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Martha Emms
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Portrait of Our Marriage Paperback – September 1, 2012

by Ms Martha Emms (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
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Inspired by an episode on Oprah from years ago that dealt with men addicted to porn, a dream, and 8 women's lives, Portrait of Our Marriage, a fictional memoir, is one woman's story you don't want to miss. Nicky, embarks on a journey to find herself and become her own person despite the legacy of a domineering father and an emotionally—and often physically—distant husband. Reminiscing events from her life, she looks at pictures and remembers the romance, falling in love, marriage, and her family. When her husbands interest in pornography becomes an obsession. She wonders how she will compete? Some may call her a wimp, others will say she's a woman in love trying to hold her family together. Fun, sexy, intense, hot, compelling, thought provoking, and so real you may find it shocking even disturbing. Although this is one woman's journey, many women today deal with this issue in silence, feeling ashamed, and embarrassed. What would you endure for love? The romance will seduce you. The story could be yours.
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  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 1, 2012
  4. Dimensions
    5.51 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1479238600
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1479238606
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1479238600
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1479238606
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.51 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

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Martha Emms

Martha Emms

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Growing up in a military family, Martha Emms traveled and lived in different states and countries. She's held various jobs that found her in fields ranging from: salesgirl, model, housecleaner, assembly worker, health food/vitamin sales, chip girl, tech writer in the aerospace industry, and graphic designer, all leading her to the job of her dreams, an author. In 1976, severally injured in an auto accident she suffered partial loss of her left lung, a severed aorta, many broken bones, and a brain injury which left her in a coma. She believes her belief in God, prayers from many, gifted doctors, and support from her family gave her the strength to come back for another chance at life. After a long process of healing, relearning to walk, and use her left arm she went on to live a fully active life, marry and have a family. Over the years, she continues to deal with health issues from that accident which eventually required a Total Knee Replacement.

Today no longer married, she looks forward to new adventures and new friends. Enjoying time with her family, which includes her cats, she is an avid reader who enjoys movies, wine, good food, nature, and writing. Causes close to her heart include- proper labeling of our food, the safety and care of our military and their families, child/adult literacy volunteer programs, spay/neuter pet projects, pet rescues, and women's issues.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
51 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

SciFiMagpie
5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and promising first novel
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2013
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This one was, as I said, very interesting. I desperately wish more romance novels were this complex and had interesting endings. I really, really don't understand the people who wanted the a different resolution--the ending felt very right. As a person with a degree in counselling and education on sex addiction, I found it a fairly moving and accurate portrait of sex addiction.

I liked the honesty--the narrator is biased and admits to it, and adds competing perspectives to her own, without pretending the change her own ideas. I especially enjoyed the main characters--they are well-drawn, complex, and rich portraits. THe supporting characters felt realistic, very much so, and the ending was realistically dark yet hopeful. There are a few very nice descriptions, such as of a Maine Coon cat near the end.

I didn't like some of the descriptions of the sex--there were very stilted moments, even though most were successful in conveying the passion of a couple still interested and involved in each other. Some of the language, too, was a little too distant for my taste. Still, I didn't see anything glaring that went beyond 'first novel' trial, and I really don't think these issues will be a problem for most people.

In all, it's a pretty impressive first novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a realistic, easy look at sex and porn addiction, or to someone looking for a more realistic alternative to the glut of romance novels on the market.
11 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding portrayal of a dream marriage that unravels
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2020
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This book should be read by every woman who is struggling and in terrible pain because she cannot understand what has gone wrong in her marriage. The author zeros in on an exploding issue for women today, namely the impact on marriage when a spouse turns from his wife to the sensuality readily available online. Martha Emms does an outstanding job of tracking a relationship from a mutually satisfying and supportive team, into a slowly deteriorating and agonizing tragedy. The most important success is the author's poignant and deeply revealing portrayal of the main character's inner struggle and her reactions to the bombardment she is subject to that seem to cast her as the bad guy in her marriage. The conflict is described with an extraordinary attention to detail and courtesy to all the points of view expressed by the various supporting characters. Equally impressive is the manner in which the author develops the character of the husband. He interestingly at first comes across as a very sympathetic character who then becomes thoroughly entrenched in contemporary social norms to the extent that he is incapable of empathy and thus damaged - but his unequivocal refusal to face any demons ultimately transforms him into a rather pathetic and weak-willed fraud. The reader is left feeling as though there should be a sequel because the main character has just discovered her inner strength when we are forced to close the book as it ends. I hope the author will decide to tell us more. A brat read!
One person found this helpful
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Anne W
4.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of Our Marriage
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2012
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As this was my first experience with a Kindle e-book it took some getting used to, but I finally got the hang of it about half way through. I liked the creativity of the beginning Chapters using a digital photo album to introduce the origins/memories of each photo. The premise was fresh and most of the scenes were very detailed and imaginative leading to a variety of emotions for the reader. Unlike other reviews I liked the ending and it could have gone either way, but I trusted the writer to make that call. The reason for 4 stars was due to some technical writing points but for a first novel it was well done.
5 people found this helpful
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Pamela Foley
5.0 out of 5 stars OBSESSION AND MARRIAGE
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2015
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First off, I thought the use of a digital picture frame to fill in back story was a pretty unique approach. With each new batch of pictures, we advance through the timeline and are also shown the deterioration of Brett's obsession with porn. I must admit, at the beginning, I thought Nicky was a little overboard with her concerns about the magazines and VHS tapes. Most households have them. When I was younger, my parents had pornographic comics. And of course, us kids found them, and reading them didn't cause any degenerate behavior. I also thought the daughter's reaction to accidentally seeing a porn film was over dramatic and unrealistic. But that particular scene helped set the stage for Brett's willingness to hide and lie about his addiction.

The plot line was well-constructed and flowed along, keeping me engaged. The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed watching how Nicky grew and had to make the hard decisions regarding her relationship with Brett.. Talking about one's sexuality is a touchy subject. One person's concept of deviant behavior may not be another persons. But the bathroom scene was enough to convince me that Brett definitely had a problem.

All in all, a very good read and I give it 5 feathers.
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Rosetta
3.0 out of 5 stars Speechless
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2012
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I really enjoy this book but i gotta say im really dissapointed with the ending.. i really thought they were gonna be able to pull it off get help and have a happy ending.. i was in love when i first started reading it once i was halfway i could tell what was gonna be the ending and i was afraid of it. i cry so much but this is how it happens sometimes in real life.. I learned so much from this book and i just gotta say im really sad and had me thinking alot.. But i guess it was a great sad book
4 people found this helpful
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Patricia A. Romo
2.0 out of 5 stars It was dissapointing
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2012
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I was really hoping this couple would pull through and resolve their differences. The ending left much to be desired.
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Top reviews from other countries

LeChanteur
5.0 out of 5 stars The black and white reworked into a kaleidoscope of complex colour
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
Portrait of Our Marriage very cleverly draws the line between what should be acceptable in a relationship and what shouldn’t be. The clever part, though, is how faintly the author traces that line. Let’s face it, don’t we all love to convince ourselves – particularly one another – every other day, in some form, that we have a strong handle on what we perceive to be a perversion? And, in some cases, sexual perversion. It may be the fella who lives down the street, what he’s been up to; it may be someone’s escapades in a soap opera – oh, they’re easy-meat, ’should be hanged, end of !

But again, let’s face it, deep down, we all know that life isn’t so black and white, far from it, and that, were we not so insecure in ourselves, which we all are, we wouldn’t take this black and white view, but have to courage to affront life, for all its complexities. Well, the author of this novel has done just that – and I, personally, have yet to see it done elsewhere, books that approach the subject of porn addiction. She’s done it superbly.

We know from the outset that the marriage has hit the rocks, so I’m giving nothing away there, but, suffice it to say, the wife has it all; Brett, the loving, understanding hunk; the kids et al… except the husband isn’t so understanding when it comes to that little bugbear: porn. Furthermore, he just may not understand that he has an addiction, “may” being the operative word – does he have selective hearing? Selective understanding?

Or, to really throw the cards up in the air, might I suggest that Nicky, the narratorial wife, is a little too highly strung? I may just be playing devil’s advocate here, but my point is that anyone reading this novel, male and female, must, at some point at least, question themselves with regard to how they might behave in a similar situation at home – indeed, some might just be in a similar situation at home…

Of course, it takes more than subject matter for a reader to be posing pertinent questions. The writer must draw that reader in first of all, which the author succeeds in doing with grace.

And this, I might add, is her debut work. What a start. Bravo!
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1D82 Many
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2015
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A thought provoking book and an enjoyable (if a bit sad) read.

The way the lives of Nicky and Brett change from fairytale wedding/relationship to emotional torture through his addiction to pornography is really interesting but also a little depressing. (as it really would be) I loved the way the author pulled the reader into the story with a false sense of security when looking at all the photographs. It was a really nice touch that contrasted so well with what was actually happening in the character's lives.

The emotional turmoil was brilliantly described and the differences in what you see and what you know about a relationship are so poignant that I felt touched by all the pain and deceit involved.

I was so involved in the addiction side to this story and how Brett tried to turn things around and blame Nicky for his actions. It was just like knowing an alcoholic or a gambling addict. (Subjects that, sadly, I know a little more about) and even though this book was about porn addiction I could relate easily to how Nicky acted and reacted.

A thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read.
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Cindy
2.0 out of 5 stars Read more like a novel
Reviewed in Canada on March 3, 2019
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This book was not what I expected it to be. Although Nicky was a very forbearing and strong woman , I could have done without the explicit sexual contact between Her and Brett.
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