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Happy All the Time  By  cover art

Happy All the Time

By: Laurie Colwin
Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
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Publisher's summary

A modern classic first published in 1978 that is as much a sophisticated romantic comedy about the love between two partners as it is a novel about the powerful bonds shared by family members, friends, colleagues and confidants. • With a foreword by Katherine Heiny, author of Early Morning Riser.

“A comedy of manners that reminds us that manners are comic and should be enjoyed as such.” —
The New York Times

Guido and Vincent, best friends (and third cousins), aren’t expecting to fall head-over-heels in love, but that is exactly what happens. Guido is smitten with Holly, a dazzling young woman who chafes at the idea of complacency, while Vincent falls for Misty, a work colleague with an acerbic sense of humor who seems as uninterested in romance as she is in Vincent (at first). In the months that follow, both couples will experience the rituals of courtship, jealousy, estrangement, family entanglements, and other perils of the heart as they try to find love in spite of themselves.

Colwin is a master of portraying the messiness of life: here, in hilarious and endearing prose, she follows these two improbable pairs, and their families, as they navigate and ultimately find happiness together—not all the time, but for most of it.

©2014 Laurie Colwin (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Luminous...a book that lingers sweetly and hilariously in the memory.”—The Dallas Morning News

“A wise, bighearted book by a wise, bighearted writer. A deft and funny one, too.”—The Washington Post

“Laurie Colwin’s great subject was happiness—whether romantic, familial, domestic, or culinary—and she managed to write about it with both élan and emotional depth.... How wonderful it is that her books are still with us.”—The Christian Science Monitor

What listeners say about Happy All the Time

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Charming characters

I loved that this was a story about common psychological issues - wondering about love, choosing a partner, differences in life outlook, dealing with friends and relatives, marriage, work. The characters are charming and funny. The narrator was great, as well, performing the different actors with recognizable and believable voices.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Trite

Common story , common characters, common problems no unique aspect to the story, and the language was not inspired.

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