Happy All the TimeBy Laurie ColwinI love Laurie Colwin. I suppose it’s more accurate to say that I love her books, but she is one of those authors whom you feel you know through her books, especially as she wrote several books of food essays as well as five novels and two books of short stories. Unhappily, she died in 1992 when she was only in her early forties, and the tributes written by her readers (you can find them on the web) show how greatly she is missed.Happy All the Time begins like this: “Guido Morris and Vincent Cardworthy were third cousins. No one remembered which Morris had married which Cardworthy, and no one cared except at large family gatherings when this topic was introduced and subjected to the benign opinions of all. Vincent and Guido had been friends since babyhood. They had been strolled together in the same pram and as boys were often brought together, either at the Cardworthy house in Petrie, Connecticut, or at the Morris’s in Boston to play marbles, climb trees, and set off cherry bombs in trash cans and mailboxes. As teenagers, they drank beer in hiding and practiced smoking Guido’s father’s cigars, which did not make them sick, but happy. As adults, they both loved a good cigar.”Now in their late twenties, Guido and Vincent both find the loves of their lives in the pages of this novel, which is largely what the book is about - the unexpected complexities and delights of love. Perhaps I like these books because love is a marvel to the author and her characters - they are alternately baffled and elevated by their feelings, but they never fall into the clichés of the romance genre.After making love to his eventual wife, Holly, for the first time, “Guido felt quite wiped out by sensation. Everything seemed uncommonly rich to him: the print on the sheets, the pattern on the quilt, Holly’s gleaming hair and earrings.” Holly herself “was an only child, an only grandchild, and she was nearly perfect. She had her own ways, Holly did. She decanted everything into glass and on her own long kitchen shelves were row upon row of jars containing soap, pencils, cookies, salt, tea, paper clips, and dried beans.” Vincent’s love interest is quite different. Misty Berkowitz thinks of herself as a sea urchin: prickly on the outside to hide her soft, mushy interior, but she is unable to resist Vincent. “Now, as she walked slowly back to her office, the world looked askew. Intelligence had nothing to do with this at all. The jig was up. She was in love.”This is such an enjoyable book to read. The characters are intelligent and quirky, they have interesting and unusual jobs and witty conversations, and they still feel like real people. The author loved life and I always finish her novels - and any of her writing - feeling both intellectually stimulated and emotionally mellowed.
A thoughtful, surprising, genuine and touching story about four people who fall in love. Guido and Vincent are cousins and best friends. Guido falls for Holly and Vincent falls for Misty. So, not only is romantic love developing but the connected friendships need to develop, too, if they are going to be four pals rather than two friends and their awkwardly tolerated spouses. What I appreciated about this story is that there are no huge disasters or tragedies. That doesn't mean that the characters are "happy all the time"--there is angst--worry and fear and doubt... but it's all pretty much self-imposed. And I think that rings so true to life--often times, we pin burdens on ourselves, sometimes unnecessarily, sometimes because we know that working through that will lead us to a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us.***minor spoilers***The message I took away from the story is: when you love someone, you have to allow them to love you back. You can't keep second-guessing, wondering *why* they love you, if you are good enough for them, if they will find someone they like better, etc. This is seen in the story of Vincent and Misty. Misty is the classic "glass is half empty" and waiting for something to go wrong; Vincent is an eternal optimist and floats through life with a smile. Misty worries that she is all wrong for Vincent (even though he clearly loves her) and she fears he will eventually want someone more like him. Another "message" in the story is that you cannot really define love, that if you try to, you'll miss the essence completely. This is seen in story of Guido and Holly; he loves her so much, but she is elusive to him in some ways--he sometimes can't understand her, wants to understand her, and fears that this lack of understanding is a flaw in their relationship; until he learns that he was trying to understand her from his own way of looking at things, rather than trying to see things through her eyes. And that he doesn't have to understand her perfectly in any sort of quantifiable terms in order to love her.Ultimately, this book wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I wanted a cozy, snuggle-up-with-hot-chocolate sort of read. The sort of story where, from page one, you feel all snug and secure and know that there will be sunshine and radiance everywhere. Maybe I was just reading the story with a "Misty" view, rather than a "Vincent" one, because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and squish away a happy ending. But, even though I didn't get a breezy, musical-comedy PG Wodehouseian sort of comfort read, I am still very glad I read this. I appreciated the thoughtful look at humanity, at love and friendship, and at what it takes to live our life so that we can be "happy all the time" (or, at least, most of it!)
What do You think about Happy All The Time (2000)?
This is a generally happy book, about generally happy people. There is no gore, no death that people must cope with, no shocking revelation, I don't even think there is any infidelity or job loss. In short, there is none of the oft-contrived melodrama that drives many plots forward and that makes for cliched exclamatory jacket copy. The focus here is on the beauty of Colwin's language. Think of it almost as an extended narrative poem about happiness, demonstrating happiness, rather than as a novel, though it is most certainly a novel as well. A highly unusual book.
—Kenyon Harbison
When I picked up my copy of Happy All the Time and saw the sad girl peeling pears on the cover, I was like, "Here we go. Time to delve into the depressing inner lives of searching young adults." Having just finished a few Lorrie Moore stories from Birds of America, I was sure that the title of Colwin's novel was ironic.IT SURE ISN'T! Two couples meet cute, quip, and live happily ever after. Seriously. I'm not immune to a charming narrative like this. The conversational wit sparkles on the page with a warmth that Dorothy Parker lacks. I was incredibly fond of grumpy Misty Berkowitz, who reveals herself to be hardened by life, but a big ole softy at heart. You don't want her hard-earned trust and vulnerability to be rewarded by unhappiness, and yay, it isn't. And her husband, Vincent Cardworthy, is nothing short of adorable—to the point where I read nearly all of his lines to my fiancé until he exclaimed "NO ONE TALKS LIKE THAT!"And maybe that's the problem. No one talks like this. No one lives like this. No one loves like this (and this is coming from the perspective of a swooning bride-to-be). Is it possible to be happy with a novel that is happy all the time?Oh, forget it. I'd be a grinch if I pretended not to enjoy such a witty, quirky, happy book. But be warned: this book is candy. Sour candy, maybe, but it's still all sugar, and one shouldn't have too much of it.
—Pamela
Pure delight! The story of two friends, Guido and Vinent, who live and work in New York City. They find love, marry (Holly and Misty, respectively) and experience the hopes, dreams, anxieties and challenges associated with moving into adulthood. That sounds sort of boring, but this book is anything but. As one reviewer said, this book takes up where most love stories leave off - at the settling in and finding contentment stage. Touching, quirky and funny, it made me happy!! This is the second time I've read Happy All the Time. Written in 1978, its themes are both universal and specific to the place, time and these four people. I love Laurie Colwin! Time to re-read her other works.
—Suzy
