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The Happy Couple
- Author
- Naoise Dolan
- Narrator
- Ayoola Smart, Bert Seymour
- Publisher
- Orion
- Publish Date
- 25 May 2023
- Run Time
- 5 hours 32 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent' Douglas Stuart
'I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it' Marian Keyes
'Dazzling. Not a word is out of place' Katherine Heiny
Meet Celine and Luke. To all intents and purposes, the happy couple.
But Celine's more interested in playing the piano, and Luke's a serial cheater.
And as their big day approaches, the complicated lives of the wedding party begin to unravel. A fed-up bridesmaid, a lovesick best man, guests and family members all find themselves searching for their own happily ever afters.
From the author of Exciting Times, this is a sparkling ensemble novel about love and marriage, fidelity and betrayal.
Critics Review
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I pure LOVED The Happy Couple. So witty, observant, wise and funny. Nihilistic about heteronormative relationships but so charmingly done I barely noticed. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it
Marian Keyes
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Dolan, whose debut novel Exciting Times was a storming success, is sure to bring her sparkling wit and insightful understanding of human relationships to this second outing
Irish Independent
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Sassy and smart and wickedly funny, Dolan's voice is uniquely her own. I inhaled every irreverent page
Ruth Gilligan, author of THE BUTCHERS
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I just finished The Happy Couple and I loved it - an extremely funny examination of modern love, with depth, bite and poignancy
Daisy Buchanan, author of INSATIABLE
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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A cracking ensemble, The Happy Couple is a beautiful sonata about our relationships and a sad fugue for fear and loneliness. The book is a tough, all-engrossing love-test. Dolan's acerbic humour is unapologetically analytical. She breaks the rule of intimacy with wit and panache that are second to none. I was kept on tenterhooks till the last few pages and my heart wouldn't stop pounding afterwards. I don't want to say goodbye to Luke and Celine.
Kit Fan, author of DIAMOND HILL
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Endlessly funny, endlessly inventive - a bold and stylish novel that slipped down and burned like a shot of something lovely
Rebecca Wait, author of I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY
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A sophisticated character study of a young couple coming to terms with their relationship, in this biting, whip-smart look at modern love and the tangled messes we leave behind us. I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent. And so glad my twenties are over
Douglas Stuart, author of YOUNG MUNGO and SHUGGIE BAIN
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The Happy Couple is a dazzling follow-up to Exciting Times. Dolan spins her magic again with humour and insight and the sharpest of prose. Not a word out of place
KATHERINE HEINY, author of STANDARD DEVIATION and EARLY MORNING RISER
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The Happy Couple is just as satisfying as Exciting Times, and deals with class, money, gender dynamics and bisexuality with similar ease. Set between London and Dublin, it is a beautiful exploration of love, fidelity - and whether either are compatible with marriage
Pandora Sykes
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The Happy Couple is one of those rare novels that feel like it's been written just for you. It's precisely what I love to read: engaging, fast-paced, hilarious, but still tender and moving. Also, is Dolan an actual genius? The pages just sparkle with smartness. It's a true joy to read, I adored it from the first page to the last
Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days
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Using daring, exciting sentences and close, sharp observation, The Happy Couple is a brilliant contemporary novel
COLM TÓIBÍN
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The Happy Couple hooked me the way that heteronormativity hooks its ambivalent protagonists. Dolan's prose absolutely crackles with wit, humour, and empathy
Clare Fisher, author of ALL THE GOOD THINGS
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The Happy Couple reminded me of Muriel Spark in its precision of language and emotion
Emma Forrest, author of BUSY BEING FREE
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Fun, addictive and laced with astute observations
Vogue
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A deep dive into love, betrayal, monogamy and sexuality. Sensational
Daily Mail
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One of the most talked about books for 2023
Stylist
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A funny and perceptive play on the traditional marriage plot that cements Dolan as one of the cleverest, most amusing new writers around. Marriage, it seems, is a laughing matter
The i paper
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The Happy Couple rises towards an affecting ending that asks what illusions and armour one has to shed in order to feel free
Observer
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Naoise Dolan
- Narrator
- Ayoola Smart, Bert Seymour
- Duration
- 5 hours 32 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 May 2023
- ISBN
- 9781474613538
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Orion
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Weddings, wedding planners, Humour, Narrative theme: love / relationships
Synopsis
'A brilliant contemporary novel' Colm Tóibín 'I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent' Douglas Stuart'I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it' Marian Keyes'Dazzling. Not a word is out of place' Katherine HeinyMeet Celine and Luke. To all intents and purposes, the happy couple.But Celine's more interested in playing the piano, and Luke's a serial cheater.And as their big day approaches, the complicated lives of the wedding party begin to unravel. A fed-up bridesmaid, a lovesick best man, guests and family members all find themselves searching for their own happily ever afters.From the author of Exciting Times, this is a sparkling ensemble novel about love and marriage, fidelity and betrayal.
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