Covet

By: Tracey Garvis Graves

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney, Scott Aiello

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Tracey Garvis Graves, the New York Times best-selling author of On the Island, returns.

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?

Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.

Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop and runs into her again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.

Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.

©2013 Tracy Garvis Graves (P)2013 Penguin Audio

A great women's fiction read

Where does Covet rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Covet ranks high on my audiobook list. A quiet and compelling immersion into a marriage.

What did you like best about this story?

How it was quietly shown that everyone is dealing with their own personal challenges.

What about Kathleen McInerney and Scott Aiello ’s performance did you like?

The performances added depth to the story.

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

I wanted to take my time and savor Covet. There were just too many emotions going on for it to be a fast read. It has been 3 days since I finished it and it is still pulling me back to the story.

Any additional comments?

I will be relistening to this audio.

Okay!

I liked her first book so much more. I felt like she ran off into random pointless side-stories. In the end I really liked it, it just took a long time to get there.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife

Covet asks the age old question of whether or not men and women can just be friends. It also digs a little deeper into infidelity, both on a physical and emotional level.

Claire is a lonely mother of two who is seriously put to the test when her husband of 12 years losses his job and sinks into a deep depression. Once he is back on track and working again, she is left alone for days and weeks as he travels about 90% of the time. Claire is lonely and desperate for any emotional support or connection. In walks Officer Daniel Rush, a hot police officer who is available and willing to offer her friendship and support.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers to this story, but I will say this book really made me think about my own marriage and relationships in general. Cheating is a very controversial subject and the author pulls this off beautifully with no judgment on either side. The book is written in all 3 POVs so it does give some insight into each character and something for the listener to ponder.

Some parts of this book are little mundane as the author goes through the daily tasks of being a mother of two young children. For this reason I can’t give the book a solid 5 stars. I really enjoyed the appearance of Claire’s friends and neighbors. It reminded me that you never really know what happens behind closed doors. Overall this was a really thought provoking and enjoyable listen.

4.5 stars!

Solid listen

I am a fan of Tracey GG previous books that I've read but I must admit that I feel pretty ambivalent about this book. I spent 80% of it waiting for something significant to happen but then I resigned myself to what this book is about. Real life. This book had detailed description of normality. However, I really liked the three main characters and it is for this reason that I will read the next book.

I preferred the male narrator to the female narrator. They did a good job with the book.

This wasn't my favorite

I loved "On The Island" but this wasn't my favorite. I find myself bored and was hoping she would cheat which isn't good.

A lot of book for the story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story had potential. For me, it just never really took off and went anywhere.

Did Covet inspire you to do anything?

No