First Comes Marriage was more of a philosophical exploration of love and life than a romance novel. It was devastatingly poignant and ruthlessly human in its portrayal of the characters. It really hurt to read this. 
 Elliot was arrogant and selfish at first. He was cruelly honest with his opinions about Vanessa, remarking that she was plain, that no one would ever find her attractive etc etc. Vanessa was a strong woman battling with her insecurities. She was determined to be happy despite of the pains that life seemed to throw at her. I'll be honest with you, it was so hard to like them. I almost gave up on Elliot, really, because he was so mean. 
 But damn, they turned out so beautifully. Even Elliot was able to redeem himself in the end. 
 I don't really know what to say, because this was such a complex read for me. It's a very beautiful story, but it was painful in its beauty. I don't think I would read this again in the future. Real life is real enough for me, I don't need fiction to complicate things further.