{"product_id":"the-happy-couple-9781474613507","title":"The Happy Couple","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''I am fully in awe of Dolan''s talent'' DOUGLAS STUART\u003cbr\u003e''A dazzling follow-up to \u003ci\u003eExciting Times'' \u003c\/i\u003eKATHERINE HEINY\u003cbr\u003e''Beautiful'' PANDORA SYKES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeet the wedding party:\u003cbr\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\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\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\u003cu\u003eTHE GUEST\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003eVivian, Luke''s other best friend and other ex, was meant to put up with Luke''s bullshit when they dated. But she didn''t. And now she is contented, methodically observing her friends like\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 *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867260301655,"sku":"9781474613507","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-happy-couple-9781474613507","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}