A Mere Formality - Barbara Howell.

A Mere Formality - Barbara Howell. An outrageously honest novel about love, greed and a marriage contract. Cynthia Moore lives with her two teenage daughters in a small seaside community where she runs the Sunny Gourmet, her successful kitchen novelty store. She is thirty-eight years old, divorced, attractive and lonely. When Clay Edwards asks Cynthia to marry him, it seems a perfect match. He is fifty-five old and back on his well-healed financial feet after a costly divorce from mad Marion. He is lured by Cynthia's way with creature comforts, the promise of great sex. Cynthia looks forward to being near him every night, to decorating his home, and to real financial security for herself and her daughters. Cynthia is happier than she has ever been until as a mere formality. Clay asks her to sign a prenuptial agreement (which relieves him of any financial obligations towards her if she divorce him) as a condition of marriage. This agreement - which betrays Clay's lack of trust and commitment to Cynthia - is the pivotal point of this highly sophisticated and plausible novel. It manages to expose every raw nerve in the institution of marriage, as resentment and mistrust come tumbling down on their union. sometimes hilariously, sometimes poignantly, we see the marriage disintegrate as Cynthia unconsciously tries to restore the balance of power the marriage contract has upset. Cleverly plotted and brilliantly characterized, here is a wickedly diverting novel: a witty and compassionate portrait of a marriage where traditional values have broken down been replaced by sexual and financial power games. Secondhand book. Hardcover book with cover. English. 267 Pages. Good condition. 072 501 3890. REF: 079. This book will be removed when sold.Fiction.