Marcy’s husband, Harvey – the owner of the Bountiful Bosom bra company – announces he is leaving her after 33 years of marriage for a much younger lingerie model. So Marcy, an empty-nester, has to strike out on her own – with the help of her tell-it-like-it-is friend Dana, who is on to her third marriage. This story delves into the trials Marcy faces as she contemplates life alone – finding paid work as well as dealing with her mother’s ill-health and her daughter’s own affair with a married man. This was more of a character-driven, rather than plot-driven, novel. Marcy has a wry sense of humour but perhaps it works best for American audiences. One for those looking for a more mature heroine.
Lift and Separate, the debut novel by Marilyn Simon Rothstein, is about a middle-aged woman whose husband leaves her for a younger model. The summary says: "Marcy Hammer's life has been turned upside down. Her husband, the head of a global brassiere empire, didn't think twice about leaving her after thirty-three years of marriage for a 32DD lingerie model. Now Harvey the Home-Wrecker is missing in action, but Marcy's through thinking about what a cliche he is. What she needs now is a party-size bag of potato chips, a good support system, and a new dress.
Striking out on her own is difficult at first, but Marcy manages to find traces of humor in her heartbreak. Even while devastated by Harvey's departure, she still has her indomitable spirit and her self-respect. She has no intention of falling apart, either, even when her adult children drop a few bombshells of their own and she discovers a secret about her new, once-in-a-lifetime friend. Life may be full of setbacks, but by lifting herself up by her own lacy straps, Marcy just may be able to handle them all." Lift and Separate is out in December 2016.