The Great Escape

A Novel

De: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Narrado por: Shannon Cochran

“Next to Tracy and Hepburn, nobody does romantic comedy better than Susan Elizabeth Phillips.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Perennial New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips now provides her fans with The Great Escape from ordinary women’s romantic fiction. One of today’s most beloved writers, the incomparable Phillips follows up her utterly beguiling hit, Call Me Irresistible (“Phillips at her very best. Romantic, funny, sexy, and poignant” —Kristin Hannah) with a sequel that’s equally impossible to resist. Returning in The Great Escape are some of Phillips’s most adored characters, including headstrong, impetuous ex-president’s daughter, Lucy Jorik, who’s just abandoned her fiancé, Ted “Mr. Irresistible” Beaudine, at the altar. Now she’s looking for adventure—and perhaps a little romance—embarking on a wild and hilariously unpredictable road trip that begins on the back of a rather menacing-looking stranger’s motorcycle. The winner of more Favorite Book of the Year Awards than any other romance author, including Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips offers her fans an Escape to remember, and they’ll certainly want to come back for more!

I wasn't crazy about it.

Most good authors seem to reach a peak at some point in their body of work, and then gradually subside into lesser quality. This seems to be the case with SEP. Her last few books haven't been terrible, but they haven't been great either. Even a lesser SEP book is worth a read. But I feel like she hasn't really found a new story in a long time. She just seems to be recycling elements from her best books to make her new ones.

I haven't given up hope. I will get her next book. I may even reread this one occasionally, but if you are new to Susan Elizabeth Phillips, know that there are much better books in her body of work than this one. Go back to her earlier stuff if you want her best.

not one of her bests

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I am shocked by the high rating this is getting. I am a huge SEP fan and love most of her books, but this one was just not up to par. There was so much going on that you never really get attached to her to Lucy or patrick. Thenshe tried to throw every thing she could in. It turns out panda has everything and anything that he can. Plus, he is an orphan and then sayssonething about having his mom in a senior center. The voice usedfor Lucy sounds like a 50 year old woman and not a 30 year old lady. It just was very long without being really good.

Just too much!!

What could Susan Elizabeth Phillips have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Eliminate some of the issues with Patrick, it was too much!!!! We get it, SEP believes in gay marriages. Stop pushing itdown our throats!! I am not reading these books to debate serious topics.

Could you see The Great Escape being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No way!!"

SEP Gumbo

There is all of the normal SEP touches here; the couple who can't see what everyone around them does; that they're destined to be together. Indeed pretty much all the situations in this book will be familiar to anyone who's read any of the author's previous novels in either the Wynette, Tx. or Chicago Stars series. Veterans of those works will likewise recognize most of the characters as well.
The good girl who though attractive, isn't in the same league as the drop dead gorgeous male lead. The bad boy who's convinced that he's not ready for love; or can't love, or has been hurt by love, or by some other totally predictable plot machination. The thing is for the author's fans that's not a negative; we're comforted by all the familiar characters of the Wynette series as well as SEP's repeating plot lines one last time.
Long time narrator Anna Fields is missed; Shannon Cochran isn't a bad substitute for her. Their voices are similar; though if the rendition of the boy's speech here is any indication she could use a lot of work on doing kid's voices.
If this is indeed the finale of this series, (it's the seventh book in the series and the Stars series ended after #7 it's a decent finale.

Disappointing

I know that a large part of my problem with this book is the narration. Ms. Cochran may be a perfectly fine narrator, but I came late in life to SEP and listened to most of her books one after the other and then read them again taking breaks between each to really enjoy. And I went from being slightly annoyed by Anna Fields somewhat masculine, monotone voice to falling in love with it. And then she was gone.

And while I believe SEP is an author who deserves far more recognition than she ever receives - at least outside the romance genre - I have to now admit that part of what I draws me to her books is the voice who delivered her stories.

I think I will read the next one and leave it to the voice in my head to narrate.

Beyond narration - I found the heroine in this slightly annoying. Lucy was not the same gutsy yet terrified girl from First Lady. She tried to appear brave and gutsy, but seemed lost and adrift. Lucy should not have grown up into this woman.

The hero was underdeveloped. And this was too bad because more than most main characters he needed to be a fully developed living, breathing, complicated man. Lucy dumped the most perfect man who ever lived and ended up with someone named Panda Bear. You couldn't help but compare the two and since Ted had already starred in other SEP books, we knew all about him and how wonderful he was ... the Panda guy just came off flat.

One of the best things about Phillips books' are her development of secondary characters. And she does that well in this book too. Even though I thought the narration suffered the most with Toby, even the poor narration could not overcome the cleverly developed and delightful secondary characters. I wish either one of the secondary couples had been the center of attention in this book.

If you love Phillips books you will read this book regardless of what any review says. I expect you will be disappointed but will be more disappointed if you pass it up. I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

The Great Escape is just that!

It’s fun and sweet! The story and narrator make me happy!!! I’m looking for escape from the pandemic and these difficult times across our planet.