Rating: 
Summary: Haste makes waste!
Review: The packaging of the book is misleading, first of all. The raving reviews on the back are not even for Le Mariage, but for Le Divorce! Also, it is not a sequel to Le Divorce. I'm even beginning to wonder if this book is by the same Diane Johnson who wrote Le Divorce. Some clues point to yes-many elements of the book are reminiscent of Le Divorce: there are wealthy Americans in Paris (starring a housewife once again), lack of communication between husband and wife, "film folk," faïence, mentions of les petits soins, crime, sex, shock-value swear words, and unrealistic dialogue (how many twenty-somethings do you know who actually say the word "shall"?). Although the characters and story line are new, the themes are repetitive. The book is not horrible, but when you're expecting something as superbly crafted as Le Divorce, you can only be greatly disappointed. It reads as if it were cranked out on a tight deadline and then re-arranged with an over-worked editor. There are several editorial errors and misinformation about France or the French language. The French never say "ooh la la," but rather "oh la la" (which they spell "ho la la" in French). And they DO have their own version of Kraft singles, a similar kind of processed, packed-by-the-slice cheese intended for use in croque monsieurs (which bear a striking resemblance to grilled cheese sandwiches in more ways than one). Johnson also mistakenly explains that the French way of pronouncing the word "pointe" (as in Grosse Pointe) is "pwahn." Wrong! Anyone who speaks French knows that the "T" is not silent as it is followed by that ever-powerful "E." I hope this error was that of an ignorant editor and not of Diane Johnson herself. Oregon does not have ice storms every year, either, or even every other year. As for the story as a whole, in the beginning it is difficult to keep track of the characters, who are introduced as a large block of inventory all at once (and take their leave in a similar fashion at the end). It is also easy to drift away or put the book down for more than a few days-nothing like the gripping Divorce where you are dying to know what happens next. Laced throughout are garden-path sentences that require a second glance, which slows the reading of the book considerably. Le Mariage will not suck you in as did Le Divorce. This time it is the reader, not the writer, who has to do the work of making the book enjoyable. Any success this book has enjoyed is due only to readers' yearning for another Divorce and not to the actual quality of Le Mariage. Don't fall into this publisher's trap!
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe It Was Over My Head
Review: The professional book reviews at the top of the page all love Le Mariage, while the reviews are more mixed. Perhaps the professionals get the book at a deeper level than the rest of us do. Or perhaps they are just mistaking caricatures and muddled plot for biting satire and a revealing look at human nature. First off, it is not really possible to review this book without serious spoilers since the most obvious part to review is the ending. Several other reviewers have criticized it, so I will just say that I agree with the criticisms of other reviewers about abruptness and dropped characters and not get into the details. Le Mariage is most likely a parable. It tells the intertwined stories of two couples. Anne-Sophie and Tim are engaged to be married. Anne-Sophie is a French antiques dealer and a horse fancier. Tim is half-Belgian and half-American. He is a freelance journalist who writes primarily for a left-wing magazine and a right-wing magazine about European issues. Near the beginning of the book, Tim meets and falls in lust with Clara Holly, a beautiful American-born actress who made one movie and now lives in the French countryside with her director-husband Serge. Serge is Polish but grew up in America. Of course, Tim's lust for Clara does not bode well for his impending marriage to Anne-Sophie. Anne-Sophie feels him drawing away from her and turns to the romance books her mother wrote for advice--something that leads to the only truly funny parts of the books. Those books tell her things like you need to speak in the heat of passion to your partner. So she reads D.H. Lawrence and tries out a few phrases. She is puzzled that Tim does not react well to this, so she looks to her mother's book for other advice. The book begins in an interesting style. It relates conversations and when characters make connections to events, it flashes back to the events. Unfortunately, Johnson drops this style in favor of exploring the nature of love, miscommunications between men and women and differences between French people and Americans. This she does rather badly. Tim would have been an interesting character for this since he has a French-speaking mother and has spent most of his life in Europe but was born in America, has an American name and an American father. However, Johnson utterly fails to use this. In fact, Tim comes across as so American that every 30 pages or so, Johnson has to remind us that he is half-Belgian and explain that it is strange that he is taking such an American point of view. There are also problems with Johnson's descriptions of the American and French side characters whom Johnson deliberately draws as caricatures for satire's sake, but come across as uninteresting rather than funny. I would recommend re-reading Le Divorce and skipping this book.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe It Was Over My Head
Review: The professional book reviews at the top of the page all love Le Mariage, while the reviews are more mixed. Perhaps the professionals get the book at a deeper level than the rest of us do. Or perhaps they are just mistaking caricatures and muddled plot for biting satire and a revealing look at human nature. First off, it is not really possible to review this book without serious spoilers since the most obvious part to review is the ending. Several other reviewers have criticized it, so I will just say that I agree with the criticisms of other reviewers about abruptness and dropped characters and not get into the details. Le Mariage is most likely a parable. It tells the intertwined stories of two couples. Anne-Sophie and Tim are engaged to be married. Anne-Sophie is a French antiques dealer and a horse fancier. Tim is half-Belgian and half-American. He is a freelance journalist who writes primarily for a left-wing magazine and a right-wing magazine about European issues. Near the beginning of the book, Tim meets and falls in lust with Clara Holly, a beautiful American-born actress who made one movie and now lives in the French countryside with her director-husband Serge. Serge is Polish but grew up in America. Of course, Tim's lust for Clara does not bode well for his impending marriage to Anne-Sophie. Anne-Sophie feels him drawing away from her and turns to the romance books her mother wrote for advice--something that leads to the only truly funny parts of the books. Those books tell her things like you need to speak in the heat of passion to your partner. So she reads D.H. Lawrence and tries out a few phrases. She is puzzled that Tim does not react well to this, so she looks to her mother's book for other advice. The book begins in an interesting style. It relates conversations and when characters make connections to events, it flashes back to the events. Unfortunately, Johnson drops this style in favor of exploring the nature of love, miscommunications between men and women and differences between French people and Americans. This she does rather badly. Tim would have been an interesting character for this since he has a French-speaking mother and has spent most of his life in Europe but was born in America, has an American name and an American father. However, Johnson utterly fails to use this. In fact, Tim comes across as so American that every 30 pages or so, Johnson has to remind us that he is half-Belgian and explain that it is strange that he is taking such an American point of view. There are also problems with Johnson's descriptions of the American and French side characters whom Johnson deliberately draws as caricatures for satire's sake, but come across as uninteresting rather than funny. I would recommend re-reading Le Divorce and skipping this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed this book.
Review: This author can Write with a capital W. I will say that I enjoyed "Le Divorce" by the same author even more, but this book was also very good. If you are looking for something to read that is set in France, this is just the ticket. If you also enjoyed "Le Divorce" then you will appreciate the threads of commonality between these two books; antiques, the nuances of culture and behavior between Americans and the French, etc. You get a little bit of everything, romance, travel and mystery.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book.
Review: This author can Write with a capital W. I will say that I enjoyed "Le Divorce" by the same author even more, but this book was also very good. If you are looking for something to read that is set in France, this is just the ticket. If you also enjoyed "Le Divorce" then you will appreciate the threads of commonality between these two books; antiques, the nuances of culture and behavior between Americans and the French, etc. You get a little bit of everything, romance, travel and mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Viva la diference
Review: This author is having fun while she is making fun.Is her tongue in her cheek? Are Americans really that nuts for ice cubes? Do the French really take the plumbing and the built-in bookcases with them when they move? Le Mariage moves along at a pleasant and leisurly pace, while skewering everything along the way. You might not want to go to Paris or Oregon after you finish this book, but you will want to read Diane Johnson again. She is wickedly funny in a wacky,warped,warm way.
Rating:
Summary: A marital thriller.
Review: This book is not a marriage manual but a lively social comedy that mocks misgivings that plague young men and women on both sides of the Atlantic during the weeks preceding the nuptials. The charm of Diane Johnson's latest novel lies not only in the ingenious plot,which becomes as suspenseful as a spy thriller, but also in the joie d'vivre that animates all but the most solemn episodes.
Rating:
Summary: A very entertaining read
Review: This book is very fun to read. I like the characters and the settings very much, and the plot is an enjoyable mix of mystery and romance. This is my favorite Diane Johnson novel yet.
Rating:
Summary: Great Light Read
Review: This book, from the author of Le Divorce, follows the same delightful blending of French and American culture. The story centers around the future marriage of Tim, an American journalist and Anne-Sophie, his sophisticated French fiancée. I especially enjoyed the character of Anne-Sophie's mother, Estelle, as she provided a comic look at life from a French novelist's perspective.
While this book won't disappoint you, I do feel Le Divorce is a much more clever, interesting read. On the surface the storylines in Le Mariage are very original and have much potential but are not given enough attention and somehow fall a bit flat. However, this is a great light read and you will enjoy this French/American genre that Johnson has helped create.
From the author of The Difference Now, A New Dish, and At the Coffee Shop.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Read!
Review: This is the second book that I've read by Ms. Johnson and I find her form of writing to be at times witty and then at times to be very confusing and well...dry. For the most part I did enjoy this read. She has great imagination when it comes to her character's as well as her storylines. I almost felt as if I had stepped into a soap opera. For a light read you can't go wrong with this author.
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