The Copenhagen Affair
The Copenhagen Affair book cover

The Copenhagen Affair

Paperback – September 26, 2017

Price
$14.95
Format
Paperback
Pages
304
Publisher
Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1503940314
Dimensions
5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
Weight
9.6 ounces

Description

Review A Liz and Lisa Best Book of the Month “[Sanya] is a complicated character readers will enjoy getting to know; they’ll cheer as she throws off the strictures of the corporate world and defies her peers’ rich, expat, ladies-who-lunch expectations…Malladi’s latest (after A House for Happy Mothers ) is an enjoyable look at middle-aged reinvention. VERDICT For readers who enjoy a complex heroine who’s fed up and doesn’t mind saying so.” ― Library Journal “ The Copenhagen Affair balances the gravity of personal transformation with an entertaining romp through Denmark.” ― Booklist “A sharp comedy of manners and mental illness.” ― New York Post “Malladi provides valuable insight through her character into the plight of depressed people. She portrays Sanya as the perfect wife and employee who then ‘started to crave jagged lines and disorder,’ ‘say the unsaid things’ and ‘to feel everything at a time when she felt nothing.’…A feel-good book, as any romance should be, and Malladi skillfully keeps the reader in suspense to the end.” ―Authorlink “Amulya Malladi brings Denmark’s capitol into brilliant color in this intriguing novel about a marriage on the brink, a wife’s precarious emotional stability, and the international business deal that could either save or ruin everything. The Copenhagen Affair reminds us that we must each decide what we are willing to risk to build our fortunes and find our true happiness.” ―Julie Lawson Timmer, author of Five Days Left , Untethered , and Mrs. Saint and the Defectives “Amulya Malladi’s The Copenhagen Affair is an entertaining romp of a read! As we travel with Sanya on her search for happiness, love, balance, and the meaning of life, we end up, as she does, completely captivated by a swirl of infidelity, corporate intrigue, and the very particular habits of Copenhagen’s café class. Along with surprises, twists, and humor, Malladi gives us an intimate look at a city she clearly loves and knows well. I was captivated to the end.” ―Nancy Star, bestselling author of Sisters One, Two, Three “Compulsively readable, The Copenhagen Affair had me turning pages well into the wee hours. The story of Sanya’s unraveling is familiar to anyone who has ever felt the overbearing weight of depression, but how she heals from her downward spiral is anything but ordinary. From gossipy coffee shops to gritty blues clubs to the dining rooms of the Danish elite, Sanya’s impulsive, exciting, [and] often humorous journey through the colorful streets of Copenhagen is full of surprises. I could not put the book down!” ―Loretta Nyhan, author of All the Good Parts “ The Copenhagen Affair is both a fun romp through the streets of Copenhagen and a serious mediation on marriage, fidelity, and depression. Malladi’s writing is sharp, irreverent, and fast-paced, and she keeps the reader guessing at every turn.” ―Emily Cavanagh, author of The Bloom Girls About the Author Amulya Malladi is the author of seven novels, including A House for Happy Mothers , The Sound of Language , and The Mango Season . Her books have been translated into several languages, including Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Danish, Romanian, Serbian, and Tamil. She has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in journalism. When she’s not writing, she works as a marketing executive. After several years in Copenhagen, she now lives outside Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Connect with Amulya at www.amulyamalladi.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authoramulya.

Features & Highlights

  • Set in the capital city of the world’s happiest country, a comedy of manners about depression, the pressures of marriage, and the possibility of falling in love again, from the bestselling author of
  • A House for Happy Mothers
  • .
  • Sanya was always the perfect wife, but after a breakdown at her office, it’s her husband Harry’s turn to step up. His proposal? A temporary move to Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city. He needs to be there to close a business deal and figures the change of scenery will do her good. Soon Sanya goes from hiding under her duvet to hiding in plain sight―a dark-skinned Indian American in a city of blondes.
  • Within Copenhagen’s glamorous high society, one man stands out―not only because of his intriguing scar but because he
  • sees
  • Sanya in a way Harry hasn’t for years. Anders Ravn owns the company Harry wants to acquire, and soon Sanya begins to fall for him. As allegations of white-collar crime arise, she learns of Harry’s infidelity, and having an affair with Anders seems ever more tempting. Surrounded by old money, smoked fish on dark breads, and way too many bicycles, Sanya slowly moves from breakdown to breakthrough, but where will she end up―and with whom?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(331)
★★★★
20%
(221)
★★★
15%
(166)
★★
7%
(77)
28%
(309)

Most Helpful Reviews

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I absolutely loved Malladi's writing style from the very first page

I was absolutely thrilled to be able to read a paperback ARC of The Copenhagen Affair. The gorgeous cover caught my eye online and the synopsis had it jumping to the top of my TBR list.
I absolutely loved Malladi's writing style from the very first page. It was so easy to fall under the spell of her words and be pulled into Sanya's story. I sympathized with Sanya and wanted to see her come back even stronger from her implosion.
There was such a disconnect between her and Harry. It was nice to see him slowly begin to make realizations about her feelings and what she may have endured over the years. I wanted him to be able to help her, but more importantly I wanted her to be able to help herself climb out of the abyss.
I loved watching the emotional Tango of Sanya and Harry. It was a joy watching Sanya find herself and her confidence once again. She was actually a very feisty woman and I loved watching her get the upper-hand time and again, like with Penny at the Swedish Summer House. She was starting to assert herself, and with fabulous results. That metamorphosis was incredible and well-deserved.
When Sanya made a startling financial discovery, I empathized with her as the darkness tried to rise yet again. I wanted her to be able to navigate these new waters with poise and confidence.
The events leading up to the ending were quite thrilling and I couldn't seem to read fast enough to satiate my need to know how things would conclude. Once I made it to the end, I found it to be quite fabulous. I had really grown to love these characters and was pleased with how they all found themselves at the ending. I think I even fell in love with Sanya a little bit by the end of the book. She was such a rich character and had been through an incredible emotional storm, and yet came out the better for it. She will stick with me for quite some time.
The Copenhagen Affair was absolutely brilliant and hooked me completely. I am a huge reader and I can say with certainty that this was undoubtedly one of my favorite books of 2017. I cannot wait to read more from Malladi and I'll definitely be watching for any and all future releases.
3 people found this helpful
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Couldn’t Put It Down (thebook)

I simply could not put the book down. I started reading it yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning (yes I did go to sleep last night). Amulya Malladi is Definitely my current author of choice at the moment. I’ve read all her books and thought this one was one of the best! Plus Copenhagen sounds like a great place to visit.
2 people found this helpful
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Falling apart and finding herself again

I am so grateful that I received this ARC! It was a wonderful book about a woman who fell apart and found herself again.

I loved that she was a smart, career woman. And, I found many of the people she met in Copenhagen very interesting. There were a few times when things got bogged down in details but overall, I would recommend this book.
1 people found this helpful
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a fun romp through the streets of Copenhagen and a serious mediation on marriage, fidelity, and depression.

I received a free ARC of The Copenhagen Affair in exchange for an honest review. Amulya Malladi’s latest novel is both a fun romp through the streets of Copenhagen and a serious mediation on marriage, fidelity, and depression.

In the aftermath of a nervous breakdown, Sanya and her husband Harry move to Copenhagen for a year. Harry’s company is in the middle of acquiring a new company, and Sanya is just beginning to emerge from the haze of depression. When Sanya meets Anders Ravn, one of her husband’s new business associates, she begins to feel things she hasn’t experienced in years. As Sanya and Ravn grow closer, she must face the way she has been living her life and the marriage she and Harry have created.

Malladi’s writing is sharp, irreverent, and fast-paced, and she keeps the reader guessing at every turn about where Sanya will end up. While the peripheral characters are humorously self-indulgent and shallow, there is real heart at the center of the book as Sanya grapples with who she is as she battles her way through depression and who she may be on the other side of it. The novel also tackles the thorny subject of the distance that can grow within a marriage, the impact of infidelity, and if a marriage can survive betrayals small and large. In her acknowledgments, Malladi writes that the novel is her love letter to Copenhagen, a city in which she lived for over a decade. Much of the novel is about the city, and one will be hard-pressed not to want to go for a visit—or even a year—after finishing the book. The Copenhagen Affair left me laughing, reflecting, and eager to read more of Malladi’s work.
1 people found this helpful
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A Book You Want to Finish and Then Not Finish

I recently read one of Malladi's other books (Happy House For Mothers) and loved her storytelling. She sent me a copy of her newest book and I was hoping I would be just as impressed - I was.
Malladi has a unique way of building these seemingly simple characters that quickly show the reader they are anything but. Each of her characters in Copenhagen were layered and believable - two things I don't often see in fiction these days.

And like with Happy House for Mothers, Malladi left me wanting more. What happened after the last chapter? Were the lose ends tied neatly in a bow? I hope she revisits these characters in a follow up - I don't feel like I am ready to let go of them just yet.
1 people found this helpful
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Finding Oneself

I Recommend This Book

Strongly
———————————————————————————————————————————–
MY REVIEW OF “THE COPENHAGEN AFFAIR” by AMULYA MALLADI
Kudos to Amulya Malladi, author of “The Copenhagen Affair” for the gorgeous vivid descriptions of the breathtaking landscapes, museums, restaurants, and scenery in Copenhagen. I wish a could book a flight and head there now. The genres for the novel are Fiction and Women’s Fiction.
The author describes her characters as complicated and complex, and colorful. Sanya has always been the perfect daughter, mother and wife, as well as highly efficient, but not recognized for her achievements at her office for many years. Finally, when she is told that she will be partner after too many years, Sanya has a nervous breakdown. Harry, her husband decides to take Sanya to Copenhagen while he is negotiating a major business deal. Harry feels the change of scenery will do Sanya good.
Sanya is most comfortable lying under her blankets, but slowly emerges and meets some colorful characters in Copenhagen. Sanya seems to be attracted to Anders Ravn, the man who owns the company her husband wants to acquire. There is something dark and flawed in him that intrigues her. Sanya calls herself “the old Sanya” and “the new Sanya” after her breakdown.
I appreciate that the author writes about important subjects such as depression, marriage, family, love, betrayal , loyalty, friendship and hope. Sanya questions herself and her role and her husband’s role in their marriage. This is a story of finding oneself and having the courage to break through the darkness.
I enjoyed this emotional, and thought-provoking story and would highly recommend it. I received an Advanced Reading Copy for my honest review. I look forward to reading more of Amulya Malladi’s novels.
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1 people found this helpful
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Amulya Malladi had me Hello!! You will find yourself somewhere in the main character, Sanya!

Amulya Malladi had me at hello with this novel!! I was instantly connected to the main character, Sanya. It was one of those stories that you hate to finish because you fall in love with the characters and you hate to say goodbye. This was our Book Club read this month and everyone that read it truly enjoyed it and our conversation was certainly lively.

The story begins with Sanya in California suffering from depression, in bed; Under the Duvet! (#UnderTheDuvet…You’ll understand my obsession with this once you read the book..hint..read the book) Sanya was working as an executive until she had a nervous breakdown during a meeting at work. Three months later, her husband came up with the brilliant plan to temporarily move to Copenhagen for him to help acquire a company over there and work as an acting CEO; thinking it would do wonders for her emotions.

Once over there, Sanya meets a man named Ravn and all bets are off when it comes to her marriage. Only to find out that he is also the man that owns the company that her husband, Harry is trying to acquire; and things are not going according to plan because Ravn is not exactly on the up-and-up.

This is the story of Sanya finding herself along the way and discovering what it will take to truly make her happy. All women will find themselves somewhere in Sanya!

You will meet a cast of characters that you will just adore because they are truly the type that make a book come alive! You will meet a city that is so colorful you will feel like you are sitting there in the café watching the people walk by and hear their voices.

Amulya Malladi is a gifted writer and certainly knew how to create a story that is going to stay with me. I bet it will have the same effect on you!

Go read this book!
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Four Stars

Decent beach read
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I really liked this book

I really liked this book. I found this author to be intelligent, insightful, and authentic. The story is mostly about marriage and depression, depicting a woman's "nervous breakdown" and how she brought herself out of it. Malladi has a wry sense of humor that is woven through the story and keeps it from getting too heavy. I read a lot of books (about 30 per year) and I highly recommend it.
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Before and after.

I so enjoyed this book. This is a new author to me and I love how she writes. Her conversations and observations make me want to be her. And I think sometimes I am. The Old one. I’m hoping the new one emerges better and more authentic than this one too. I now want to visit Copenhagen. The streets and cafes and the different people. I’m also from Southern California so I world never survive the gloom of the city but this book makes me want to plan a trip. And become more aware of myself. And be better. Be authentic. Be content. Thank you for this story. Truly, I thank you.