in soul mates. Or at least not to the extent that each of us has only ONE soul mate. I believe we are all capable of loving several people - it is a matter of circumstance, proximity, or luck that we find ourselves falling for the person that we do. And if by chance, another person crosses our path, it is very possible we could fall for that person too. But it’s what we choose to do about those loves that matters. And we can experience different types of love - steady and strong and true like Grant. Or exciting and lusty and forbidden, like Jeremiah. The lucky ones are those that find all these qualities in one person.