Monday, September 26, 2011

Review: Escape


Escape
by Barbara Delinsky
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Hardcover
ISBN 9780385532723
320 pages
Release Date: July 5, 2011
Available for purchase 
AMAZON          BARNES AND NOBLE


Why did you choose this book? I discovered Barbara Delinsky when I read her ‘Not My Daughter’ last year. Since then, I’ve read several of her books and have more on my ‘to read’ list.
When did you read this book? September 2011
Who should read this book? fans of Barbara Delinsky, readers of women’s fiction
Here is a synopsis of ‘Escape' from Goodreads, where it rates 3.36 stars.

One day, 32-year-old Emily Aulenbach leaves her New York law office early, drives home, packs her things, and drives nonstop to a seaport town in New Hampshire. On the surface, her spontaneous exit seems to have no single cause. She loves Manhattan, adores her husband James, and knows that most lawyers would beg for her job at the prestigious firm. None of those lures, however, suffice for the almost indefinable something that pulls Emily back to the place where she once broke her heart and ruined her friendship with her closest friend. A soul-tugging romance by a proven master of the craft.

My Review 

I seem to have been picking a lot of books with a similar storyline this year. A storyline about a young couple with a marriage in crisis, and ex-lover appears, and the wife is ‘torn between two lovers’. On the surface, this is how Escape by Barbara Delinsky starts. Emily is a lawyer in New York, married to another lawyer, and is unhappy with her life. She takes off, escapes, leaving her job and husband behind in New York. She heads for Bell Valley, where her best friend lives. Her best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in ten years, and who happens to be the sister of her ex-lover who cheated on her ten years earlier. And the ex-lover has dropped Emily a note to say he, too, is returning to Bell Valley. 

But this story is different. Emily determines right away that she is still in love with her husband, and has no interest in her ex. She just hates their life. She realizes from her parents marriage that it is possible to love someone, but not be able to live with him. So this story is not about deciding between lovers. This story about Emily learning what she wants from life, and about whether she can share that life with her husband. There is some added suspense to the story when Emily meets a cousin of her best friend. This cousin is in need of some legal help. She is hiding out in Bell Valley because her life is threatened. The added suspense makes this story a good one!

My Rating:  ★★★+ 3-1/2 Stars



1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a interesting read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

    ReplyDelete