View source for A Most Desirable Marriage by Hilary Boyd

{{infobox1
|title= A Most Desirable Marriage
|sort=Most Desirable Marriage, A
|author=Hilary Boyd
|reviewer=Jo Heffer
|genre=Women's Fiction
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1782067924
|pages=400
|publisher=Quercus
|date=October 2014
|summary=Jo and Lawrence are looking forward to a life of retirement together. It's a little bit daunting but it's also exciting to look forward to all the new opportunities that life might bring. At least it was until the night of Lawrence's retirement when he drops a bombshell on Jo completely out of the blue. It looks like that idyllic retirement may no longer be an option.
|cover=1782067922
|aznuk=1782067922
|aznus=B00L56HNNK
}}
Jo and Lawrence have been married for nearly forty years. It has been a good marriage and they are both looking forward to spending more time together and pursuing new interests once Lawrence has retired. However, as the time approaches Jo notices that Lawrence appears more edgy and withdrawn. She puts it down to pre-retirement nerves; nothing to really worry about. So, when Lawrence makes a confession to her immediately after his retirement party, she couldn't have been more surprised. She realises that her husband has been living a secret life and that changes everything: instead of anticipating their rosy future together, she's now looking forward to the prospect of life as a single woman.
 
Over the following months, Jo experiences a full gamut of emotions: everything from fury to desperation to hope. Although life is not easy as a suddenly single woman in her sixties, it is not as terrible as she feared either. There are actually things to look forward to and with the help of her grown-up children and her best friend Donna, she starts to rebuild her life. It's a life without Lawrence though and she does miss him. If there was the opportunity to be back with him would she take it? Or is her newfound freedom something that would be difficult to give up?
 
This is a most enjoyable read and the more I read, the more I felt involved in Jo's life. I really felt for her predicament and kept hoping things would turn out well. I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to happen and kept swaying between her getting back with Lawrence and her turning her back on him for good. It certainly makes you wonder how you would react in a similar situation.
 
I loved the fact that the central character is a strong, older woman. She does have her moments when she just wants to lock herself away from the world, but generally, I found myself wanting to cheer her on as she chooses to get on with her life. I always think that it is important to care for the characters that you read about and I really did in this book which is probably why I felt so involved.
 
Hilary Boyd has an easy style of writing and the subject matter is very contemporary. Having read other books from this author, ''A Most Desirable Marriage'' definitely heads my list. It's a most desirable read.

Why not also take a look at [[Rose Petal Soup by Sarah Harrison]]?  You might also enjoy [[When You Walked Back into My Life by Hilary Boyd]].

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