Marriage

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages," said philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The texts in this collection depict happy and unhappy marriages—and those that fall somewhere in between.

The Ex

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Grandparents, Marriage, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

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The Father

by August Strindberg

Publication year 1887

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Marriage, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Tragedy, Gender & Feminism, European History, Mental Illness, Relationships, Scandinavian Literature, Naturalism, World History

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The Favorite Girl

by Monica Arya

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Literature

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The Female Brain

by Louann Brizendine

Publication year 2006

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Femininity, Masculinity, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Aging, Midlife, Marriage, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Health, Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Love & Sexuality

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The Fifth Child

by Doris Lessing

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Beauty

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Fifth Child is a novella by British writer Doris Lessing, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. First published in the UK in 1988, the work blends domestic realism and gothic horror in an unsettling portrait of Harriet and David Lovatt, a couple with old-fashioned values whose lives are upended by the birth of their fifth child, Ben. Aggressive, unusually strong, and non-communicative, Ben does not conform to the Lovatts’ expectations of a... Read The Fifth Child Summary

The Firm

by John Grisham

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Death, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Revenge, Mothers, Guilt, Fear, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Marriage, Justice, Trust & Doubt, Hate & Anger, Politics & Government, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Perseverance

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law

OverviewBook DetailsThe Firm is the second legal thriller written by attorney John Grisham. It followed his 1988 debut novel A Time to Kill. The Firm was the top-selling novel of 1991 on the New York Times bestseller list, bringing its author international fame. It focuses on new Harvard Law School graduate Mitch McDeere, who accepts a financially lucrative position with a Memphis law firm that he discovers is embroiled in unethical and illegal activities.Author HighlightsGrisham... Read The Firm Summary

The First Seven Years

by Bernard Malamud

Publication year 1950

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Marriage, Love

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Holocaust

“The First Seven Years” is a short story that Bernard Malamud originally published in 1950. The story subsequently appeared in several collections, including The Magic Barrel, which won the 1959 National Book Award for fiction. Malamud’s exploration of the complications of the American Dream for immigrants and the aftermath of the Holocaust make the story an important contribution to American Jewish literature of the twentieth century. This guide is based on the short story as... Read The First Seven Years Summary

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

by Mitch Albom

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Aging, Fate, Friendship, Forgiveness, Memory, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Hate & Anger, Love, War, Grief, Marriage, Fathers, Nostalgia, Hope, Mothers

Tags Inspirational, Magical Realism, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by best-selling writer Mitch Albom. Published in 2003, it sold more than 10 million copies and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2004, the story was adapted into a made-for-television movie starring Jon Voight. In 2018, Albom penned a follow-up called The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. The novel follows the story of Eddie, a man who believes his life was... Read The Five People You Meet In Heaven Summary

The Five Year Lie

by Sarina Bowen

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Objects & Materials, Marriage, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance

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The German Wife

by Kelly Rimmer

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Marriage, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Military & War

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The Gilded Six-Bits

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1986

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Appearance & Reality, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature

“The Gilded Six-Bits” is a short story written by Zora Neale Hurston and originally published in 1933 in Story magazine. The story explores themes of Sex, Physical Desire, and Marriage, The Function and Morality of Money, and Appearance Versus Reality. Hurston, in addition to being a noted African American author, was also an anthropologist and folklorist. She is best known for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. “The Gilded Six-Bits” is Hurston’s most... Read The Gilded Six-Bits Summary

The Girl On The Train

by Paula Hawkins

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Masculinity, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

Paula Hawkins wrote The Girl on the Train over the course of six months in 2014. Hawkins, an Oxford-educated journalist and writer, drew on her experience as a reporter in London to structure the novel and describe its locations. Drawing immediate comparisons to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train had similar performance, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015, and remaining there for 13 consecutive weeks... Read The Girl On The Train Summary