The Road to Tender Hearts

A Novel

De: Annie Hartnett

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death—by the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals

“A miraculous novel—an actual and spiritual road trip you won’t forget.”—John Irving

AN NPR AND LIT HUB BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already.

But when PJ reads the obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.

Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also thinks he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter who’s adrift in her twenties, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home.

This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a fresh shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.

Brilliant!

Wow! What a delightful gem. The characters insist that you fall in love with each of them. I was hooked from the beginning. Beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks on audible over the years and this is the first time I’ve written a review - take that as a sign to read this book :)

Touching, Funny, and Heartwarming

I loved this novel from beginning to end. It was clever, sensitive, sometimes sad, and often hilarious.
The narration was perfect and portrayed each character perfectly, even the cat. You will not regret purchasing this book.

Funny & Tender

I have never read a story like this. The characters are complex and their layers roll out as you unfold the story. But don’t mistake this as a slow book - the pacing is perfect and it’s equal parts tragic, funny, and tender. I will be thinking about this one for awhile. The narration is really fantastic.

Perfect roadtrip book!

A truly wonderful story - highly recommend! We listened to it on on roadtrip - we both loved the story and all the characters

Couldn’t stop listening!

Loved the reader and extremely silly book, you should do yourself a favor and listen!