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Published Jan 2011
384 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Tom and Annie's kids have grown up, the mortgage is do-able, and they're about to get a gorgeous new, state-of-the-art French stove. Life is good - or so it seems. Beneath the veneer of professional success and domestic security, their marriage is crumbling, eaten away by years of resentment, loneliness, and the fall out from the estrangement of their daughter, and they've settled into simply being two strangers living under the same roof.
Until the economy falls apart.
Suddenly the dull but oddly comfortable predictability of their lives is upended by financial calamity - Tom loses his job, their son returns home, and Tom's mother moves in with them. As their world shrinks, Tom and Annie are forced closer together, and the chaos around them threatens to sweep away their bitterness and frustration, refreshing and possibly restoring the love that had been lying beneath all along.
In Separate Beds, Elizabeth Buchan has captured the concerns and joys of contemporary women, and her timely, warm, and funny novel tracks the ebb and flow of family, fortune, and love that is familiar to so many readers.
"As the scenes shift between past and present, the trajectory of a marriage is effectively illustrated." - Booklist
"[A]nother well-written, humorous, and poignant look at the contemporary lives of adult women that will appeal to those who appreciate Jennifer Weiner, Jennifer Crusie, and Marian Keyes." - Library Journal
"Buchan masterfully captures the Nicholsons' personal story with her richly drawn characters - and makes it reflect all of our own frazzled - and salvageable - lives." - Publishers Weekly
"The comforting message here seems to be that the family that loses its money together stays together." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Helen Chapman
Elizabeth spent her childhood moving home every three years - including living for brief periods in Egypt and Nigeria before moving to Guildford, York and Edinburgh.
After graduating from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a double honours degree in English and History, she began her career as a blurb writer at Penguin Books. This was a job which required the hide of a rhinoceros, a nimble mind and the - occasional - box of tissues. People tend to shout at blurb writers but they are resourceful creatures which she and the team proved by continuing to produce a stream of copy for back jackets through thick and thin. Looking back, it was a golden era. Not many people are paid to spend their time reading through the treasury which is Penguin Books and there was no better education. ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Elizabeth Buchan's Website
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