Short Marriage

What does it mean to escape when love, obligation, and habit quietly close in? In “The Escape” by Katherine Mansfield, a quiet domestic moment becomes the stage for an unspoken emotional reckoning between a husband and wife. As they prepare for an evening out, small gestures, clipped remarks, and inner reflections reveal the tensions beneath their long-standing marriage. What appears outwardly calm is charged with resentment, fatigue, and the desire—felt by both—for freedom from roles that no longer bring comfort.

When Ava Barnes’s boyfriend, Justin, proposes after a whirlwind romance, the young couple embarks on a quest that will test their love. For generations, engaged couples in Ava’s family have traveled into the Everglades to retrieve the egg of the magnificent frigate bird in order to bake it into a marriage cake. Those who succeed live happily ever after, while those who fail are destined for heartbreak. With Ava’s beloved grandmother gravely ill, never has the marriage tradition meant so much.

There is nothing more intoxicating than surrendering to a man who will burn the world just to claim what’s his.

A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage, 2nd Edition is a concise explanation of the essentials for a long-lasting marriage. Marriage should be thought of as a creative work in progress. Just as the artist or writer has times when his or her work flows and all is going well, so does a marriage...

Ten classic short stories offering a feminine perspective on marriage written from 1891 to 1917 from such classic authors as Edith Wharton, O. Henry, Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, and others. These works present an early and poignant perspective on the institution of marriage, its role in society, and the personal beauty and pain that can be found within its bonds.