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The Happy Couple

Longlisted for the 2024 Polari Book Prize

by Naoise Dolan

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Length 5 hours 31 minutes

Language English

Narrators Ayoola Smart & Bert Seymour

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Bookseller recommendation

“I already miss the Irish-isms and voices of The Happy Couple and I've only just finished listening to it. I gulped it down in one sitting. She didn't, I hear you saying, but I bet you'll also find it hard to stop listening once you start this funny and incisive choral novel. ”
— Megan • Unity Books

Summary
About the author

'A brilliant contemporary novel' Colm Tóibín
'I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent' Douglas Stuart
'I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it' Marian Keyes
'Dazzling. Not a word is out of place' Katherine Heiny

Meet Celine and Luke. To all intents and purposes, the happy couple.

But Celine's more interested in playing the piano, and Luke's a serial cheater.

And as their big day approaches, the complicated lives of the wedding party begin to unravel. A fed-up bridesmaid, a lovesick best man, guests and family members all find themselves searching for their own happily ever afters.

From the author of Exciting Times, this is a sparkling ensemble novel about love and marriage, fidelity and betrayal.

Fiction Romance Humor Family & Relationships LGBTQIA+ Fiction

Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. She studied at Trinity College, followed by a master's in Victorian literature at Oxford. She writes fiction, essays, criticism and features for publications including the London Review of Books, the Guardian and Vogue. Naoise's debut novel Exciting Times was published by W&N in the UK and by Ecco in the US in 2020, and became a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated and optioned for TV. She has been shortlisted and longlisted for several prizes, including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.

Audiobook details

Author Naoise Dolan

Narrators Ayoola Smart & Bert Seymour

ISBN 9781474613538

Length 5 hours 31 minutes

Language English

Publisher Orion

Publication date May 25, 2023

Edition Unabridged

Genres Fiction, Romance, Humor, Family & Relationships & LGBTQIA+ Fiction

Libro.fm rank #33,524 Overall

Genre rank #986 in Family & Relationships

Reviews

Sassy and smart and wickedly funny, Dolan's voice is uniquely her own. I inhaled every irreverent page I just finished The Happy Couple and I loved it - an extremely funny examination of modern love, with depth, bite and poignancy Dolan, whose debut novel Exciting Times was a storming success, is sure to bring her sparkling wit and insightful understanding of human relationships to this second outing I pure LOVED The Happy Couple. So witty, observant, wise and funny. Nihilistic about heteronormative relationships but so charmingly done I barely noticed. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it Using daring, exciting sentences and close, sharp observation, The Happy Couple is a brilliant contemporary novel The Happy Couple hooked me the way that heteronormativity hooks its ambivalent protagonists. Dolan's prose absolutely crackles with wit, humour, and empathy The Happy Couple reminded me of Muriel Spark in its precision of language and emotion Fun, addictive and laced with astute observations A deep dive into love, betrayal, monogamy and sexuality. Sensational One of the most talked about books for 2023 A funny and perceptive play on the traditional marriage plot that cements Dolan as one of the cleverest, most amusing new writers around. Marriage, it seems, is a laughing matter The Happy Couple rises towards an affecting ending that asks what illusions and armour one has to shed in order to feel free A cracking ensemble, The Happy Couple is a beautiful sonata about our relationships and a sad fugue for fear and loneliness. The book is a tough, all-engrossing love-test. Dolan's acerbic humour is unapologetically analytical. She breaks the rule of intimacy with wit and panache that are second to none. I was kept on tenterhooks till the last few pages and my heart wouldn't stop pounding afterwards. I don't want to say goodbye to Luke and Celine. Endlessly funny, endlessly inventive - a bold and stylish novel that slipped down and burned like a shot of something lovely A sophisticated character study of a young couple coming to terms with their relationship, in this biting, whip-smart look at modern love and the tangled messes we leave behind us. I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent. And so glad my twenties are over The Happy Couple is a dazzling follow-up to Exciting Times. Dolan spins her magic again with humour and insight and the sharpest of prose. Not a word out of place The Happy Couple is just as satisfying as Exciting Times, and deals with class, money, gender dynamics and bisexuality with similar ease. Set between London and Dublin, it is a beautiful exploration of love, fidelity - and whether either are compatible with marriage The Happy Couple is one of those rare novels that feel like it's been written just for you. It's precisely what I love to read: engaging, fast-paced, hilarious, but still tender and moving. Also, is Dolan an actual genius? The pages just sparkle with smartness. It's a true joy to read, I adored it from the first page to the last Expand reviews

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