Have you ever read a book and just thought to yourself, “I am not smart enough for this book?” That’s kind of how I felt about this book.
Not that the story line was particularly complicated – in fact, it is your classic story of a woman choosing between the man who’s all wrong for her, but she’s totally head over heels for and the guy who’s perfect for her, but she has no romantic feelings for. It’s just the fact that it’s a book about Ivy League, rich students/recent grads. The dialogue, and some of the talk about courses, etc., were WAY too smart for me. Thankfully, that was not the majority of the time :)
The term “The Marriage Plot” is taken from the period of Victorian novels, where 
families (often the mothers) plotted to have their daughters married off to wealthy gentlemen, securing a posh lifestyle and ample money (without actually having to work for it). If you’ve ever read anything by Jane Austen, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That is, in essence, the story – Madeleine must choose between manic-depressive Leonard and Religious Studies aficionado Mitchell. The story of love and life pursuits goes on, and it’s ultimately a great read. I would definitely recommend this book – if you have a flight, vacation or just some spare time on the horizon, this would be a great time filler.
Special thanks goes out to my husband who, having overheard me complain of the 27-person waiting list for this book at our local library, bought me the book that very same day – the fact that the next day happened to be my birthday and he was able to shower me with gifts was just icing on the cake :)
