In her previous memoir, Past Forgetting, novelist Robinson described the extraordinary experience of amnesia following a swimming pool accident and the gradual recovery of her memory. This time she teams up with her third husband to recount their meeting, courtship and the early days of their marriage in 1980 (before the amnesia). Alternating the voices of husband and wife, both Robinson and Shaw (an Englishman and PR executive) write extremely well, but offer only an ordinary tale of middle-aged love and blended families. Both divorced with almost-grown children, Robinson and Shaw met at a 12-step meeting, fell in love and proceeded down the well-trod path of uniting their lives, families and friends. The most unusual aspect of their story is that because of Robinson's background (as the daughter of Dore Schary, who was the one-time head of MGM and writer/director/producer of Broadway hits), they dine with the rich and famous, and doors that are firmly locked to most people seem to fly open for them. For example, Martha Stewart arranged their western-themed wedding reception gratis and a friend found them a great flat in London within a week of their decision to move there. This ease of life (along with the absence of any mention of Robinson's amnesia) lessens their drama of emotions, relationships and struggles to adapt their egos and lives to love and marriage. Shaw muses, "Falling in love is child's play: staying in love stretches patience way beyond what one had considered to be breaking point." Unfortunately, this story ends before such patience is really tested. (Aug. 1)
Forecast:The real poignancy of this work may be lost on those who have not read
Past Forgetting, which describes Robinson's struggle to recognize her husband and remember their life together. Robinson's fame may not be enough to spur high sales.
