Lauren sends a lot of husbands back into the attic for pretty trivial reasons. Which did you find the most arbitrary? Do you have any irrational red flags like that? If you have that sort of ugh, no feeling about someone right away, even if it’s petty, does that mean the relationship is doomed, or is it sometimes worth examining the feeling and trying to get past it?
Nope! Just like Lauren - first impression. I have never been wrong when my first impression was not a good one. Even given time, sitting back and just watching and waiting - a person who gave me a bad vibe from the beginning turned out to be someone I just did not care to know or be around. Call it gut instinct - but it is true to me.
I think one knows if something is going to bother her for the rest of her life. I do let trivial things bother me. I’m not able to act on them like Lauren did because our world doesn’t work that way.
Most trivial aend-backs: the guy with the wimpy mustache, and the one who got ticked when he didn’t get to experience the stalled elevator at the theater. Still, a good first impression is important.
Yes, she did send many husbands back without giving them much of a chance. I can’t remember the most trivial, but I do remember the funniest! The husband who came down naked! I was driving and listening and laughing out loud!
When you have an endless stream of husbands, it is easy to have relatively minor things make you want to send them back. I don’t know that I have anything that would be a hard pass for me but I can see why she became so picky - always wondering who will show up next and if they will be better.
She sent husbands back for various reasons, some because she didn’t appreciate their looks or their personalities. That seemed fair to me. Trust your gut.
Many of the ‘husbands’ did get a bit of time before being sent back. While I’ve been married almost 50 years now, I remember those dating years when after a bit, little things just started to ‘bug’ you–they may seem trivial, but there’s something to be said for acknowledging that ‘nagging annoyance’. I’m thankful to have found the ‘right’ one all those years ago!
I suppose it’s just human nature (especially in this day and age with so many ‘choices’ we’re always dealing with) to see what option might be ‘better’. FOMO!!!
Some of the more trivial reasons usually involved basics like clothing they were wearing or facial hair - things that are often transient trends that can be changed easily. I found these to be the most silly (and sometimes a trifle annoying) reasons to not give someone a chance, but this is what happens when you are spoiled for choice.
I’m pretty sure if I had a revolving door of significant others, I would probably end up just as jaded and picky.
Bad teeth? Sayonara!
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Haha, @Katherine_P, too funny! I suspect that’s something that would bother me as well.
Poor hygiene in general would be a deal-breaker for me.
I thought it was arbitrary when she sent the husband back who was annoyed that she and Rob got stuck in a lift during the production of Antigone.
I don’t know if I have irrational red flags but definitely I could not marry a smoker, no matter what else he brought to the marriage. I have had that feeling of “ugh” but decided to give it time to see if I could adjust to certain habits or traits such as poor grammar or not so great teeth and as it turned out, I was able to accept it and I met a great guy.
I think most of the reasons are arbitrary except for the guy who was mean. I think this is indicative of the current dating scene. This book had great potential. You can date in order to determine preference. However, I think she could have come to the same conclusion with ten maybe 20 husbands instead of 200.
Totally! The loud chewer would have definitely been a send back for me !