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A Forty Year Kiss

A Novel

by Nickolas Butler

Narrator Richard Poe

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Length 8 hours 45 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“Can a love be rekindled after forty years? Charlie has been living with regrets since the ending of his first marriage to Vivian. He arranges a meeting to find out if she’s still the one. A Forty Year Kiss is a tale of love, hope, and change.”
— Mary McBride • Monstera's Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Looking back over your life and the one you let get away - is it possible to have another chance? Charlie and Vivian were married for 4 years, 40 years ago. Charlie has been successful in his life, but not in love and decides to look up Vivian. So many things can change in 40 years. I loved getting lost in this story of love and regrets. Beautiful. ”
— Nona • CoffeeTree Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Butler’s breadth as an author shines in this literary romance where he shifts from the dark topic of his last book, to one with an unapologetic love story at the center. Rich characters with imperfect and varied lives, Butler’s Wisconsin glows with the same genuine light that Kent Haruf brought to small town Colorado. A gem of a novel.”
— Deb • Fair Isle Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Nickolas Butler delivers a slow-burning, deeply reflective story about love, regret, and the passage of time. If you’ve ever wondered what could have been—or if old flames ever truly fade—this book will hit you right in the nostalgia. This is the kind of book that makes you want to call an old friend, pour a drink, and stare wistfully into the sunset. If you love wistful, tender storytelling with heart, this one’s worth the listen.”
— Julia • Four Seasons Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I adored this book! There was so much heart and love and care written into every page; it was a balm to read.”
— Sarah K • Dragonfly Books

Summary

"A story that captures the hope, grace, and joy of new love—but also the mistakes, scar tissue, and regret of past love. It's a wonder to behold, a novel capable of such breadth. This is the kind of book that makes me a better human."—Nathan Hill, New York Times bestselling author of The Nix and Wellness

From the critically acclaimed author of Shotgun Lovesongs comes an exquisitely written, small-town story about one couple's hard-won second chance at love, forty years after their divorce.

Charlie and Vivian parted ways after just four years of marriage. Too many problems, too many struggles, even though the love didn't quite die. When Charlie returns to Wisconsin forty years later, he's not sure what he'll find. He is sure of one thing—he must try to reconnect with Vivian to pick up the broken pieces of their past. But forty years is a long time. It's forty years of other relationships, forty years of building new lives, and forty years of long-held regrets, mistakes, and painful secrets.

A brave and triumphant exploration of redemption and sunset triumph, A Forty Year Kiss is a once-in-a-lifetime love story, written with dazzling lyricism and remarkable clarity of spirit, from a celebrated author at the top of his game. It's a literary valentine that promises to be a love story for the ages.

Fiction Romance Fiction - Literary