Audiobook Review: Escape by Barbara Delinsky

Escape
Author: Barbara Delinsky
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Published: July 12, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 10 CDs
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from goodreads.com): Emily Aulenbach is thirty, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with vic­tims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side. And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband, Tim, with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch. Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.


My Thoughts: The description of this book really appealed to me. I'm young, but I'm also continually amazed at how work rules peoples' lives. People sleep with their Blackberries in bed! So, this book definitely appealed to me. Barbara Delinsky explores the relationship that we have with work and our careers, the people that we are drawn to, and the people that impact us more than we ever thought possible. Emily, the main character, is so likeable. I couldn't help but immediately identify with her story. Within minutes of the book starting, I wanted Emily to leave her job. Delinsky wastes to time in pulling you into the story. Emily is struggling with so much in her life, so the only logical escape choice that she has is to run away to Bell Valley, New Hampshire, where she spent her last summer before law school with her best friend, Vicky. Emily rediscovers what she is missing in her life, what she can do without, and what she should do in terms of her career. I think it's something that a lot of people can identify with, and with so many relatable characters, it's very easy to enjoy listening to this book.


Now, after glowing about what a relevant book it is, you might be wondering why I only gave it three stars. For me, the book was too long. It just seemed to be never ending and at times, it became a bit too repetitive. Emily constantly wondered what to do about her old flame, Jude, who didn't really factor into the story. I felt like she just spent too much time thinking about everything, and it made the story drag at times.


I really enjoyed the story and the narrator told the story perfectly. For me, it was the perfect audiobook: something easy to listen to without being very heavy. I will definitely be looking for more of Delinsky's audiobooks in the future.