{"product_id":"the-happy-couple-9781474613491","title":"The Happy Couple","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A brilliant contemporary novel''\u003c\/b\u003e COLM TÓIBÍN\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''So witty, observant and wise'' \u003c\/b\u003eMARIAN KEYES\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eI am fully in awe of Dolan''s talent'' \u003c\/b\u003eDOUGLAS STUART\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eA dazzling follow-up to \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/b\u003e'' \u003c\/i\u003eKATHERINE HEINY\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eBeautiful'' \u003c\/b\u003ePANDORA SYKES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet the wedding party:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eTHE BRIDE AND GROOM \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003eCeline and Luke are meant to get married and live happily ever after. But Celine''s more interested in playing the piano, and Luke''s a serial cheater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eTHE BRIDESMAID \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003ePhoebe, Celine''s sister, is meant to finish college and get a real job. Instead she pulls pints, lives with six flatmates, and has no long-term aspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eTHE BEST MAN \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003eArchie, Luke''s best friend and ex-boyfriend, is meant to move up the corporate ladder and on from Luke. Yet he stands where he is, admiring the view.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eTHE GUEST \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003eVivian, Luke''s other best frien\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSassy and smart and wickedly funny, Dolan's voice is uniquely her own. I inhaled every irreverent page\u003c\/b\u003e -- Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI just finished \u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e and I loved it - an extremely funny examination of modern love, with depth, bite and poignancy\u003c\/b\u003e -- Daisy Buchanan, author of INSATIABLE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDolan, whose debut novel \u003ci\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/i\u003e was a storming success, is sure to bring her sparkling wit and insightful understanding of human relationships to this second outing\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI pure LOVED \u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple. \u003c\/i\u003eSo 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\u003c\/b\u003e -- Marian Keyes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA cracking ensemble, \u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kit Fan, author of DIAMOND HILL\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEndlessly funny, endlessly inventive - a bold and stylish novel that slipped down and burned like a shot of something lovely\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rebecca Wait, author of I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 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\u003c\/b\u003e -- Douglas Stuart, author of YOUNG MUNGO and SHUGGIE BAIN\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e is a dazzling follow-up to \u003ci\u003eExciting\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e. Dolan spins her magic again with humour and insight and the sharpest of prose. Not a word out of place\u003c\/b\u003e -- KATHERINE HEINY, author of STANDARD DEVIATION and EARLY MORNING RISER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple \u003c\/i\u003eis just as satisfying as \u003ci\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and deals with class, money, gender dynamics and bisexuality with similar ease. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSet between London and Dublin, it is a beautiful exploration of love, fidelity - and whether either are compatible with marriage\u003c\/b\u003e -- Pandora Sykes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eHappy\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eCouple\u003c\/i\u003e 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\u003c\/b\u003e -- Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUsing daring, exciting sentences and close, sharp observation, \u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple \u003c\/i\u003eis a brilliant contemporary novel\u003c\/b\u003e -- COLM TÓIBÍN\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e hooked me the way that heteronormativity hooks its ambivalent protagonists. Dolan's prose absolutely crackles with wit, humour, and empathy\u003c\/b\u003e -- Clare Fisher, author of ALL THE GOOD THINGS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e reminded me of Muriel Spark in its precision of language and emotion\u003c\/b\u003e -- Emma Forrest, author of BUSY BEING FREE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFun, addictive and laced with astute observations\u003c\/b\u003e * Vogue *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA deep dive into love, betrayal, monogamy and sexuality. Sensational\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of the most talked about books for 2023\u003c\/b\u003e * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 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\u003c\/b\u003e * The i paper *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Happy Couple\u003c\/i\u003e rises towards an affecting ending that asks what illusions and armour one has to shed in order to feel free\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe funniest writer you will read this year. Every page crackles\u003c\/b\u003e -- Irish Independent, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDroll, shrewd and unafraid\u003c\/b\u003e -- Hilary Mantel, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWitty, compelling, with a razor-sharp social commentary. I guzzled it\u003c\/b\u003e -- Pandora Sykes, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt's flawless\u003c\/b\u003e -- Colm Tóibín, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI found myself purring with pleasure. This is comic writing at the highest level\u003c\/b\u003e -- Craig Brown, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIce cool, self-aware and very funny. Shares of Lorrie Moore and \u003ci\u003eThe Bell Jar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- Graham Norton, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI had real fun with \u003ci\u003eExciting Times\u003c\/i\u003e. It is a very funny, spiky, Marxist, feminist comedy and it's really mean\u003c\/b\u003e -- Zadie Smith, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it\u003c\/b\u003e -- David Nicholls, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNaoise Dolan's prose accommodates equally well a quickening heart and a mind on fire\u003c\/b\u003e -- Joshua Ferris, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiercely intelligent, brutally funny and written with such heart, EXCITING TIMES announces an impressive new voice in literature\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nathan Filer, on EXCITING TIMES\u003cbr\u003e'A taut, witty tale' * Daily Mirror *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharp, hilarious - and cuttingly observant!\u003c\/b\u003e * Woman \u0026amp; Home *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI loved everything about this ferociously clever contemporary reworking of the marriage plot. Sensational.\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis book confirms her as an artful comic novelist with a distinctive signature style \u003c\/b\u003e * The Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI ran through my proof copy in a few greedy hours, enjoying the snark Dolanisms and the way she toys with form\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a warm and sympathetic novel, ready to let even its worst offenders off the hook\u003c\/b\u003e * The Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWitty and insightful... a complete winner \u003c\/b\u003e * Glamour *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis novel is a joy to read\u003c\/b\u003e * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSmart and sharp on 21st century love and loneliness\u003c\/b\u003e * Grazia *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA darkly funny, clever look at modern relationships with a wonderful cast of maddening yet endearing characters\u003c\/b\u003e * Red *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48885795750231,"sku":"9781474613491","price":12.74,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781474613491.jpg?v=1722537724","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-happy-couple-9781474613491","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}