I don’t normally write book reviews, but I recently finished my second audio book and loved it so much that I had to share.
Let’s set a few things straight. I love chick lit. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed by it. I don’t lie and claim to read nonfiction, biographies or historical fiction (although I really did love Hillary Clinton’s autobiography). Reading a book is like a means of escape, so I like my books to be light, fluffy and engaging.
I’ve been trying to get on board with audio books lately because, well, I don’t have time to read books much anymore. It’s pretty sad. The pile of books on my nightstand continues to collect dust. I can barely keep my eyes open at the end of the day, my usual reading time. Ahhhh, who am I kidding, some nights I’m lucky if I can make it through reading the kids’ books at bedtime without my eyes drifting.
However, I do have a 30 minute work commute each way – the perfect opportunity to dive into an audio book.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I wanted to share my love for Emily Giffin’s new book, “Where We Belong.” The plot goes like this: Marian Caldwell is a 36-year-old single TV producer living in Manhattan dating the executive of her network. But she’s thrown a complete curveball when an 18-year-old girl named Kirby appears at her doorstep, opening up a Pandora’s Box Marian thought she had locked away forever.
You can guess where this is going.
Even so, I was engrossed in this poignant and gripping story from the very beginning. It’s all about families and love and loyalty and making choices and knowing who we really are. And it covered a range of emotions: it was funny and bittersweet, honest and even painful at times.
I got so disappointed when I pulled into the work parking lot in the middle of a chapter and would have to shut it off. At night, when I’d be packing lunches or straightening up, there I’d be, listening to it on my iPhone. (Although I made the mistake of listening to it once without headphones and Buddy came downstairs during some, well, inappropriate content. Here’s my PSA: this is not an audio book to listen to when the kiddos are in earshot.)
I love Emily Giffin’s other novels, but I think one reason this particular one really spoke to me is because the main character, Marian, is my age: 36. So a lot of the author’s references to the year Marian graduated from high school (and the events that set the rest of the story in motion) really rang true with me. The music (Pearl Jam, Nirvana), the pop culture references, the fashion. I could really put myself in Marian’s footsteps, could picture what it was like in Marian’s world since, well, I had lived most of it. This struck me as ironic because Marian’s character is – intentionally – unsympathetic at times.
Plus, didn’t we all have that one guy in high school? You’ll know what I mean if you read the book.
But I will say that while the initial plot twist was obvious (and they even allude to it on the book jacket), the rest of the story kept you guessing. And I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I like and respect how the author doesn’t tie it up in a neat – but completely unrealistic – little bow.
So I fully recommend “Where We Belong,” whether you grab the audio book, the Kindle, the hard cover, whatever tickles your fancy. And kudos to Orlagh Cassidy, who did an excellent job with the book narration. She was able to switch up her voices enough to distinguish all the characters without it sounding hokey, including a distinctive Midwest accent for Kirby and her family, which was kind of charming.
One parting thought: Don’t forget to check out your local library for audio books. I hate that they’re so much more expensive than the hard covers, but I guess it’s not surprising, given the production costs involved, etc. But I requested this audio book from my local library and it arrived in a few weeks. Then (and I’m sure this is frowned upon) I uploaded the CDs to iTunes so I could listen to the story whenever and wherever I wanted (in the car, on the treadmill, etc).
Overall grade: A+
Michele C. says
great review, this book sounds very good. And I, too, love chick lit, amongst other types of fiction, because books are an escape for me too. I’m going to add this to my ‘wish’ list of books I want to read eventually. Thank you!
candice says
I am looking for a new book to read. I’m going to see if I can download this to my kindle. I use to love audio books when I had an hour commute on the DC metro…certainly makes the time wiz by. 🙂
Jane - MomGenerations.com says
Great review! This really makes me want to read the book. I’m a big chick lit fan, too. I’ve never tried audiobooks but you have me intrigued!
Kristie says
I love to read at night before I fall asleep. This sounds like a book that is perfect for that purpose. I am glad you used your travel time and library wisely.
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Naomi Brooker says
Listening to audio books is practical and it meets the busy lifestyle of contemporary people. You can tune in to your favorite books anytime anywhere, while you are walking, sh… The popularity of iPod and MP3 players has raised the marketplace of audiobooks in recent years. Some book publishers also believed that audio books could outsell paperback books or e-books one day. Indeed, this pattern is clear if you think about some great benefits of audio books over paperback books. :
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