Happiness Sold Separately

Winston's story, reminiscent of a soap opera, features one of the currently "hot" triangles-Elinor, overachieving, high-powered lawyer and infertile wife; Ted, her successful but somehow empty yuppie husband; and Gina, his working-class but sexy and giving sports-trainer/mistress. Reader Melinda Wade relates all the details in an intimate, confident voice-best with Elinor and Gina, but solid enough with Ted. What adds spice to the predictable plot is the addition of Gina's needy 10-year-old son, who is fixated on Ted as a father substitute. How to resolve the problem? When Ted tells Elinor he still loves her, she replies, "But that's beside the point! Isn't it?" Sensitively presented, this is a listen that leaves one thinking, "Thank God, it isn't me." M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

July 10, 2006
The marriage of Ted and Elinor Mackey, a yuppie podiatrist-lawyer couple in their early-40s living in Northern California, is pushed to the brink when Elinor learns that Ted is having an affair with his trainer, Gina Ellison. Elinor's reaction—pity—surprises her. Winston (Good Grief
) adroitly makes it clear that Ted's affair is a symptom: infertility problems have caused years of emotional turmoil. And Gina's no bimbo: she has a loving but difficult relationship with Ted, complicated further by her young son, Toby, and his immediate attachment to Ted as a stable father figure. When Elinor confronts Ted and Gina, Ted quickly ends the affair; neither is sure if infidelity or infertility should end their marriage. During their separation, Elinor takes a sabbatical from her law firm and casually dates Noah Orch, a hunky but dull arborist. Ted haphazardly resumes his relationship with Gina. As he realizes that his connection to her is more than an escape from a bad marriage, all concerned have decisions to make. Winston has a real feel for the push and pull of a marriage in crisis, and delivers it in a brisk, funny, no-nonsense style that still comes off as respectful of the material.

Elinor Mackey is cleaning out her purse when she first learns that her husband, Ted, is having an affair. With this opening scene, Lolly Winston's novel immediately sets the stage for the heartbreaking way life can wreak havoc on the most ordinary acts. Cassandra Campbell narrates this audiobook smoothly, her tone offering a gentle understanding of the characters and the complexity of human interaction. As a marriage is thrown into uncertainty, Campbell's consistency with character development allows the listener to empathize with those characters instead of judging them. As the novel shifts perspectives, Campbell's voice captures both central characters and the obstacles they face as they search for happiness. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 1, 2007
At the beginning of the story, the listener is prepared for another saga of quirky but charming troubles in the lives of a successful professional couple who seem to have made all the right choices for a nearly perfect life. This couple's troubles are not charming at all, as it turns out, but overwhelming and truly heartbreaking. Elinor, nearing 40 and unable to have a baby, and her husband, Ted, have become entangled in the fertility treatment machine that includes temperature-taking, long waits in clinics, consultations, and hope held out and then dashed. Ted is especially perplexed by this frustrating, fruitless process but willing to lend his support to help his wife with her dreams. At his gym, Ted falls for a beautiful but complicated young woman with a long history of falling for the wrong guy at the wrong time. She has a geeky, needy eight-year-old son who latches onto Ted when he offers his services as a tutor. Winston, skilled at revealing layers of conflicting, strong emotion and behavior, is definitely a writer to watch. Performer Melinda Wade has the perfect crystal-clear voice for the various characters; highly recommended for public libraries.Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Infertility and infidelity pack a potent--and potentially fatal--one-two punch to Elinor and Ted Mackey's once-idyllic marriage in Winston's perceptive and poignant exploration of marital commitment and liberation. Intelligent and successful, the Mackeys appear to have everything going for them except the ability to become parents and the agility to withstand the devastating emotional impact such a loss imposes on their relationship. Her hormones in a state of turbulent imbalance, Elinor becomes alternately volatile and withdrawn, driving Ted to seek refuge at the local gym, where his nubile personal trainer, Gina, is more than willing to provide the sympathy and support he craves. Madly in love with Ted, single-mother Gina has a secret weapon to eventually win him over: her ten-year-old son, Toby, whose open adoration of Ted may prove too hard for anyone to resist. Once again, Winston demonstrates a laserlike ability to focus on the inescapable reality of contemporary relationships, tempering her characters' abject pain with appealing good humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)