A comedy of manners that reminds us that manners are comic and should be enjoyed as such. The New York Times Guido and Vincent best friends and third cousins arent expecting to fall headoverheels in love but that is exactly what happens. Guido is smitten with Holly a dazzling young woman who chafes at the idea of complacency while Vincent falls for Misty a work colleague with an acerbic sense of humor who seems as uninterested in romance as she is in Vincent at first. In the months that follow both couples will experience the rituals of courtship jealousy estrangement family entanglements and other perils of the heart as they try to find love in spite of themselves. Colwin is a master of portraying the messiness of life here in hilarious and endearing prose she follows these two improbable pairs and their families as they navigate and ultimately find happiness togethernot all the time but for most of it. A modern classic first published in 1978 Happy All the Time is as much a sophisticated romantic comedy about the love between two partners as it is a novel about the powerful bonds shared by family members friends colleagues and confidants. With a foreword by Katherine Heiny. show more