FOREVER MARRIAGE - Tapa dura

"Told with delicacy and humor."

"A triumph of good writing."

"Told with delicacy and humor."----Garrison Keillor
"A triumph of good writing."---"The Washington Post"

"Bauer expertly maps the ferocity and anguish of a parent's love . . . Exceptional storytelling."---"Entertainment Weekly"

"Written in a contemporary style that evokes the work of Anne Tyler, this is not only a well-nuanced story of youthful mistakes and adult consequences but also an unflinching look at one woman's fight against breast cancer."---"Booklist"

"With quiet power, Bauer explores the isolation, betrayal, duty, and, finally, compassion that constitute an unhappy marriage . . . With lovely prose and fine pacing, Bauer (A "Wild Ride Up the Cupboards") offers a sensitive portrait of a flawed woman coming to terms with a lifetime of regrets."---"Publishers Weekly", starred review

"Bauer deftly draws all the characters. Love or hate Carmen, readers won't soon forget the hot-blooded woman, and fans of Elizabeth Berg will want to meet her."---"Library Journal"

"Bauer's second novel ("A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards", 2005) offers an introspective study of a woman as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery . . . At times dispassionate and self-absorbed and at other times emotional and selfless, Carmen follows a path of self-discovery that is often painful, poignant and undeniably real. Bauer crafts an insightful story . . . It's a journey well worth taking."---"Kirkus"
"Compelling . . . Bauer and "The Forever Marriage" poignantly and powerfully illustrate the great and often tragic ironies of life . . . a perfect read."---"Minneapolis Star Tribune"

As she helps her three children grieve, she discovers, after a tryst with her most recent lover, that her own life may be in danger. Heremotions reeling, Carmen reflects on the fateful days of her youth that made her the person she has become: privileged suburban wife, unfaithful widow, mother of a child with Down syndrome, fierce friend. The Forever Marriage is at its heart a mystery, and the mystery is what, exactly, the nature of Carmen and Jobe's marriage might have been. Page-turning and irreverent, The Forever Marriage is a compelling examination of a relationship and of a woman facing up to her imperfect past. It meritscomparison to the best work of Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, and Alice Sebold.