Rachel's Holiday

By: Marian Keyes

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The fast lane is much too slow for Rachel Walsh, and Manhattan is the perfect place for a young Irish female to overdo everything. But Rachel's love of a good time is about to land her in the emergency room and cost her a job and the boyfriend she adores.

When her loving family hustles her back home and checks her into Ireland's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic, Rachel is hopeful. Perhaps it will be lovely - spa treatments, celebrities, that kind of thing. Instead, she finds a lot of group therapy, which leads her, against her will, to some important self-knowledge. She will also find something that all women like herself fear: a man who might actually be good for her.

©1998 Marian Keyes (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A lively drama...Keyes' stylish wit keeps readers attentive, and her take on addiction is insightful and compassionate." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Keyes' intriguing, fast-paced account of an addict's recovery features personable characters with realistic blends of humor and imperfections and a heroine who, despite her exasperating self-pity and shallowness, is witty enough to keep readers rooting for her." ( Booklist)
"The story is funny, fast paced, and sometimes intense." ( Library Journal)

A woman’s tale of addiction and rehabilitation

Not what I expected. I thought it would be a fun holiday listen. Instead it was a deep and serious story of a self destructive woman’s addiction to alcohol and drugs and her painful and lengthy journey through rehab told in excruciating detail.

One question

Did Rachel aver tell Luke why they laughed at him and his friends?

I mean pant sharing was way too funny!

Not As Good as I Remembered

I like Marian Keyes, and I remembered Rachel's Holiday as being both funny and intense, chronicling Rachel Walsh's realization of her addiction and her steps to cure it. However, as an audiobook it was only okay: the reader seemed over-earnest and lacked the ability to offer any accent besides her own basic Irish; the long flashbacks and retelling of various unhealthy decisions, made unskippable by the audio format, became boring or unbearable. Luckily, it was abridged, you might be thinking: but the abridgement was truly a hatchet job, leaving several noticeable gaps in the story that an alert editor should have sorted out. Chris's car was stolen? What? Jackie's husband wore a wig? What? Lastly, I was flabbergasted by the note in the conclusion thanking all the "brave men and women" who took cocaine for the purposes of research and reported to the author how it felt so she could use it in her book. What the heck was that? Again, maybe an attempt to be funny, but where was her editor? All in all, a weak "okay" at best.

Abridged!

I didn’t realize this was an abridged version. I read this book years ago and it’s a fantastic story. However, as this is an abridged version, huge portions of the story are cut out. You miss out on her background in NY, her experiences under the influence, and more importantly, her relationships with her best friend and boyfriend. It hurts the overall story and it’s a shame. Buy the book. I beg you.

Interesting Listen

What made the experience of listening to Rachel's Holiday the most enjoyable?

I liked that you saw Rachel's life through her eyes, and in the beginning, agreed with her "nothing's wrong with me' opinion. You start to see her problems at the same time she does, by listening to her peers.

What other book might you compare Rachel's Holiday to and why?

It's not the same..but "Running in Heels" by Anna Maxted has the same type of story. The main character has no idea she is anorexic, and neither do you, not in the beginning. It's not until her friends show her (and you) the facts that she finds out.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when Rachel hooks up with Chris and realizes quite literally in the middle of it, that it isn't what she wants anymore.

It has been abridged

Absolutely favorite book ever and prefer this performance to the other one available but sadly this one has been abridged and missed out too much which I was very disappointed about.

I knew I needed a happy ending...

....so I delved into my second Marian Keyes novel. (I’ve read Sushi for Beginners more times than I’d like to admit). Lovely story...witty...funny...and the characters always seem to end at least slightly better off than they started. It’s just perfect comfort food for my brain in disquieting times.

Good listen

I liked this book. But I may have a bit of a bias because so far I have enjoyed all of Marian Keyes work. It is entertaining but also sends a message about the difficulties of family and addiction.

5*

Can’t say amazing enough love this author such reality humor sadness I love it thanks

Hilarious and sweet!

This is the second time I've read it and it still makes me laugh outloud!!!