Love As A Stranger
Marshall, OwenOnce upon a time there was a dutiful wife (Sarah) who met a lonely widower (Hartley) while supporting her husband (Robert) through chemotherapy treatment in Auckland. What starts as a simple friendship develops into a relationship with unforeseen consequences.
This is a story as old as time, of love and the human condition, sensitively written and with empathetic characters wrestling with moral choices.
Pages
286
286
Year
2016
2016
Reviews
12-01-2023
Perhaps Marshall should stick to short stories. Lost its impetus with a disappointing ending.
12-01-2023
Good discussion, with varying opinions. Some who have previously enjoyed the author's work were disappointed with the lack of depth. Overall a good and easy read.
12-01-2023
Most of our group found this book overlong and felt it would have worked better as a short story. We did not find it easy to empathise with the characters but enjoyed passages. It was a straightforward read but some found it boring.
12-01-2023
Most of the group weren't gripped by the read. The first half of the book seemed too formulaic with the way the couple met each time. However, we were all surprised by the conclusion - this was the most unpredictable part of the book. We were all keen to know what would now happen with Sarah and Robert's relationship.
12-12-2019
We were 50/50 on this book, but it did generate some lively discussion on how we liked or didn't like the 3 characters.
20-03-2019
Some people enjoyed it, others didn't. It was well-written, but the topic not very edifying, unusual or with an unexpected end. Some thought it offered interesting insights into the mind and personality of a mentally unbalanced man.
20-03-2019
A mixed reaction to this book. While we all recognised great writing, some members did not enjoy the story.
17-08-2018
We mostly quite enjoyed the book, but some felt the characters lacked depth and the writing was a little flat. We felt it might have worked better as a longish short story.
17-08-2018
Very good discussion. We were tempted to write a different ending however.
17-08-2018
Several new members of the group were unfamiliar with Owen Marshall's writing, so an interesting introduction to this author. Novel versus short stories was discussed. Those familiar with Owen's work prefer short stories, but this novel was a distinctly new experience.
17-08-2018
We didn't all enjoy this book. It is well written, with some lovely descriptive passages but we found it a bit unemotional and detached at times. That said, the ensuing discussion was one of the best we have ever had(!) so, in the end, well worth the read. This is one of the aims of book clubs anyway.
17-08-2018
There were quite diverse opinions of the book - generally not as well written as his other novels or short stories. Characterisation ok, but that of Sarah probably the closest to real life. We felt that it was a 'Romeo and Juliet' story with different participants.