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Ordinary People  By  cover art

Ordinary People

By: Diana Evans
Narrated by: Jennifer Saayeng
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Publisher's summary

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Ordinary People by Diana Evans, read by Jennifer Saayeng.

‘You can take a leap, do something off the wall, something reckless. It’s your last chance, and most people miss it.’

South London, 2008. Two couples find themselves at a moment of reckoning, on the brink of acceptance or revolution. Melissa has a new baby and doesn’t want to let it change her, but in the crooked walls of a narrow Victorian terrace, she begins to disappear. Michael, growing daily more accustomed to his commute, still loves Melissa but can’t quite get close enough to her to stay faithful.

Meanwhile, out in the suburbs, Stephanie is happy with Damian and their three children, but the death of Damian’s father has thrown him into crisis - or is it something, or someone, else? Are they all just in the wrong place? Are any of them prepared to take the leap?

Set against the backdrop of Barack Obama’s historic election victory, Ordinary People is an intimate, immersive study of identity and parenthood, sex and grief, friendship and aging, and the fragile architecture of love. With its distinctive prose and irresistible soundtrack, it is the story of our lives and those moments that threaten to unravel us.

©2018 Diana Evans (P)2018 Penguin Random House UK

Critic reviews

"Diana Evans is a lyrical and glorious writer; a precise poet of the human heart." (Naomi Alderman)

What listeners say about Ordinary People

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Disliked everything about it

I disliked the writing (way too descriptive, felt like an essay), disliked the characters (so so whiny) and disliked the plot (beyond and bellow ordinary at the same time).
The main voice is ok but the other characters’ voices sound weird to me.

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The most boring book ever

Honestly just so boring and below ordinary. I even zoned out when the affair happened and totally missed that until they discussed it. Really bad

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