Name: An American Marriage
Rating: 3.938028169014085 (355 reviews)
ISBN: 9781432861308

Tayari Jones

An American Marriage

Celine

But home isn't where you land; home is where you launch. You can't pick your home any more than you can choose your family. In poker, you get five cards. Three of them you can swap out, but two are yours to keep: family and native land.

But for real, I want to tell you what you mean to me, but its like trying to count the seconds of a day on your fingers and toes.

But now all I have is this paper and this raggedy ink pen. It's a ballpoint, but they take away the casing so you just have the nib and this plastic tube of ink. I'm looking at it, thinking, This is all I have to be a husband with?

Is it love, or is it convenience?" Gloria asked me that Thanksgiving Day after my father had stormed upstairs and Andre went to gather our coats. She explained that convenience, habit, comfort, obligation-these are all things that wear the same clothing as love sometimes.

I kissed her every way I could think of. I kissed her forehead like she was my daughter. I kissed her quivering eyelids like she was my dead mother. I kissed her hard on her cheeks like you do before you kill someone. I kissed her collarbone the way you do when you want more. I pulled her earlobe with my teeth the way you do when you know what someone likes.

"Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control"--

A Novel

Jared Adams

This book is advertised like it’s some nuanced analysis of systemic racism through the lens of a troubled marriage, but it reads more like a Tyler Perry throwaway script. The writing is fine, nothing particularly remarkable but it’s readable. The story reads like a soap opera with unlikable and most importantly uninteresting characters. I can still enjoy a book and dislike the characters, but that requires them to be interesting, and these people are boring.

A NEW YORK TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK A 2018 BEST OF THE YEAR SELECTION OF NPR * TIME * BUSTLE * O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE * THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS * AMAZON.COM OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB 2018 SELECTION LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION “A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.” —Barack Obama “Haunting . . . Beautifully written.” —The New York Times Book Review “Brilliant and heartbreaking . . . Unforgettable.” —USA Today “A tense and timely love story . . . Packed with brave questions about race and class.” —People “Compelling.” —The Washington Post “Epic . . . Transcendent . . . Triumphant.” —Elle Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

An American Marriage (Oprah's Book Club)

Jennifer

I assume this will be a movie someday thanks to Oprah. Maybe a made-for-tv movie but will be one. I wonder who they will cast?? Love the use of slang. It's like people I actually talk to and know! It takes a couple of chapters to get used to. I've seen a lot of reviews where people said this story is "too gradual". What did people expect? An action thriller? Eyeroll. The doll imagery freaks me out a bit. Never got used to that. I also never got used to her name being "Celestial". Give me a break. Liked the ending. I'm glad it didn't go the cliche way. I would've rated it lower had it done so.

I enjoyed this particularly because each character was so humanly flawed, you’re rooting for everyone of them because they’re all so realistic and relatable. The subject matter is harrowing and gut wrenching, but the writing was nothing short of captivating.

Nana O

this had sm potential and nuance and complexity but the ending just felt so lazy to me

ame 

Lizelle G

Life goes on by way of layers, which Tayari Jones exposes brilliantly. As many black feminists have said and written before, the personal is political; there is no way to separate the two for anyone who exists outside the privilege of being born the right color, class, and/or gender. This is an American story of love and injustice, passion and pain — I will always wonder what the letters kept on being sent after that last page.

Lila R E

after a bit of deliberation I had to give this five stars. I literally hadn't finished reading a book in months and this story had me hooked from the first page. it's such a masterful study of a marriage that's stretched to its limits by the injustices that are so inherent in American society and I really could not recommend it more. if you're looking for a read that's deeply profound and will truly impact you, all I'll say is run don't walk!!

a longer review is potentially on its way, for now I'm just going to sit with my thoughts on this one...

Diese Geschichte hat mich so frustriert. Tolle Story - alles sehr ausführlich und verständlich. Das Ende war für mich aber ein pures Desaster . Davina kam gefühlt aus dem nichts, keine Hintergrundgeschichte oder ein bisschen mehr zu ihr. Der Streit zwischen André und Roy wurde einfach abrupt „ beendigt“ und der Kampf für die Rettung der Ehe hat gerade mal ein paar Zeilen verdient… Ich hab mir nicht unbedingt ein glücklicheres Ende gewünscht, sondern ein verständlicheres. 

An American Marriage (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

Patricia Nelson

After reading this book it is not surprising to me that it was listed on so many "best of 2018" lists. It is a well written novel and was a great choice for a book club discussion. There was so much to consider and talk about. From the title to the characters and their struggles and choices to the questions it asks the reader to consider and contemplate, it's a great book.

Meghan Navoy

Really enjoyed the format of this book from different characters' perspectives of the story. A great take on how racism and the prison industrial complex in America effects this family, even when the person is innocent. Heartbreaking but it happens. A really captivating read, I didn't want to put it down.

Jeannette Ordas

This was pretty lackluster for me and I wondered why this got rave reviews. Halfway through I abandoned ship.

Liz B

The characters in this story were beautifully real-feeling. I sympathized with and was frustrated by both of them in the way that you are with real, complex people. In some ways, the decline of their marriage and subsequent repartnerings felt almost too convenient or simple? But I loved how complex and real she made these characters and how deeply you felt their pain and helplessness at a situation created entirely by an unjust system. You can't help but wonder what the outcome would've been for Celestial and Roy if not for a terrible criminal justice system, which of course is unknowable and the point of this novel.

Jantien 

(Audio) I liked this book in the beginning. But it took me a month to struggle through it. The beginning was so detailed, and then the last pages everything happened so quickly ? It’s like the author had to finish within x number of pages.

Gisela Ayala 

Wow just wow. An American Marriage had me at the edge of my seat. Both Roy and Celestial's point of views were heartbreaking and moving. I feel like I kept hoping for different outcomes and I wanted them all to come true. I just wanted for them what we all want for ourselves, to be happy. Unfortunately, happiness is so delicate and can be stripped away oh so quickly. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook of An American Marriage. The voices were haunting in the best way possible.

One of the most anticipated novels of 2018 according to Entertainment Weekly * Goodreads * Esquire * Elle * Cosmopolitan *BBC * Huffington Post * Bustle * Southern Living * Newsday * Bookish * Nylon * iBooks Store “Transcendent . . . Triumphant . . . Gorgeous.”—Elle “A stunning epic love story . . . An exquisite, timely, and powerful novel that feels both urgent and indispensable.”—Edwidge Danticat Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward--with hope and pain--into the future.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a simple story of a black man thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit and how that act fractured his marriage. The complexity comes from the characters themselves. 

Roy(prisoner), Celestial(his wife), and Andre(their best friend) gave alternating points of view, and it was hard and heartbreaking being in their heads. They were all flawed, making multiple bad decisions. These people are shining examples of having caught more than they were taught from their families. 

The themes of racism, generational issues, and self-destructive behavior moved me. The writing was stellar, and this one will stick with me.

This book was a slower read for me, and while I wasn't necessary gripped by it, I recognize and applaud it's cultural importance. Following the wrongful incarceration of a Black man in the south, this book takes a very real situation and opens it up layer by layer. Jones writes not only of the logistics of the prison system in America, but the emotional and physical toll it has on individuals, couples, families, and all of its complexities. 

Elizabeth Hand

Celeste Richardson

I’m going to be honest: I never intended to read this book. I have a terrible case of reverse snobbery that causes me to inwardly sniff in distain at any book presented by Oprah or Reese Witherspoon or any other celebrity as exceptionally worth reading. However, since I’m aware of this tendency within myself, I’m making an effort to not write something off just because it has an Oprah’s Book Club sticker on the front, though I’ll never be a reader that decides to pick up a book based on the same sticker. I’m very glad I made myself look past its popularity and pick it up, because An American Marriage gutted me. The characters it portrays are stunningly, viscerally real. And the situation in which they find themselves is heartbreakingly, infuriatingly believable. 
“You can never really unlove somebody. Maybe it changes shape, but it’s there.”
What would you do if, as newlyweds, you and your spouse found yourselves separated by prison walls for a crime that you (or said spouse) did not commit? Even if you knew for a fact that the accused was wholly innocent of the charge, would you be willing to put your life on hold and wait for them? Could such a young marriage shoulder such a difficult burden? That’s the situation in which Roy and Celestial find themselves. What happens from there I’ll leave you to discover should you read the book, but it was painful to witness. No one was really in the wrong here. And everyone was. It was just a brutal twist of fate that no one could have seen coming. 
“Sometimes when you like where you end up, you don’t care how you got there.”
This was a story brilliantly well told. The writing was phenomenal, not in a way that made you stop and admire a sentence, but in a way that allowed you to see every line of anguish on someone’s face and hear the hurt in the lines of their letters. Which is another thing I loved about this book. I’m a sucker for epistolary novels, and that format dominated a large chunk of the narrative. It was an incredibly successful usage of letters, and allowed us to get both sides of the marriage story while still never revealing everything. During this section we saw only what the letter writers wanted us and each other to know. Jones has such power behind her words, and the raw emotion in these pages was almost too much at times; I felt like I was invading this private world that I had no right to see. Very rarely have characters seemed so real to me that I felt like a voyeur. I was also completely drawn in by the setting. I’ll always have a soft spot for any book that takes place in the American South, but the vast majority of the novel took this a step further by residing in my home state of Louisiana. How could this story not resonate with me?
“But home isn't where you land; home is where you launch. You can't pick your home any more than you can choose your family. In poker, you get five cards. Three of them you can swap out, but two are yours to keep: family and native land.” 
An American Marriage is a novel that is undoubtedly worthy of its popularity. It has earned every accolade it has received, and I’m so glad I read it. It broke my heart in the best way, and I can see myself revisiting this story in the years to come.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

An American Marriage

Reviews

Highlights