<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: highly impressed
Review: A heart pulling, emotional story of a woman who finds out that her marriage is not what it seems. Emily Spencer met Michael Rogers at a time in her life when she was not interested or even looking for love, but that doesn't stop her from falling in love with him very early in their relationship. And after a few months they married. Emily's dream was to own a small town newspaper. Michael encouraged her dream with the thought that they could work together. Emily would run the paper and Michael would handle sales, which is his field. They found the right town and all seems perfect for them. But, after 3 years things started changing. Michael becomes depressed, gets angry for reasons he can't explain, starts lying, going out alone, and spending a lot of time on his computer. While Michael is away, Emily decides to do the monthly bills. What she finds in his computer shocks and sickens her. His only answer to Emily at this find is to blame her. If what she found is true...where does their marriage go from here? Michael says he still loves her and they seek counseling, but has too much happened for their marriage to survive? An emotional read. Once you are pulled into the book, you will experience Emily's emotional and physical feelings. Your thoughts will intertwine with Emily's life so much so that you'll be wondering with her, what and where do we go from here.... I was highly impressed by this book! Lisa Rogak's words pulled me in and kept me there.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretzel Logic made sense
Review: Although I could not relate personally to this novel, it made perfect sense to me. It is not about a husband telling his wife he's gay, it's about losing and trying desperately to get back the person you married. It could happen to anybody. I felt for Emily and understood her confusion and feelings of betrayal and heartbreak. The ending was how I pictured it...I wouldn't have liked it any other way.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and educational
Review: I love Lisa's writing style - conversational, humorous, and painfully honest. Although the first chapter didn't hook me as well as it could have, it was worth my while to keep reading; it got better. I think the book was a tad hard on the gay spouse, portraying him as impossibly hostile most of the time, while the straight spouse was improbably forgiving and submissive. In reality, most marriages would not have lasted as long as this one did. And I didn't buy the "let me find out what it's like to have sex with the same sex" scenario. It didn't ring true. Either you want to or you don't. A straight person isn't going to find out what it's like by picking up someone in a bar.
Other than that, I couldn't put the book down!
Rating:
Summary: Humorous, thought provoking....a delightful read
Review: I picked up this book expecting to skim it and found it so engaging I couldn't put it down. It was like reading a whodunit, and finished it in two sessions. It is witty, sincere and flowing. The author describes so much with few words, ....the scenes of the straight spouse's support group are both marvelously funny and sad. The character of her detached and confused husband at times is predictable, but it is Emily, the narrator, who holds your interest and draws you in. In that I am a formerly married gay man, long out of the marriage, I didn't expect to response so empatheticly to the wife....but, to the author's credit, I did and the results is, that this book will stay with me for a long time to come.
Rating: 
Summary: A sorry tale
Review: I read this book because it purportedly reflected my own situation of a straight spouse married to a bisexual man. The advertising copy cites its wit and humor, but I found the book heavy-handed and self-centered. With no attempt to round out the picture with the man's point of view, it comes across as a portrait of victimization: "poor Emily." But surely he had motivation and needs too. Also, the book's overriding message seems to be that a gay-straight marriage can never work. That's a sad and unhelpful comment for the many couples who are trying to live a life that both acknowleges their differences and celebrates their togetherness.
Rating:
Summary: Kathy Hayes...
Review: I would have never thought to pick up this book on my own sinceit didn't apply to me. But, since I heard about it and am open toreading everything, I decided to read it. What an education. Many ofus do not even think about being in a situation where we findourselves married to a gay partner, but in all reality, ithappens. This is life and nothing to be hidden in the closet. I foundthe book very informative and I am sure a blessing to those who needto know there are other people going through this situation and thatthere is support out there for them. I think Ms. Rogak did a wonderfuljob informing the public of a more common happening than most of usknow about. She writes from both sides of the relationship, althoughMichael, the gay husband, doesn't have a voice of his own. We hear itfrom Emily. We hear from others going through the same thing and theopenness of their feelings. Both Michael and Emily explore theirrelationship, not wanting to lose their friendship, but also realizingthings aren't going to change. You have to be happy with yourself oryou will never be happy. This book is a wonderful public service forthose in need.
Rating:
Summary: What a Hypocrite
Review: In an effort to either understand her gay husband better, or perhaps just make him jealous, the 100% heterosexual Emily decides that she will have sex with a woman. She goes to a Lesbian bar to seek her prey. She is met outside the bar by lesbian who responds to her expression of concern about the safety of the neighborhood by walking with Emily from a safe parking space to the bar. Emily labels the lesbian as "predatory" and in search of "Fresh meat". Emily then goes off on her little sexual adventure. What a crock.
Rating:
Summary: Yes.
Review: Lisa Rogak, Pretzel Logic (Williams Hill Press, 1999) Lisa Rogak has written a pretty darn fine novel, but unfortunately couldn't get it published by a major. So instead she went to a small, regional press with this book, which has probably kept it from getting a wide enough distribution to reach the audience it deserves. Pretzel Logic is the story of a married couple who move back to the wife's hometown and take over the weekly paper. All is going swimmingly until the husband starts fighting past demons he thought he had conquered in his adolescence, finally capitulating to them and (while masking it in various ways) coming out of the closet. The storyline isn't anything terribly new. We've all seen it before over the past twenty years more than once. What makes Pretzel Logic worthwhile is Rogak's easygoing style, somewhat rare in journalists, especially rare in journalists writing autobiographical novels and there are quite a few clues lying around to give this away as an autobiographical novel). Rogak is still close to her material, to be sure, but that doesn't stop her from recognizing, and telling, a good story around it. It is entirely possible that the way Rogak approaches the subject matter is what stopped the book from getting published. Various episodes in the book, from an offhand comment made early on to Rogak's attempt at sleeping with another woman are not handled with one iota of political correctness, which would no doubt cause most publishers to shy well away from this book. At the same time, the political incorrectness of the book doesn't come off as offensive as much as it comes off honest (and if you can't tell the difference between the two, you can both stop reading this review right now and avoid this book like the plague. Those with chips on their shoulders are guaranteed to be offended by this book). In other words, as often happens, the book didn't get a big contract precisely because of the things that make it a good read in the first place. And we wonder why Danielle Steel sells millions of copies. *** ½
Rating:
Summary: Makes the reader wonder what s/he would do.
Review: Wonderfully told story on how a woman married for years suddenly finds out her husband is gay. The whole book began looking like two friends of the opposite sex out for a night out on the town together. She, wanting to know what his gay night life was like, got him to take her with him. But they are really married. Then chapter one takes you back into time to tell the tale from the beginning. It was fascinating to watch Michael come to terms with being gay. I was horrified for Emily as she found out the truth, even though I knew it was coming. The author shows exactly what I believe it must be like to find myself in this situation. The question, "Where do we go from here?" is not an easy one to answer. However, Lisa Rogak pulls me, the reader, along with her with her humor and was of facing facts. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting reading
Review: Wonderfully told story on how a woman married for years suddenly finds out her husband is [not straight]. The whole book began looking like two friends of the opposite sex out for a night out on the town together. She, wanting to know what his [other] night life was like, got him to take her with him. But they are really married. Then chapter one takes you back into time to tell the tale from the beginning. It was fascinating to watch Michael come to terms with being [not straight]. I was horrified for Emily as she found out the truth, even though I knew it was coming. The author shows exactly what I believe it must be like to find myself in this situation. The question, "Where do we go from here?" is not an easy one to answer. However, Lisa Rogak pulls me, the reader, along with her with her humor and was of facing facts. I loved it!
<< 1 >>
| 
