The Wednesday Group

By: Sylvia True

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Gail. Hannah. Bridget. Lizzy. Flavia. Each of them has a shameful secret, and each is about to find out that she is not alone...

Gail, a prominent Boston judge, keeps receiving letters from her husband's latest girlfriend, while her husband, a theology professor, claims he's nine-months sober from sex with grad students. Hannah, a homemaker, catches her husband having sex with a male prostitute in a public restroom. Bridget, a psychiatric nurse at a state hospital, is sure she has a loving, doting spouse, until she learns that he is addicted to chat rooms and match-making websites. Lizzy, a high school teacher, is married to a porn addict, who is withdrawn and uninterested in sex with her. Flavia was working at the Boston Public library when someone brought her an article that stated her husband had been arrested for groping a teenage girl on the subway. He must face court, and Flavia must decide if she wants to stay with him. Finally, Kathryn, the young psychologist running the group, has as much at stake as all of the others.

As the women share never-before-uttered secrets and bond over painful truths, they work on coming to terms with their husbands' addictions and developing healthy boundaries for themselves. Meanwhile, their outside lives become more and more intertwined, until, finally, a series of events forces each woman to face her own denial, betrayal, and uncertain future head-on.

From author Sylvia True comes The Wednesday Group, a captivating, moving novel about friendship, marriage, and the bonds that connect us all.

©2015 Syvia True (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Good listen

I listen to books while I hike with my dogs. Every day for an hour to an hour and a half so I go through a lot of audio books. This one held my attention and kept me engaged in the story the entire time and I rarely found my mind wandering.

This is not a work of literature but a good, fast, interesting read that most women over 30 years of age should enjoy.

I really enjoyed this book

Would you listen to The Wednesday Group again? Why?

I really enjoyed this bookit was very well written from start to finish

What did you like best about this story?

I like that it was about women smart women and women willing to help themselves and each other

Did Susan Bennett do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did a beautiful job Billy gave them all A character of their own

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh made me cry everything it wasperfect for a woman treated women with a lot of respect and I really enjoyed it

Great book for a book club discussion!

Very gripping book! The narration was fabulous! The story makes for a very good book club discussion! I was aggregated with the men in this book and was left feeling like they all used sex addiction as an excuse to cheat and lie. The women should have all left these men because of the cheating and lying but even more because of the self esteem issues they had because of the men! I love the bond they make with the other women! I'll definitely read this author again and listen to this narrator!

Surprisingly enjoyable

It started off a little slow for me, but I really got into the stories. It wasn't so much a suspense novel but there were some unexpected twists. I also really enjoyed the ending and I often dislike the endings of books. This is an easy listen and nothing you have to think too hard about. Perfect listening for commuting, cleaning, or whatever. The narrator was just ok and I definitely recommend speeding up the audio. Otherwise it's just way too slow.

"Eh, okay book."

Good easy read. I like that you get to hear the perspective of all of the different women in the group, but in the end, kind of just, "Eh,that was okay."

Pleasantly Unresolved

The Wednesday Group was a pleasant read. I felt that author, Sylvia True really dealt with what I think the issues would be that spouses connected to partners recovering from or continuing to be addicted to sex would have to deal with. I honestly felt that to adequately deal with the amount of characters introduced in the book, the author should have added length and really delved in to each character more. The book began with True working hard to set the scene and develop a firm relationship between all the members of the group, which she became very successful at doing. I learned a lot about the dynamics of support groups and much that I didn’t think about as being involved during the reading of this book such as matching members and how their strengths and weaknesses would play off of one another. The politics of the university research, thesis preparation and supervision came into play in a big way as well which only added to the story, but was fairly unnecessary when the focus could have been on helping the women get through their crisis. Each of the women in the group were put in very different circumstances due to their spouse’s sex addiction: there were lost jobs, pregnancies, left spouses, near suicides, the loyal wives and mothers, problems with the children due to the addiction and many more issues that these women had to deal with on an outward level. Inwardly, they were all messes and the author conveyed that each woman dealt with the addiction in a different and meaningful way. The story while it bounced back and forth between members of the group primarily focused around Hannah whose husband acted out from a previous abuse with men. One of the opening scenes has Hannah catching her husband sneaking around on her and I was thankful that none of the sexual scenes were highly graphic in this novel as most of them would have brought nothing but heartache and pain to another character. I think the biggest issue I had with The Wednesday Group was the lack of focus on resolve for any of the characters unless True meant to convey that spouses of sex addiction really sustain no resolve other than to move on singularly or that it is an ongoing process. Many characters were left in the heart wrenching pain they began with with little progress to what they were feeling initially. Yes progress was made through friendships and support and emergencies, but little to finally help them get over the main hump of the betrayal. I would have also liked to see the side of a male in the group as I felt that by keeping it all females it stereotyped sex addicts as men and the spouses of sex addicts as women and I don’t feel that that is an accurate balance for such a difficult subject. True is an eloquent writer, she was able to explain some of the feelings of madness in correlation to actions in ways that were beautiful, thought provoking, and engaging for the reader. Overall, this book was a good read, there just could have been so much done that could have given the characters resolve and the reader resolve in the end. It ends with a cliffhanger that while it was foreshadowed throughout the course of the novel, could have been better dealt with given more time.

A Realistic Analogy of Spouses of Addiction

What made the experience of listening to The Wednesday Group the most enjoyable?

I enjoy listening to how these women came together to cope.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that it was a realistic story with realistic characters and endings.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when the women dressed up for their session. It helped to understand the character's idea of what beauty.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

#WednesdayGroup

Narrator is not Orlagh Cassidy

Susan Bennett is the narrator of this book not Orlagh Cassidy. Susan gives her usual outstanding performance, so I'm not complaining at all, but it might make a difference to other listeners.

Although this books' subject is quite sensitive, I still connected with the characters and a few of their struggles. I think I would have benefited greatly and been less destructive In several of my past relationships if i were to have had the support that this group of ladies offered each other available to me! I'll definitely watch for more from Sylvia True!

Oh my, what a book!

I’d had hints about this book, mostly about it being so good. I decided to get it out of curiosity and it is so worth it. I had no idea that the story was about married women struggling with their spouses’ sexual choices. Many people will relate to the tragedy these women face. Although each woman faced a different situation, they were able to get beyond the superficial prejudices, they were able to come together and support each one through the tough decisions they have to make in their troubled marriages.

Therapy with heart

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No. It's not the kind of book a lot of people would like.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to choose as the descriptions of all the characters are very lively and easy to relate to. I could relate to all of them.

What does Susan Bennett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her style of narration is very lively with good depth.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

We have a cushion for you.

Any additional comments?

I liked this book. The subject matter was quirky and I liked that everyone had a backstory.