Marlene Hauser

Marlene leaning on a pile of her books, Geraniums

Marlene Hauser

Marlene Hauser is a professional writer based in Oxford, UK

where she lives with her husband and teenage son.  She served as editor of the Writer’s New York City Source Book and originated the television film Under the Influence, going on to serve as Associate Producer and Technical Consultant.  

Marlene holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and has received numerous awards, including a residency at the Millay Arts Colony in Upstate New York.

Random Things Tour

Instagram is holding its annual Random Things Tour.  Follow reviews and write-ups by these popular bloggers.

Random Things Tour Agenda
Reviews of Marlene Hauser’s Latest Book:

MINE

Mine is so much more than a story about a woman’s struggles with infertility. It’s a story of love, ambition, education, career, marriage, devastation and fulfillment, all told in 314 compulsively readable pages.

Kathleen H

A beautiful book about a couple’s desire to have a baby.

Kelly P

The female protagonist in the novel Mine is smart, perceptive and goal oriented. She has a deep desire to achieve an MBA degree…

Barbara Katz

When is enough, enough? High-powered Sophie Taylor thinks baby-making can happen on the fly. Managed alongside work, marriage, an MBA and travel, she decides to launch Project Bébé . Successful at everything, Sophie expects and always scores one hundred per cent. That is until the shocking failure of one fertility treatment after the next.As the… Read more “Mine – Review on Instagram”

Instagram Review - @randomthingstours 

My thoughts 💭… This is my 2nd book by Marlene, and much like the first, it is a brilliantly plotted, well structured, compelling, and emotionally written story. Following the main protagonist, Lily, as she navigates life under the dark cloud of mental, physical, and emotional abuse and the coercive control of her father and grandmother… Read more “Instagram – Mine”

Instagram Review - Mine

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd we don’t live in the same place, same address, yet we’re married and trying to have a little one?” Yes! This quote pretty much sums up how I felt about this story. Honestly, I understand Sophie being in her early forties newly married and wanting to have a… Read more “”

Random Things Tour - Instagram

Latest Blog

With school on the horizon here in the UK – a September 25th start for Uni – I have been reflecting on my son’s summer travels.

From inter-railing through Europe, crossing the Atlantic to Boston, eventually travelling on to Vermont and Niagara Falls, then back to London for the Notting Hill Carnival, and finally despite a UK-wide air traffic meltdown, to Carcassonne. 

Mine

When is enough, enough?

High-powered Sophie Taylor thinks baby-making can happen on the fly. Managed alongside work, marriage, an MBA and travel, she decides to launch Project Bébé. Successful at everything, Sophie expects and always scores one hundred per cent. That is until the shocking failure of one fertility treatment after the next.

As the heart-breaking reality of infertility sinks in, Sophie owns up to another almost unspeakable loss and faces difficult decisions when she’s targeted as the love interest of a high-powered financier. Through a colleague, a mother of four, she learns that motherhood is not all it’s cracked up to be. Just as Sophie feels satisfied with the advantages of a childfree lifestyle, a fateful meeting changes everything…

Geraniums

A poignant exploration of family identity

“Geraniums” by Marlene Hauser is a captivating novel that delves into family dynamics and human nature. Hauser’s immersive writing style allows readers to step inside the minds of her characters, experiencing the events of the novel firsthand. 

The characters in “Geraniums” are a triumph, with complex individuals who elicit a range of emotions from the readers. The protagonist, Lily, leads us through her family’s dysfunctional and abusive life, revealing the depths of human behavior. Hauser skillfully portrays the internal struggles and motivations of characters like Jack and Emma, evoking both loathing and sympathy. The novel reminds us that we should not be quick to judge or measure others, as circumstances can shape even the darkest of actions.

Hauser’s exquisite prose creates an intimate and intense reading experience, where every word counts. The novel explores themes of strength, resilience, loyalty, and success, reminding us that life’s complexities can be found within its pages.

Lily’s life is a struggle. Geraniums is a beautifully written and compelling literary fiction that I thoroughly enjoyed. Marlene Hauser

Linda Hill
Geraniums (The Book Guild) is Marlene Hauser’s second novel. It’s an uncomfortable story of a young girl growing up in a

David Roche
The author writes with an unselfconscious brutal honesty. This is an intense forensic exploration of a dysfunctional family. I was

NetGalley
Geraniums is a mesmerizing story of family strife and enduring belief. The main character, Lily, manages to deal with a

Barbara Katz
A well structured and quick read, this novel pulsates with family drama and enough significantly terrifying events that you’ll find

Michael Macauly
“Geraniums” is a poignant, heart-wrenching tale of an American family’s travails through the 1960s. Initially the three children, narrated through

Ann Lucien Nasiri
I read it in two sittings and couldn’t put it down! Wonderful characters that have you fully invested in their

Tiger Craft
It has been quite some time since I have read a novel that was so gripping. I read it over

Erica Fisher
Having recently read (and adored) Mine by this author, I was really looking forward to reading this book too. I

book_a_holic_17
The treatment of Lily, her older sister Mags and younger brother Artie, meted out by their emotionally scarred father Jack

@bookchatter2021
What an utterly, emotional and compelling story! From the first page, I was immediately hooked! The protagonist, Lily is a

Instagram - Random Things Tour 2023
Well, this one was a bit of a rollercoaster of a read. So many emotions! Mostly rage, as the author

Instagram - Random Things Tour 2023
Geraniums is a fast paced book thick with family drama and tension told from main character Lily’s perspective. The tone

Instagram - Random Things Tour 2023
“While I did not know how long a lifetime might be, I put the mathematics of it all out of

Random Things Tour - sarahfullybooked

Novels by Marlene Hauser

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