Books4Tomorrow: QUICK REVIEW: "Have A Nice Weekend"

“HAVE A NICE WEEKEND”

by Ian Ellis

REVIEWED BY: David Fritz

OVERVIEW

'Have A Nice Weekend' is less the story of two hearts breaking as of time running out ….

It is the sound of marital negotiations breaking down.

Women will read this book and think, “Exactly! I only want to be noticed, to be loved, to be considered …. It doesn't take much …..”

Men will read this and go, “God, I've done that! How many times has she done that to me? By what right …..?”

Whatever the requests Will agreed to comply with and then didn't, he is miserable now.

Abi was his first girlfriend. When she said she loved him, he was taken by surprise but kind of agreed. They got married, but she made all the arrangements for the wedding.

When she became pregnant, it was because she decided it was time and stopped taking precautions, but Will thought Sophie was the most beautiful baby in the world when she was born.

However time, stress and misunderstandings took their toll, and now they live apart.

Now for the big questions - what have they learned? Does Will care enough to try to put things right, and does Abi care enough to let him?

REVIEW

Will is a happy-go-lucky guy with a working class upbringing and attitude. He's just a plain old Joe with no lofty expectations. At work he meets Abi, a go-getter girl from the "better" part of town, who knows exactly what she wants.

As it sometimes happens in life, the odd-ball couple hit it off and got married, mainly due to Abi's overtures and efforts. They settle down to married life, which doesn’t turn out too idyllic for either of them. Abi, the go-getter, is always pushing for more in life and for Will to be more, which goes against his grain. He doesn't have aspirations, just wants to get on with living life day by day, getting the most out of life with what he has.

They eventually have two children, but by the time the kids had grown into teenagers, the strain of their marriage had simply become too much for Abi to bear. And that’s when it happened. One evening Will returns home and finds Abi waiting for him, having already packed his bags!

What to do now?

This is an engaging work of fiction with the well and woes of a typical couple's relationship at its core. It's a great read! I especially love the characters’ real-life flaws and how “average” they are, which makes them so easy to relate to. Ian Ellis brilliantly depicts the age-old conflict and misunderstanding between the genders in a modern day setting. Although the language is somewhat crude at times, it is true to the characters and times of this story, and not over done. I also liked the fact that there is no hype; just true-life actions and dialogue.

This book provides a relaxing, engaging read, suitable for both men and women.