Fly Away Home: A Novel (Abridged)

by Jennifer Weiner Narrated by Judith Light

Overview

From one of the nation's most beloved writers, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who seek refuge in an old Connecticut beach house.

When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician's wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.

Lizzie, the Woodruffs' younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER's exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.

After Richard's extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

Weiner brings domestic crises of infidelity and personal identity to the fore in her new novel. Judith Light narrates with soft, even tones, barely shifting intonation as the story moves among its three main characters: Sylvie Serfer, whose life spins out of control when the press discovers that her husband, a senator, is having an affair, and her two daughters, Lizzie, a recovering addict, and Diana, a capable emergency room physician. Light deftly portrays the three women as they learn to appreciate and support each other in the face of life’s surprises, good and bad. Yet the evenness of Light’s reading also suggests a lack of emotional engagement with the story, which distances the listener from Weiner’s carefully crafted characters and intricate plot. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

Weiner brings domestic crises of infidelity and personal identity to the fore in her new novel. Judith Light narrates with soft, even tones, barely shifting intonation as the story moves among its three main characters: Sylvie Serfer, whose life spins out of control when the press discovers that her husband, a senator, is having an affair, and her two daughters, Lizzie, a recovering addict, and Diana, a capable emergency room physician. Light deftly portrays the three women as they learn to appreciate and support each other in the face of life’s surprises, good and bad. Yet the evenness of Light’s reading also suggests a lack of emotional engagement with the story, which distances the listener from Weiner’s carefully crafted characters and intricate plot. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170625864
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	07/13/2010
Edition description:	Abridged

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