• The Other Side of the Story

  • By: Marian Keyes
  • Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
  • Length: 20 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (300 ratings)

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The Other Side of the Story  By  cover art

The Other Side of the Story

By: Marian Keyes
Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
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Publisher's summary

Life is a circle, and what goes around, comes around. Just ask a trio of unforgettable women in Marian Keyes's enchanting new novel.

Literary agent Jojo Harvey combines Jessica Rabbit's body with a mind like a steel trap. As if watching her back on the corporate ladder and making million-dollar deals wasn't difficult enough, Jojo's having a relationship with her married boss.

Best-selling author Lily Wright, one of Jojo's clients, worries about the novel she can't seem to write. Anton, the Love of Her Life, persuaded her to buy their dream house with the advance.

Gemma Hogan was best friends with Lily, until the willowy blonde stole Anton, a.k.a. the Love of Her Life. Juggling the demands of her mom, Gemma's social life is flatlining, a mortifying situation that makes for hilarious e-mails to a friend. Tales so funny, they come to the attention of top literary agent Jojo Harvey. Who takes Gemma on as a client....

Written in the charming and chatty voice that has become Marian Keyes's signature style, this hilarious and heartwarming new novel proves there are three sides to every story, even in the world of publishing!

©2004 Marian Keyes (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Keyes skillfully ties her interlocking plots together with grace and humor, and explores three disparate but gloriously real women's lives. [Keyes] always serves up funny, heartwarming, believable fiction." (Publishers Weekly)
"Terry Donnelly deserves much praise for her delivery....Donnelly allows no lapses of interest as the listener follows the varying story lines. She is a good reader." (AudioFile)
"The insightful Keyes has the ability to examine life, love, and work issues with great wit and aplomb. Sex and the City junkies will find a suitable replacement here, one with considerably more warmth and without the ugly clothes." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Other Side of the Story

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    113
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    70
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    5

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would after reading the description. I'm sure I'll listen to it again, and that's much more than I can say for a few titles in my library. The narrator has an anxious air about her voice at first which was very annoying, but either I got used to it, or she settled down after awhile. I'm sure it was meant to add a sense of urgency to the text, but it came across as a little whiny. Don't listen to this book if you have an aversion to the F word. I'm sure that if it were in print the F word would be on every second or third page. The story itself was very enjoyable, as all the Marian Keyes books I've read have been. I gave this four stars - I listened to it in almost every possible moment and finished in 3 days. It wasn't suspenseful, but I found the characters easy to relate to, and difficult to turn away from. I didn't give it five stars because of the whininess at the beginning and the over-use of the same expletive.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Very silly

The description is better written than this novel.. .I was very dismayed to find it a very silly story of a daughter and a mother both terminally devastated because they'd lost their men. I was attracted to the novel because the central character sounded like someone with a career and a novel to write. That was absolutely secondary and the novel became little more than a saga of women set adrift until they found new men. . .haven't we gotten beyond that in this day and age?

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Listen a Little Longer..

I downloaded this book along with several others and when I finally started listening, I had forgotten the plot. The narration is at first hard to listen to, but as the book was 20 hours long, I felt as if I should stick with it for a bit. I'm glad I did. Once you get used to the narration, the book is actually quite a fun listen. While certainly not a "masterpiece", I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it for a light, fun read.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Whiney Characters

The entire time I listened to this, the characters drove me nuts with their constant complaining. Her other books are better.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best of all stories on Audio

I was absolutely surprised. I did not expect to like this audio title as much as I did. The Narrator is awesome, I mean it, the delivery in itself deserves acclaim. The story is so warm, funny and absolutely thought provoking. The charcters jump right off of the page and into life via the narrator. There is always the other side of a story. and this is a must listen. I dare you not to love it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Horrible sound quality

Would you try another book from Marian Keyes and/or Terry Donnelly?

Always! I love this book. Luckily I read it in hard copy long ago. I should have rejected this book from Audible as soon as it began because the quality is horrible. But I was on a trip and listening in my car, so I continued. My iPod and car speakers are fine as demonstrated by audio books before and after this one. So be warned off on the grounds of sound quality alone.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dear sweet Lily, worried and repentant (though it wasn't her fault). And her adorable husband. But then again, I also love Gemma, outraged and put-upon. And come to think of it, JoJo is my favorite, too. Marian Keyes has a wonderful way with characters. Even baby Emma has a personal style. And don't get me started on poor Mrs. Hogan after her husband has flown the coop.

Which character – as performed by Terry Donnelly – was your favorite?

Mrs. Hogan. Perfect!

What character would you cut from The Other Side of the Story?

None. I didn't want the story to end.

Any additional comments?

Marian Keyes earlier book are the best, but I have to say that "The Brightest Star in the Sky" is fabulous, too, and it is among the more recent. If you like this sort of thing, Keyes does it better than anybody else.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved it

Lovely light read, great characters beautifully brought to live by the author and made into close friends by the narrator, who I thought did a superb job.

This isn't the type of book that'll change your life and stays with you, but I definitely looked forward to continuing it every evening until the end.

Am positive that I'm giving a higher rating for the audible version opposed to if I would have read it myself as the Irish brogue is very charming. The narrator did an excellent job with each character, I'll be making a point to purchase another book narrated by her.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • DK
  • 02-09-13

You cannot go wrong w/Marian Keyes-Love it!

If you could sum up The Other Side of the Story in three words, what would they be?

Fun, smart & clever!

Have you listened to any of Terry Donnelly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but the narration/performance was excellent! Each character was unique and well done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I don't have 'extreme reactions' to anything...although the book is full of chuckles.

Any additional comments?

This is 3 stories in one book so there is some jumping around. It's easy to follow IF you know that.

Did I mention that I love almost anything written by Marian Keyes? Her books are fun, feeling and nothing too dark.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Favorite

I definitely had a hard time getting through the beginning of this one and almost gave up several times. I'm so glad I stuck with it because I ending up loving it. Terry Donnelly is actually now one of my favorite narrators!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nitty gritty of publishing with soap opera attached

This was a bit slow to start, but ultimately pretty enjoyable. All three of the female characters were each in their turn annoying and exasperating, but sufficiently human to keep me interested. And the insider publishing stuff was pretty great although idealized. That said, this is my first exposure to this author’s writing, and she is very good indeed.

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