Breathing Room

By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Narrated by: Kate Fleming

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes in life you need a little breathing room, especially when your life has just fallen apart. Dr. Isabel Favor, America's diva of self help, knows this all too well. She's lost her fiancé to a disorganized earth mother, her accountant has absconded with her money, and her self-help empire is in shambles. She flees the country to Tuscany, waiting for life to settle down, but the biggest disaster lies just ahead. On one unforgettable night, she's about to meet Lorenzo Gage, Hollywood's favorite villain.

©2002 Susan Elizabeth Phillips (P)2002 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Phillips has created a very modern and textured tale: witty, moving, passionate and tender." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Stunningly vivid descriptions and some of her most complex protagonists to date." ( Library Journal)

loved it!

I enjoyed listening to this book. Great story and Great reading. Voices were good. looking forward to the next book by the author.

Nice summer read.

This book was a nice change of pace from what I had been reading, much lighter but very predictable.

Good read, great narration.

I really enjoyed this book. The story itself was interesting with several subplots but the narration by Kate Fleming was wonderful. I almost fell in love with Ren myself.

Hilarious, heart warming, heart expanding.

I first listened to this to this via my library (support your libraries!), but after checking it out a few times decided it was worth owning -- SEP deserved my financial support for bringing me such a gem and so many happy hours of living in this world. It's quintessential SEP with smart, witty, complex characters who are just thoroughly enjoyable to get to know. Even better, it's narrated by the beloved Kate Fleming/Anna Fields. The ending is a little weird, but totally worth it.

It's tragic that they (who makes these decisions?) are re-recording the SEP book narrated by Kate Fleming/Anna Fields. The new narrators are not as good (sorry y'all, but it's true) and while there's nothing we can do about new SEP books (Kate Fleming/Anna Fields passed away), it's a huge disappointment to find Fleming/Fields erased this way. I wish SEP would at least explain why on her website.

I liked the audiobook better than the paperback.

When I read the paperback in 2007 I gave it 3 stars. It was ok. I recently listened to the audiobook and found it much more enjoyable. So I changed it to 4 stars. I didn’t enjoy the heroine when “I” was doing the reading, but the audiobook narrator’s voice and emotional interpretations made the heroine more interesting and likeable.

The author’s other books might have more wit, charm and laughter than this book. But this book was still good. I will read almost anything that she writes.

STORY BRIEF:
Successful self help psychology author/speaker loses all her money and her reputation. She goes to live in a farmhouse in Tuscany, Italy for awhile to regroup. She meets handsome movie star with emotional scars and flaws.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Kate Fleming was great.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: about eight. Setting: current day mostly Italy with a little New York City and California. Copyright: 2002. Genre: contemporary romance.

Breathing Room

Another good book from SEP.This is the 5th book from her I have read. Funny,sexy & witty. I travel a lot, it kept me entertained and took the drudgery out of driving.

Another Fun Listen

I enjoy all Susan Elizabeth Phillips books. Characters are well developed. The humor and sizzle are so great together. She never fails to have me laughing out loud as I read or listen. Favorites have been the ones dealing with the Chicago Stars Football team but this one was just as good in my opinion.

A Romatic Comedy

I really loved this book. Kate Flemingade narration had the characters come to life. This is a great book if your looking for a book to cuddle up with. Its funny, keeps your interest & also very romantic.

We all evolve over time.....

What did you love best about Breathing Room?

Life is full of surprises. I could empathize with Dr. Favor and her situation. I know how hard it is to change but sometimes we must.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I actually liked Lorenzo. He knew his life was an empty void even though he had everything he could ever want. He did something about it. Refreshing.

Who was the most memorable character of Breathing Room and why?

I enjoyed Dr. Favor. I could relate to her. Change is hard but it can also be a beautiful thing.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely read more books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

This is SEP at her finest

I think this book is as close to perfect as you can get for SEP. I love the characters you actually understand why they are doing what they are doing and seem 3 dimensional. It has humor as well. The narration is great as well