Title: The Marriage Plot (Goodreads)
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Published: Harper Collins, 2011
Pages: 406
Genres: Literary Fiction
My Copy: Paperback
Buy: Amazon, Book Depository (or visit your local Indie bookstore)
The Marriage Plot is a coming of age novel that explores the pains that comes with life experience. The novel follows three Brown University friends beginning their senior year and then life after graduation. Madeleine Hanna is an English major with an interest in the Victorian novel and the importance of the marriage plot within all the greatest English novels. Leonard Morten a biologist, who is charismatic and intelligent, but constantly dealing with either unlimited energy or sinking moods. Mitchell Grammaticus studied religion and, while acts strange, has a fascination with Christian mysticism and the idea of Madeleine.
The Marriage Plot finally shows just how a love triangle plot should work. The book shifts between the three protagonists to show the inner thoughts and desires. This is a modern romance; but not in the way you expect. The Marriage Plot asks the reader the question; are the great love stories dead? Did they die off in the nineteenth century? Or does the new world of feminism and sexual freedom offer something completely different. Jeffrey Eugenides explores the ideas of contemporary relationships with such love and care that you feel like you truly know these characters.
As the love triangle between Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell slowly unfolds, I find myself thinking that maybe Mitchell is the better choice but her attraction to Leonard just seems to get stronger. Mitchell is stuck in the friend’s zone but on reflection he never really pursued Madeleine the way she wanted and lost his chance when he had it. When she discovers Leonard’s mental illness I felt that really cemented their relationship. Sure it was going to be hard, but I think Madeleine’s guilt and the feeling of being needed really shaped their relationship.
The whole novel played around with a whole lot of different literary devices, mixing that with all the themes throughout this book really made this book stand out for me. The ideas of love were really explored well here, helping the characters to discover the difference between their fantasies and reality as well as the need for physical, intellectual and emotional satisfaction. Even Mitchell facing the discernment between the seminary and the possibility of romance has an aspect of love that often isn’t explored; do you give up your passion for a chance at romance?
The characters are so real and I feel like I know them so well; this is what made this book at time frustrating but then it was what made this book so great. While there are a lot of ideas of love throughout the book, the one that really worked for me was Jeffrey Eugenides and Madeleine’s love of literature. I finished this book and wanted to go and read A Lover’s Discourse by Roland Barthes just because Madeleine speaks so fondly of it, the kind of fondness that must truly come from the author.
This really feels like a labour of love by the author, I felt such a connection with the characters and the ideas within this book. Even the effort Eugenides put into bring out the beauty of the situations really was awe inspiring. Eugenides writes beautiful prose; well he did in this book, I’m not sure if it is the love he has for the book, or if he has that for all his novels but I’m keen to dive into Middlesex or The Virgin Suicides sometime soon.
Let’s face it, it is rare to find a book that affects you and you feel so passionately about, so finding The Marriage Plot has really made my reading journey feel worth it. I do have a few books that I hold in such high regard; Frankenstein, Crime and Punishment and I would like to welcome The Marriage Plot to join them. It just feels different with this novel, I feel like I’ve discovered my softer side. I would love to know if people know of other books similar to this that I might enjoy and I also want to hear about the books that effect you in a deep and wonderful way.
I loved this book too, but it was hard for me to read because Leonard just broke my heart. I wanted to be friends with the characters in real life, which is not a reaction I usually have.
They really were great characters, and yes Leonard did bring out more emotions than I expected
I have been looking at this one – think I may have to add it to my TBR list
I think you should
Yes Sir!!!
Good job, at ease
I really enjoyed this review. There’s nothing better than reading about pure satisfaction after reading a book. Life is good, no?
I am now excited more than ever about embarking on this one soon.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did
I’ve read reviews mainly from a female perspective so it was interesting to read yours Michael – thanks for sharing it
That’s why I’m here
I loved this one as well, and I agree with you about how real the characters feel. They’re so banal and normal and dull and yet so brilliant in their own way: just as actual people are.
It’s what makes them so great
I had a very similar feeling with this book. I really enjoyed Middlesex, but didn’t feel as connected/immersed like I did with this one. I especially connected with Leonard, we have something in common and I very much appreciated Eugenides being able to go there. 5 Star for me too. 🙂
So glad to hear you enjoyed this one too
Leonard’s last name was Bankhead.
I think Eugenides had every intention to make the reader love Leonard. The fact that there was very little written from Leonard’s perspective made him so much more mysterious. Throughout the entire novel I was wondering what he was thinking or feeling. The lack of story from his perspective also made the small portion from his point of view completely explosive. He was the realest character in the story. His intellect, his ability to apply himself in his mania — that is what we all strive for but when he is in mixed-state or depression — the portrayal of it feels so raw. He is almost too human. I fell in love with Leonard. I became obsessed with him. I know why Madeleine fell in love with him and married him.
Besides my deep love of the characters the story was jam packed with beautiful word imagery. I could imagine thorough scenes. When I was finished and reflected on it (obsessively) I felt like I had watched a movie. Every emotion was depicted so well. The novel was so full of life. The use of philosophy and linguistics was beyond exceptional. This is exactly what I want out of a book. I felt so into it, my heart was broken from three different perspectives. Not only that but there were so many allusions to intellectual literature which inspired me to read other books. I love a great books that leads me to other meaningful texts.
I had the nausea brought on by intense anxiety that Barthes discusses in his deconstruction of love. The book was so smartly written.
1. There were ups and downs in the rhythm of the book which embodies the theme of manic-depression.
2. The connection you feel between the characters and the pain you feel through them is a synecdoche for Barthes work mentioned in the novel. The anxiety.. so very Sartrian.. maybe now we’ll call it Bankheadian?
I felt so….drained, so shattered when Leonard compared he and Madeleine to the yeast cells then summoned the aforementioned, tragic Islamic initiation… “I divorce thee. I divorce thee. I divorce thee.” I panicked. I was crestfallen. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go with Leonard. I was absolutely devastated.