Heart of the Matter

By: Emily Giffin

Narrated by: Cynthia Nixon

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother's warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie - a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance - and even, to some degree, friendships - believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

©2010 Emily Giffin (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Giffin excels at creating complex characters and stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives." ( Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

"Giffin’s talent lies in making her characters believable and relatable, and readers will be enthralled by this layered, absorbing novel." ( Booklist)

Interesting story...

I thought this story was well written. Best narrator of any of the Giffen books. This is a tough story but again well written. This was my first Giffen book and I was somewhat leary about the remaining books. This is a grown up story. The others seemed like they were written for a much younger audience. For me this was a credit well spent. Please use this narrator again. Very Very good.

Really good, worth the credits!

Loved this book, can't wait to recommend to my book club!! The story line not exactly what you expect which keeps you guessing! Worth the credits, buy it!!!

What a wonderful book!

I loved this book. I loved the way it presented the perspective of both the wife and the other woman so honestly and well. I didn't know whom to root for.

Emily does it again

Another great Emily Griffin book. This is my second read from her and each one is super! Looking forward to the next purchase.

The characters were ultimately too good for me

The story line was typical in that a seemingly perfect marriage begins to fall apart. We are brought into the daily life of Tessa and Nick and we watch how Tessa's choice to be a stay-at-home mom appears to be the catalyst for Nick's affair. We get to know Valerie, "the other woman", and we understand her appeal. In fact, we may even root for her to 'win'. All the characters in the book have had flawed relationships and/or made bad relationship decisions. In the end, though, everyone does the right thing. Everyone behaves well and that makes for a "happily ever after" ending but it also makes for a very average novel.

I did enjoy the narration by Cynthia Nixon. She really added to the story.

Totally pleasing

Sensitive, intelligent, emotionally captivating. I will look for other books by Giffin. Reader was excellent, also.

Welcoming & Familiar ... In a Good Way

I have read every Emily Giffin novel, and will continue. I have enjoyed some more than others, but all in all -- I like her style and the easy way she tells a story. It's contemporary and generally has some pretty complex underlying feminine themes without ever getting too mired down. I enjoyed this story and found the way she dealt with the complex issues of attraction outside marriage, the rights and wrongs of relationships, and where the line of fidelity and infidelity interesting. I loved the reapperance of Rachel and Dex and the quick update of their lives and how it integrated right into the story -- a nice treat for readers of Something Borrowed, but merely character development for readers unfamiliar with the story.

What I was really pleased with and didn't expect to be was Cynthia Nixon's performance. I wasn't expecting to like it -- not necessarily being a fan of narrations by well-known actors, but I found myself to be a real fan -- even looking forward to hearing her again.

Predictable, but ok

Sometimes I need a little, easy story. Nothing that takes too much thought, nothing really emotional. This book fit the bill. Typical chick lit, which suited me just fine at the time. If you like her other books, then you’ll most likely enjoy this one, too.

HoHum

While the characters are nicely developed and the reader does a good job, the book is formula all the way. No plot. Once I realized nothing was going to take this book out of the rut, I was really disappointed. Trite.

Loved it!

I really enjoyed the narration and how the story was told from the wife's point of view and the mistress. You could see both their sides. You will enjoy it.