Joselyn Vaughn

I liked this novella. Sam and Margie, a husband and wife of 30 years are getting ready to attend a Christmas Ball at the retirement community where the husband’s mother is a resident. The portrayal of their preparations for the evening is all the more interesting as the author’s writing flows seamlessly back and forth between Sam’s thoughts and Margie’s thoughts as they dress for their evening out and consider their ‘expectations’ for the evening. This is not merely a Mars vs. Venus story. It is an exploration of the state of a marriage that began so many years ago based on the heartfelt sharing of young ambitions and dreams and has seemed to have survived the challenges of everyday living and raising children. Now the question is: Can this husband and wife communicate their feelings to one another and find the joy, love and passion to explore more of the dreams they once had and perhaps build on those dreams to share the rest of their lives together – not as room-mates dwelling at the same address but as the friends and lovers they were when they married?

The residents of the retirement community are delightfully portrayed and remind us that life isn’t over due to residency at a retirement facility. The residents’ conversations and actions during the evening event add amusing humor to the novella.

As a married woman who has attended holiday events at a mother-in-law’s assisted living facility, I highly doubt that some of the personal, in-depth conversations that Sam and Margie shared would have actually taken place even as they met in some of the facility hallways and rooms on the night of the Christmas Ball. But in order for the novella to take place in one evening, I understood the premise and imagined it as described. That said, I really enjoyed the author’s writing.

I think it’s a novella that could be read by men and women. It might help some couples that really need to have this exact conversation with each other find the strength and the hope to begin their heartfelt exchange. There is no “right” or “wrong” in each person’s analysis of their feelings and interpretations of their marital state with their partner. The author gives each character’s introspection with care and understanding and is able to share each character’s doubts including thoughts of possible divorce without “preaching” and without criticism or judgment. The reflections of the married couple add to the dimension of the characters and make the story richer in thoughtful presentation. Although the story takes place all on one evening, it is a tender story that will give any reader –especially if married - pause for musing. As a married partner, I know that the novella gives me a poignant reminder to be attentive – to see my partner’s expressions and to hear and listen to my partner’s voice – the words spoken and unspoken.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this title as an “Early Reviewer” from Library Thing.… (mehr)