This Was Not the Plan

A Novel

De: Cristina Alger

Narrado por: George Newbern

From the New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us comes a “funny, bittersweet, and ultimately uplifting look” (Sarah Pekkanen) at fatherhood, love, and family life.

Charlie Goldwyn’s life hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Widowerhood at thirty-three and twelve-hour workdays have left a gap in his relationship with his quirky five-year-old son, Caleb, whose obsession with natural disasters and penchant for girls’ clothing have made him something of a loner at his preschool. The only thing Charlie has going for him is his job at a prestigious law firm, where he is finally close to becoming a partner.

But when a slight lapse in judgment at an office party leaves him humiliatingly unemployed, stuck at home with Caleb for the summer, and forced to face his own estranged father, Charlie starts to realize that there’s more to fatherhood than financially providing for his son, and more to being a son than overtaking his father’s successes.

At turns heartbreaking and hilarious, This Was Not the Plan is a “sparkling and heartfelt” (Bookpage) story about loss and love, parenthood, and friendship, and what true work-life balance means.

Hallmark movie soon to follow

Very light, light book. Selfish, self-centered protagonist very neatly becomes caring, giving dad by the end.

Modern Fairy Tale

Looking for a story with an uplifting ending ? Here it is. A very pleasant story, a bit " too good to be true", but well written and well narrated. A good choice when looking for something that doesn't have too much tragedy and angst. Enjoy !

Fairly Entertaining, but Ultimately Hollow

Would you try another book from Cristina Alger and/or George Newbern?

I wasn't totally crazy about Newbern's child voices, but he was a strong enough voice actor I'd certainly give him another try. Alger I'm less sure about.

Was This Was Not the Plan worth the listening time?

Borderline. It had entertaining moments, but the emotional core just never clicked for me. The main character's emotions (be it grief, anger, lust, etc) just never felt real to me, nor did any of the other characters ever really become vivid. Instead they seemed to fall into 'types': the perfect deceased wife, the perfect new girlfriend, the goofy/perfect best friend, the flighty/perfect sister, the estranged (but secretly perfect!) father... Not terribly nuanced or complex. That's not the end of the world, but it's also not very interesting to me.

Any additional comments?

This is nitpicky, but there were a few plot points that just didn't hang together that bothered me. 1) The main character's wife dies in a plan crash because of a drunk pilot, and he's a high powered corporate attorney. How is it that he doesn't start this book with a giant settlement at his disposal? It makes no sense. 2) (SPOILER) The author tries to have her cake and eat it to, by having the deceased mother and his estranged father both be the good guys. Key to this is us accepting that the mother turned down crucial money for her children for no good reason, including money for the main character to go to college. The selfishness and weirdness of this choice is never addressed, nor are any of the shades of grey in the situation explored. This felt unsatisfying and like the writer was trying too hard to have everyone be 'good' at the expense of exploring her own storyline.

Strong Start, Weak Finish

A light respite with good pacing and likable characters. Thought the relationship between the estranged father and son was very unrealistic. And, the ending of the book was quite weak.

Thoroughly charming

What made the experience of listening to This Was Not the Plan the most enjoyable?

I thought the narrator was spot on and sounded like a real person I might know, not an actor.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought it presented the characters in a realistic manner, with both their strengths and their flaws. I thought it was heartwarming, even though much of it was quite sad. It made me cry in parts and smile in others.

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

Everything!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

This would be a great movie.