Every Time We Say Goodbye

A Novel

By: Natalie Jenner

Narrated by: Juliet Aubrey

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Natalie Jenner (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"With lush descriptions, vivid period detail, and fascinating personalities, Jenner's cinematic narrative is shot through with both pain and hope."—Shelf Awareness

"The past echoes forward from a female assassin in WWII to the Italian cinema of the 1950s in this stunning novel about the impossible choices we make. Wise and wonderful, this is Jenner’s best!”—Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris

"A wonderful novel full of charm, wit, and style."—Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara De Vos

A little too introspective

I loved Natalie Jenner's first two books, but this one was hard to get into. The main character, Vivian, had a major personality change compared to her role in The Bloomsbury Girls, possibly due to the different narrators. I was not a fan of the narrator, as her voice was too languid. Despite all this, I still look forward t Jenner's next book.

Very different for Jenner

If you enjoyed Jenner's other outings, this is not that. Much darker. The back and forth is untethered. Characters were hard to follow.

I like the first 2 books better

Although I like the first 2 books better, this one brings in such a rich side of the history of the war and the last few hours are so gripping and moving!

Very Good

This book is moving and so true. Thank you for writing. This is a good read and good for bookclubs

Wonderful Story-Mediocre Narration

I enjoyed the story for this book very much and although Juliet Aubrey is not an awful narrator her speaking voice leaves a lot to be desired.

Aubrey is certainly a good actress and I've seen her in many TV series, but her speaking voice for recorded books is weak. Her primary issue is glottal fry, which makes her sound; tired, weak, and sometimes difficult to both hear or understand. Honestly it's wholly odd that someone with her credits is not aware of these issues, and/or that no one has actually apprised her of this problem???? I don't understand that. Glottal Fry is easily overcome and yet Aubrey fills almost 90% of her speaking with some level of it.

I can only hope that she periodically reads her reviews for the audiobooks she narrates and perhaps is enlightened enough and open minded enough to correct this performance and speaking problem. And if she's a smoker, I hope to G-d she has the sense

Needed editing

I truly loved the first two books of the series. I felt like with this book that the author wanted to share every bit of research she did whether it fit the story that well or not. I also felt like she told rather than showed.

disappointing 3rd installment

This third book in the series is completely different in tone and quality. It wallows in morose introspection and I spent most of it wondering where the author was trying to go with the story. I really missed the humor and story arc that was fun to follow to its climax. This book meandered with no real purpose and the narration was just depressing.