{"product_id":"skipping-a-beat-9781451609820","title":"Skipping a Beat","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the acclaimed \u003ci\u003eThe Opposite of Me\u003c\/i\u003e, a poignant, witty novel about marriage, forgiveness, and the choices that give shape--and limits--to our lives.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat would you do if your husband suddenly wanted to rewrite all of the rules of your relationship? This is the question at the heart of \u003ci\u003eSkipping a Beat\u003c\/i\u003e, Pekkanen's thought-provoking second book. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the outside, Julia and Michael seem to have it all. Both products of difficult childhoods in rural West Virginia - where they were simply Julie and Mike - they become high school sweethearts and fall in love. Shortly after graduation, they flee their small town to start afresh. Now thirty-somethings, they are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar, Washington D.C. home. Julia is a highly sought-after party planner, while Michael has just sold his wildly successful flavored water company for $70 million. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut one day, Michael collapses in his office. Four minutes and eight seconds after his cardiac arrest, a portable defibrillator jump-starts his heart. But in those lost minutes he becomes a different man. Money is meaningless to him - and he wants to give it all away. Julia, who sees bits of her life reflected in scenes from the world's great operas, is now facing with a choice she never anticipated. Should she should walk away from the man she once adored - but who truthfully became a stranger to her long before this pronouncement - or give in to her husband's pleas for a second chance and a promise of a poorer but happier life? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs wry and engaging as her debut, but with quiet depth and newfound maturity, \u003ci\u003eSkipping a Beat\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable portrait of a marriage whose glamorous surface belies the complications and betrayals beneath. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Washington Square Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/22\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781451609820\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.61lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.26h x 5.31w x 0.99d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/14\/2011 pg. 53\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2011 pg. 80\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/22\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2010 pg. 105\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sarah Pekkanen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42059213406389,"sku":"9781451609820","price":18.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_c282a87d-ab63-48bf-836e-a2f083096ba9.jpg?v=1650341779","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/skipping-a-beat-9781451609820","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}