Back from Boredom

I was so excited to read this book... If Oprah thought it worthy of her show, surely it would help me through my situation. When I read a book life stops until I finish it. With this book, it was easy to put down. Suzy took more time to describe how the room was decorated, than she did on the crisis of her marriage. It read like a novel, a boring novel. It's hard to feel sorry for this couple when she never really let you get a glimpse into the true pain.
For those of you seeking comfort from someone who has survived the PAINFUL aftermath of an affair, I wouldn't look in this book. It was very difficult for me to relate to Suzy's pain (she never really expressed it).

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Life is Rough

I saw this couple on Oprah and I admired them for staying together and when Suzy was confronted by someone in the audience about "Why would you stay with someone who cheated on you for 30 years?" Suzy (and Oprah) both said it is not for anyone to decide but you. You need to "follow your heart." Having gone through similar pain- only worse (my husband was with men and now we are both HIV positive), I wanted to see how she survived her ordeal. Although I am sure her pain was terrible, everyone's pain is their own and you can't compare, it bothered me that she had so many places to go for help AND the money to do it so easily. I found it tiresome to read about all the beautiful places they were able to travel to and still try to work on their marriage. What about us other folks who are stuck at home because we are paying so much money to our therapists to help us with this mess, that we can't afford to do anything? I thought Suzy did a good job of learning to take care of herself first...we all must do that in order to survive. But she sure did it by spending a lot of money. I'd like to write a book for the common woman who has to cope with what little means she has to do it with. I hope I live long enough to write that book.

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Interesting, fast read

Given the venomous negative reviews, it would seem that Suzy Farbman is not universally loved in her Detroit circle (unless all the reviews have been written by "Jody"!?) However, one can't help but applaud her for being willing to put it all out there for everyone to see in the hope of helping others. Personally, her husband sounds too emotionally high maintenance to be worth the trouble but she obviously loves him and had the courage to make significant changes in her life to try and keep him. I feel sorry for her sons as I imagine this book and appearance on Oprah put them in an embarrasing spotlight; nonetheless, I believe her heart is in the right place.

For the reviewer critical of her book because she is obviously upper-middle class and concerned with her social status, what did you expect her to write? She is telling HER story; this isn't fiction; she is writing what she knows. If anything, her financial security just proves that no one is insulated from this type of thing happening. Although we can't all afford self-help retreats there are places to turn to for support in a situation such as hers.

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