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Publisher:
Regan Books /HarperCollins |
Release
Date: 2004 |
ISBN:
0-06-009669-1
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Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Hardcover |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Fiction/Chick Lit |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Shannon I. Bigham |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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Being Committed: A Novel
By Anna Maxted
London
author Anna Maxted already has three international bestsellers under
her belt: Getting Over It, Running in Heels, and Behaving
Like Adults. Once again, Maxted combines a saucy mix of wit,
hilarity, and female quirkiness and nuances in her latest release,
Being Committed.
The
heroine in Being Committed is Hannah, who married at the
young age of twenty to Jack. Their marriage quickly dissolved when
Jack made some rash assumptions about a “guy” named
Guy that Hannah dated, before Hannah and Jack married. Now at thirty-one
years of age, Hannah works as a private investigator, and her marriage
with Jack is well behind her – or so she thinks.
The past comes
back and creeps up on Hannah when her boyfriend, Jason, of five
years proposes marriage in what was intended to be a romantic weekend
getaway – which actually ended up being a trip to lodge at
a “faux castle” with Jason proffering his grandmother’s
ring and asks Hannah to marry him. Unfortunately, marriage is the
farthest thing from Hannah’s mind and the ring Jason presents
reminds her of a repulsive insect. Jason is crushed and Hannah is
mildly nauseated from the experience.
Clearly, Jason’s
proposal of marriage did not go well. Hannah is a blunt woman and
she does not beat around the bush and informs Jason that marriage
is not in their future – despite their five-year relationship.
This turn of events spirals into several unprecedented turn of events
in Hannah’s life in the coming weeks. Hannah’s coveted
relationship with her doting father, Roger, is questioned and Hannah
begins to view her distant mother, Angela, in a new light. Further,
while Hannah’s brother, Oliver and his wife, Gabrielle, appear
to have the picture-perfect family life complete with their adorable
baby son, Jude, things are not always what they seem on the exterior.
Hannah
takes a closer look at her life and the lives around her and begins
to see things from a new perspective. When Hannah begins pining
for Jason and regretting her rejection of his offer of marriage,
Hannah’s prerogatives and desires in life take a clearer focus
– until her ex-husband, Jack, enters the picture after ten,
long years. Author Anna Maxted treats us to a breezy, funny, and
at times an in-depth look at love, family relationships –
and the real meaning of “being committed.” Fans of chick
lit should not miss Maxted’s latest novel, which is sure to
be another one of Maxted’s bestsellers.
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