The Idea of Love

A Novel

De: Patti Callahan Henry

Narrado por: Andi Arndt

As we like to say in the South, "Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story".

Ella's life has been completely upended. She's young, beautiful, and deeply in love - until her husband dies in a tragic sailing accident while trying save her. Or so she'll have everyone believe. Screenwriter Hunter needs a hit, but crippling writers' block and a serious lack of motivation are getting him nowhere. He's on the look-out for a love story. It doesn't matter who it belongs to.

When Hunter and Ella meet in Watersend, South Carolina it feels like the perfect match, something close to fate. In Ella, Hunter finds the perfect love story, full of longing and sacrifice. It's the stuff of epic films. In Hunter, Ella finds possibility. It's an opportunity to live out a fantasy - the life she wishes she had because hers is too painful. And more real. Besides, what's a little white lie between strangers? But one lie leads to another, and soon Hunter and Ella find themselves caught in a web of deceit.

As they try to untangle their lies and reclaim their own lives, they feel something stronger is keeping them together. And so they wonder: can two people come together for all the wrong reasons and still make it right?

©2015 Patti Callahan Henry (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Finding your truth in the lies you tell...

When Hunter meets Ella, he's looking for a love story. One that could be his next big break and get him out of his slump. So he lies about who he is and what he's doing in her charming little southern coast city to put her at ease. What he doesn't realize is that the tragic love story he comes to call in love with is not Ella's story. He doesn't realize she's not being honest about herself either. Through all the falsehood, can these two unearth their own hidden truths?

I enjoyed how the author weaved the story, telling parts from both Ella and Hunter's perspective. I love how the story was set in a small town, on the water in the South. My favorite character was Mimi - her sayings, her viewpoint on life and love, and how she challenged Ella. The path Hunter and Ella take is a true journey that brought out some great thought-provoking points...
- How do you get over an ex? (steps listed)
- Do we really fall in love with someONE or do we really fall in the love with the idea of being in love?
- Do we ever just love someone in order to fill a void or a hole that's missing?
- Can we ever suffocate love?

Favorite Quote:

"What about love?" he asked. "Don't you want to grab on to that when it comes again?"
"No. If it ever comes again, which I can't imagine, I want it to walk next to me, hold me. I don't want to grab it like a life preserver, like it's the one thing that will keep the ground from giving way. Love can't stop bad things from happening."

The narrator, Andi Arndt, did a great job at voicing the different characters in this story.

Wonderful

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

this is the best book I've listened to in a long time. I love happy endings

Enjoyable, but I like her other stuff better

PCH has become a favorite of mine, but this one was a little disappointing. Compared to her other work, the best term I can come up with is “fluffy.” Not much depth. The story was entertaining enough, but a little too lacking in substantive character work for my taste. If you want to walk away thinking “that was a cute love story,” this is for you. If you want more depth, even with the opining on the meaning of love, this isn’t it.