Marlene Hauser

Marlene leaning on a pile of her books, Geraniums

Marlene Hauser

Marlene Hauser is a professional writer based in Oxford, UK.

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 has received numerous awards, including a residency at the Millay Arts Colony in Upstate New York.

Marlene Hauser is a member of Writers in Oxford, the prestigious society uniting over 200 published authors across all genres.  An adaption of one of her recent blogs, ‘On Summer Time‘, features in the Summer 2024 edition ofWriters in Oxford logo

On Summer Time article

Marlene Hauser's latest novel: Mine

Reviews of ‘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.

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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.

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Triumphant, joyous and full of hope, Mine is a captivating story about a less understood route to the fertility option Sophie almost forgot.

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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

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

Kelly P

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
Talk Radio’s Hannah Murray interviewed Marlene.
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Latest Blog

October 2024

While many people class my novel Geraniums as historical fiction, I do not. Set in the 1960s and ’70s, I tag it modern-day, as those were years I lived through. History was within easy reach. Today I am writing what I think of as true historical fiction, a story set in the decade between 1819 and 1829, with a back story dating as far in the past as 1731. Clearly, this milieu is not at my fingertips.

In some ways, writing historical fiction has been just the same as creating a present-day story, and yet in other ways not at all.

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…

“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.

Random Things Tour 2023 - stratospherekawaiigirl

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.

Random Things Tour 2023 - she_loves_to_read

Triumphant, joyous and full of hope, Mine is a captivating story about a less understood route to the fertility option Sophie almost forgot.

Random Things Tour 2023 - all_books_great_and_small

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

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

Kelly P

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

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.

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 the weekend and was caught up in the beautifully depicted world of Lily and her very dysfunctional family.

Erica Fisher
Having recently read (and adored) Mine by this author, I was really looking forward to reading this book too. I knew that it would be another heart-wrenching story, but the writing style is just so compelling that I knew that I’d still really enjoy this one too.

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The treatment of Lily, her older sister Mags and younger brother Artie, meted out by their emotionally scarred father Jack Preston and his horrendous mother Emma is insane. I know Jack suffers from PTSD, but the way he treats them is unforgivable.

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What an utterly, emotional and compelling story! From the first page, I was immediately hooked!

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Well, this one was a bit of a rollercoaster of a read. So many emotions! Mostly rage, as the author writes with such brutal honesty.

I loved Lily, and rooted for her all the way.

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Geraniums is a fast paced book thick with family drama and tension told from main character Lily’s perspective.

The tone of the book is set from the very beginning as you get glimpses of Emma’s life, Lily’s grandmother, which lends to the reasons she is the way she is. Controlling.

Random Things Tour 2023 - stratospherekawaiigirl
“While I did not know how long a lifetime might be, I put the mathematics of it all out of my head, safe in the knowledge that even if Mom came back in a different shape and size, I would recognise her. I would know her by the geraniums she would grow.”

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It was eye-opening to see how easily a young mind can be affected by even just words How it got affected through the abuse and actions of others was harsh to see.

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This story is brutal. Jack and Emma are two cruel and wicked characters. Their treatment of Lauren Rose and the children is beyond evil. I never had children but this really was heart rending to read.

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Novels by Marlene Hauser

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