Liane, Ilsa and Fiona are the daughters of Helen Sear, a feminist wild child who proudly disdained monogamy, raising the three girls—each by a different father—largely on her own. Now, Helen's daughters have grown up and are trying to forge more conventional paths for themselves. Meanwhile Helen, now in her sixties, has fallen in love with a traditional man whose only flaw is that he wants to marry her. And while she fears losing him, she’s equally afraid of abandoning her ideals if she goes through with it.
Liane, the youngest, is an academic in the heady early days of a relationship. But he has an ex-wife and two kids, and her new role as a “step-something” doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Ilsa, an artist, has put her bohemian past behind her and is hoping her second marriage will stick. Except her world feels like it's slowly shrinking, and her painting is suffering as a result. And then there’s Fiona, the eldest sister, who has worked tirelessly to make her world pristine, but who still doesn’t feel at peace. When she discovers her husband has been harboring a secret, Fiona loses her tenuous grip on happiness and is forced to face some truths about herself that she’d rather keep buried.
Weaving brief epigraphs about the mating habits of animals with the perspectives of the sisters, their mother, and the women surrounding them, Marissa Stapley has created a sweeping, affecting novel about human instinct that raises tough questions about what it takes to love another person—spouse, sibling, parent, child, friend—for life, and answers them all in unexpected ways.
Liane, the youngest, is an academic in the heady early days of a relationship. But he has an ex-wife and two kids, and her new role as a “step-something” doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Ilsa, an artist, has put her bohemian past behind her and is hoping her second marriage will stick. Except her world feels like it's slowly shrinking, and her painting is suffering as a result. And then there’s Fiona, the eldest sister, who has worked tirelessly to make her world pristine, but who still doesn’t feel at peace. When she discovers her husband has been harboring a secret, Fiona loses her tenuous grip on happiness and is forced to face some truths about herself that she’d rather keep buried.
Weaving brief epigraphs about the mating habits of animals with the perspectives of the sisters, their mother, and the women surrounding them, Marissa Stapley has created a sweeping, affecting novel about human instinct that raises tough questions about what it takes to love another person—spouse, sibling, parent, child, friend—for life, and answers them all in unexpected ways.
“An absolute feat of storytelling, Mating For Life not only features sisters, friends, mothers and confidants—it feels like one itself; a living, whispering, shouting, beauty of a book that bypasses easy answers and cracks open the deepest, most contradictory longings in all of us. Stapley is an heir to the likes of Wolitzer and Atwood, with an eye that misses nothing in the way we love, hurt, leave, support and sabotage each other and ourselves. This is vital and vibrant writing born of true insight into the human heart.”
—Grace O’Connell, bestselling author of Magnified World
“The women in Mating for Life are clever, honest, funny, and forever analytical as they stumble through the search for love. Each new chapter brings a wise and tender look at single life, dating rituals, and marital unease. This is one of the most charming novels I’ve read in years, and I loved every last page.”
— Jennifer Close, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses
Marissa Stapley makes a brilliant debut with Mating for Life. This intricate story of mothers and daughters, of family secrets and the devastation of infidelity, works an irresistible spell as it shatters apart three sisters' lives and then gathers the pieces together again, one by one. Acute and richly moving, Mating for Life triumphantly reaffirms the power of female relationships.
— Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Overseas and A Hundred Summers
“An addictive, enthralling read, full of authentic, hopeful characters, each on a quest for their own version of true love. They seek it in family, friendship, partners and, ultimately, in themselves. I fell in love with the entire cast of characters Stapley has created, whose stories weave together beautifully and whose voices are so genuine, flawed and unique. They made me laugh, curse out loud and cry! This is an impressive, ambitious debut novel about love, forgiveness and acceptance which will undoubtedly warm your heart.”
—Hannah Tunnicliffe, author of The Colour of Tea
"Mating for Life is an immensely readable novel, with smart, engaging characters who come to life on the page—the sort of
characters you miss long after you've put the book down. You will see yourself in these women."
—Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Forever, Interrupted
"I felt like I was sitting on the dock at a cottage, eavesdropping on the neighbours. Mating for Life is like overhearing all the juiciest family drama—without any fear of hearing your own name. I found myself slipping away at every spare moment to turn the next page. Marissa Stapley has created an interconnected story of unique, believable, relatable women. I absolutely loved this book."
—Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of Stuck in Downward Dog, Love Struck and The Rule of Thirds
“Marissa Stapley searches through the layers women possess, how hard we work to hide the cracks, as we bury our secrets, pretend what’s bad is good—and paper over the glaring flaws in our lives. In Mating for Life a mythologized fiery mother—and the daughters she grew up alongside—all face the realization that it’s time to live with eyes wide open. Stapley renders their awakening with grace and honesty.”
— Randy Susan Meyers, bestselling author of The Comfort of Lies
"Honest and tender, heartbreaking and irresistible. Marissa Stapley’s Mating for Life is a gorgeous debut in which I saw myself, my sister, and every woman I adore. An absolute must read for every woman who has ever been swelled, or felled, by love."
— Tish Cohen, bestselling author of Town House, Inside Out Girl and The Search Angel
—Grace O’Connell, bestselling author of Magnified World
“The women in Mating for Life are clever, honest, funny, and forever analytical as they stumble through the search for love. Each new chapter brings a wise and tender look at single life, dating rituals, and marital unease. This is one of the most charming novels I’ve read in years, and I loved every last page.”
— Jennifer Close, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses
Marissa Stapley makes a brilliant debut with Mating for Life. This intricate story of mothers and daughters, of family secrets and the devastation of infidelity, works an irresistible spell as it shatters apart three sisters' lives and then gathers the pieces together again, one by one. Acute and richly moving, Mating for Life triumphantly reaffirms the power of female relationships.
— Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Overseas and A Hundred Summers
“An addictive, enthralling read, full of authentic, hopeful characters, each on a quest for their own version of true love. They seek it in family, friendship, partners and, ultimately, in themselves. I fell in love with the entire cast of characters Stapley has created, whose stories weave together beautifully and whose voices are so genuine, flawed and unique. They made me laugh, curse out loud and cry! This is an impressive, ambitious debut novel about love, forgiveness and acceptance which will undoubtedly warm your heart.”
—Hannah Tunnicliffe, author of The Colour of Tea
"Mating for Life is an immensely readable novel, with smart, engaging characters who come to life on the page—the sort of
characters you miss long after you've put the book down. You will see yourself in these women."
—Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Forever, Interrupted
"I felt like I was sitting on the dock at a cottage, eavesdropping on the neighbours. Mating for Life is like overhearing all the juiciest family drama—without any fear of hearing your own name. I found myself slipping away at every spare moment to turn the next page. Marissa Stapley has created an interconnected story of unique, believable, relatable women. I absolutely loved this book."
—Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of Stuck in Downward Dog, Love Struck and The Rule of Thirds
“Marissa Stapley searches through the layers women possess, how hard we work to hide the cracks, as we bury our secrets, pretend what’s bad is good—and paper over the glaring flaws in our lives. In Mating for Life a mythologized fiery mother—and the daughters she grew up alongside—all face the realization that it’s time to live with eyes wide open. Stapley renders their awakening with grace and honesty.”
— Randy Susan Meyers, bestselling author of The Comfort of Lies
"Honest and tender, heartbreaking and irresistible. Marissa Stapley’s Mating for Life is a gorgeous debut in which I saw myself, my sister, and every woman I adore. An absolute must read for every woman who has ever been swelled, or felled, by love."
— Tish Cohen, bestselling author of Town House, Inside Out Girl and The Search Angel
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