Release Date: January 2, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Source: Publisher
Genre: Autobiography, Memoir
Review Date: January 7, 2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: Cindy Chupack has spent much of her adult life writing about dating and relationships for several hit TV series and as a sex columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine. At the age of thirty-nine, she finally found The One—and a wealth of new material.
Marriage, Cindy discovered, was more of an adventure than she ever imagined, and in this collection of essays she deftly examines the comedy and cringe-worthy aspects of matrimony. Soulful yet self-deprecating, The Longest Date recounts her first marriage (he was gay) and the meeting of Husband No. 2, Ian.
After the courtship and ceremony, both Cindy and Ian realized that happily ever after takes some practice, and near constant negotiation over everyday matters like cooking, sex, holidays, monogamy, and houseguests. The Longest Date takes a serious turn when it comes to infertility.
The Longest Date is the perfect companion for anyone navigating a serious relationship, be it newlyweds or couples moving in that direction.
Disclaimer: I received this book as a courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The memoir was well paced and easy to read. In addition to the story flowing smoothly, I was genuinely entertained. Chupack is witty, a tad snarky and hilarious. I actually found myself laughing out loud more than a few times. The one thing that I felt was a bit much was the name dropping. Yes, we know you've worked with and most likely had dinner with more than a few A list celebrities. Thankfully that was not the main focus and was only a minor part of the story. Putting the name dropping aside, which was only slightly annoying, Chupack's account of her marriage woes are comical and pretty entertaining. Even the heavy subject matter of infertility is somehow lightened a bit.
After reading The Longest Date, as a married lady myself, I found that I really related to Chupack and her husband. Even though I'm not Jewish, wealthy, or an Emmy-nominated writer, the main themes in marriage cross all tax brackets, religions, and races; simply put, marriage is marriage. Each of us have our own adventure to contend with.
Chupack is what most of us would deem as an successful woman, and to read about her own personal drama is refreshing because it shows that everyone has ups and downs. Nobody has a picture perfect life and she does an excellent job giving us a good dose of both marriage and relationship reality. I really enjoyed several components of this story. I thought the chapter where she shares her marriage vows and her fifth year re-commitment vows were both touching and sweet. I also enjoyed her husband's moment to share his point of view on their attempts to have a baby. They both seem like genuine, fun and down to earth people.
I'm glad that this book was introduced to me as I probably wouldn't have come across it on my own. If you enjoy memoirs that read more like fiction than a history of events, then do check out The Longest Date.
Happy Reading,
~Tamara