The Book Club

By: Mary Alice Monroe

Narrated by: Deanna Hurst

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover this moving story of five remarkable friends as Mary Alice Monroe, the New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House, explores the power of friendship with tenderness and honesty.

On the surface, it is a monthly book club. But for five women, it is so much more. For Eve Porter, whose husband’s sudden death cheats her of every security she had planned on, the club is a place of sanctuary. For Annie Blake, a brilliant attorney intent on starting a family late in life, it is the chance to finally let down her guard and dream of other possibilities. For Doris Bridges, it is her support group as she acknowledges her dying marriage and finds the ultimate freedom in her husband’s betrayal. For Gabriella Rivera, the "perfect" wife, mother and friend who offers support to everyone but is afraid to ask for it herself, it is a sense of community. And for Midge Kirsch, an artist who has always lived her life against the grain, it is a haven of acceptance.

They are five women from different walks of life, embracing the challenge of change. And as they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club - friendship.

©1999 Mary Alice Kruesi (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Monroe's new novel opens as five friends, all members of a monthly book club, face turning points in their lives. Eve's husband dies suddenly, shattering her comfortable lifestyle, while Midge's mother makes an unannounced and unwelcomed reappearance. Annie finally feels ready to have a child, only to find her health and her marriage in jeopardy. Gabriella strains to make ends meet after her husband is laid off; Doris slides into depression as she tries to deny signs of her husband's infidelity. Sometimes close to and sometimes at odds with each other, the friends struggle to face harsh realities and, in the process, gain new independence.... Monroe offers up believable characters in a well-crafted story." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Monroe makes her characters so believable, the reader can almost hear them breathing.” ( Booklist)

this book is share-worthy my first one

I really like the book. it stayed on point with the plot. The friends were portrayed as realistic. I will be sharing with a friend

Beautiful

Such a wonderful story. I don’t know if it has been made into a movie but it should be everyone would love it. It is detailed and thoughtfully written. I have found myself in each character ❤️

Nice story - women’s friendship

I thought hard to get into it first, but I really did enjoy the story. It tells of deep friendship and hope.

Generally, liked it

But, I wish the writer would join the body positivity movement and stop equating fat with bad.

Loved it!

I feel like the book club ladies are my new best friends. Thoroughly enjoyed the entire story. The narration was wonderful I loved Deanna’s voice. Thank you Mary Alice for writing this story, it touched my heart.

Wonderful !

I hope there will be a book two. Maybe we can find out more about the red hair mystery women.

Fun read

Fun read after several suspense novels. One off putting thing though was the narrator's Puerto Rican dialect. At the beginning I thought Gabriela was Slavic or Russian. It improved to a passable PR dialect in the middle and then went back to an Eastern European accent towards the end.

Sad it was over!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a wife, mom, friend and family member I could identify with all of the characters. I was sad to see them go!

Friendship journey

This is a fabulous journey that women should read with their friends and daughters.

Very Interesting Read

What did you love best about The Book Club?

The story was interesting. Not at all what I expected from the title.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the author developed each character, with the exception of Midge. I didn't really understand what happened to her in the end. In addition, the characters were more mature. I rarely find authors that develop interesting characters over 45 years old.

What about Deanna Hurst’s performance did you like?

Her voice was clear and crisp.

If you could rename The Book Club, what would you call it?

The Book Club - Revealed

Any additional comments?

The book was a nice surprise. Initially I wanted to return the book. After a few chapters I was drawn into the storyline and the characters.