Helen & Ben Armtead go to see Dr Becket because they have marriage problems where they do not speak or touch each other any more. Ben gets a new summer associate Cornelia at his lawfirm. Cornelia is taken out every lunch time by Ben. Ben books a hotel and wants Cornelia to join him. Cornelia finally agrees and vows not to have sex with him. Ben ask Cornelia to take of her clothes & just stand there where Cornelia agrees to do this for Ben. Moments later Cornelia boyfriend Andy appears & has a fight with Ben. Afterwards Ben leaves the hotel where he is found between the roadside & the hard shoulder in his car. Ben finds two dectives beside his bed & is arrested for sexual assult. You can buy this book from love reading web site. Some of my book reviews your find on my blog site www.ireadnovels.wordpress.com

I never thought I would feel sympathy for anyone in PR, but I did for Helen Armstead. This modern fable plots an odyssey through a difficult period in her life. I wanted to find out how it ended. The issues of family life are sharply observed, especially in the hidden lives of teenagers: parents please take note. Jonathan Dee got inside the skin of this wife/career woman in transition and, while I couldn't agree with Helen's decision in the last act, I can only applaud the skill of the author.

I normally read a book on the train, half-an-hour each way, sometimes I might be seen plodding slowly up the hill to home reading "the book", I may take an early night to read "the book", and, when I find a convenient stopping point, discover it's way past bedtime, I have been known to read "the book" in the bath. This book isn't "the book", don't get me wrong, it's a perfectly readable book, it just isn't one of THOSE books (for me, naturally). It's has people speaking exactly the way people don't speak, and even features a joke about the same. The story will make you realise why you didn't want that job in PR, that teenagers are awful people wherever they are, and that Jennifer Egan's jacket notes leave a lot to be desired. A synopsis: Page 7 has a beautiful summation of the male mid-life crisis, man acts on mid-life crisis causing family schism, wife gets job in PR firm and promotes honesty, daughter dips toes into the realm of badboydom, man has minor resurrection as does wife - finis.

Initially set in the New York suburbs this starts as a study in a family breakdown with the associated frustrations and blunt language. After moving quickly to the tipping point of the marriage the story expands out as the characters explore unfamiliar situations and blossom in their new found freedom of starting afresh. With insights into the American corporate world, lawyers, the media, and public relations this story describes that recovery from a bad situation is entirely possible though this could be via unexpected routes. A Thousand Pardons has a light, easy flowing style and the story overall develops well with lucky breaks and turns along the way. Although I felt little connection with the characters early on, this gradually changed and I was wishing for a successful outcome in their lives.

I had not previously read any of Jonathan Dee's books so was unsure what to expect. After reading this I'm not sure I will go out of my way to read anymore. It was an easy read book, I could put it down and pick it back up days later. The story was easy to follow. However, for me the ending was a bit of an anti-climax as the book seemed to end abruptly leaving me disappointed.