Helpful Score: 1
So... I pick up this book on CD at the library. First of all, it is by the author of "Room" which I enjoyed. Secondly, the jacket blurb is intriguing: "Sile (pronounced Sheila, BTW) is a sophisticated 39 year old Indian-Irish flight attendant living in Dublin, Ireland; Jude is a 25 year old British-Canadian historian from rural Ireland, Ontario who has never flown before. When their paths cross over the Atlantic, their lives are changed in ways they never expected." OK, what would you think? I am thinking maybe terrorist plot, maybe some sort of family relationship; maybe sort sort of criminal activity one of them is engaged in; even maybe that they are both married to the same man (oh wait, that's "The Pilot's Wife"). But it is certainly intriguing, so anyway... I start listening and find what I am listening to is actually a lesbian romance! Did not see that coming! Now what intrigued me was that you figure this out at the beginning of Disk 4 of nine disks and since they have already consummated the relationship, and it is clear that they are a completely mismatched pair, I could not fathom where the author was planning on taking the book, plot-wise - would I be faced with a break-up and a reunion that lasts 5 1/2 more disks? Arrrghhh! Or would we finally get to the terrorist plot, criminal activity, or family relationship? ............................................. So, I finished it. No terrorist plot, no criminal activity, no surprise long-long family relationship. Just an extremely long and detailed narrative of a long distance romance. Sigh. Two things I learned from listening to this book: (1) It does not matter if the couple is gay or straight, a book about a long distance romance between a couple who has nothing in common except ***!!!LOVE!!!*** is excruciating. Pages of longing with short bursts of weekend visits and subsequent arguments about why the lovers cannot be together forever. "I hate cities." "I hate the country." "I like gourmet coffee." "I like Jack Daniels." "I like designer shoes." "I like flannel shirts." Sigh. Really, this could be anyone's miserable LDR it doesn't matter - gay or straight. (2) Evidently, if you are gay, you do not smile or beam, you 'grin.' If I had a dollar for every time the author used the word 'grin' or 'grinned' or 'grinning', I would have enough money to make up for the time spent listening to this book. By the way, I don't believe it is a spoiler to say that the resolution of this book was so obvious, that it is completely amazing that these two supposedly bright women could not think of it sooner.
