Where We Belong

By: Emily Giffin

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty, and love that binds them together.

Marian Caldwell is a 36-year-old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door ... only to find Kirby Rose, an 18-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world - and her very identity - will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves - a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

©2012 Emily Giffin (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Loved it!

I enjoyed listening to this book. The characters where well developed and real. I felt as though I knew them by the end of the novel. Emily Giffin wrote another wonderful book.

Loved!

Loved this story but wish it wouldn’t have ended!! I wanted to know more about Conrad & Marian

Waste of Time

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The title was catchy, but the whole story did not make any sense.If she said "surreal" one more time, I was going to turn it off! Really!

Has Where We Belong turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was fair. Kirby's and Marion's voices got on my nerves after a while. All of the men sounded the same to me.

Was Where We Belong worth the listening time?

No at all.

Any additional comments?

This is the worst book I have ever listened to, and I have listened to many, many good ones from Audible.

warm and fuzzy

If you could sum up Where We Belong in three words, what would they be?

complex family story

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

great emotion

Who was the most memorable character of Where We Belong and why?

Kirby was very memorable because it was easy to see her grow up and gain respect for her adoptive parents.

Any additional comments?

I'm usually a thriller or mystery person but once in a while I like to switch to something different. Emily Giffin is my go to person for that switch. She never lets me down.

Couldn’t stop listening!

A wonderful story about good people who made tough decisions. This book has mystery, drama, love, heartbreak, and even a little suspense. My second book written by Emily Giffin and I can’t wait to listen to another one!

Entertaining, but will there be a sequel?

This was a charming story. I enjoyed it all the way to the end, but then it fell flat - too many unanswered questions. I'm not sure if it's sequel material, so a bit more detail about 'what happened next' would've made it so much better.

A wonderful character drama

It is unbelievable that this hasn’t been adapted into a movie yet - it’s a wonderful drama with terrific characters. The concept is simple, but rich with material, and alternating perspectives allow us to see the mistakes the characters make as well as the rational (often flawed) behind their decisions.

Lived up to hype; finished it in 2 days

What did you love best about Where We Belong?

The awesome story and it's complex relationships...

What other book might you compare Where We Belong to and why?

My Sisters keeper

Which scene was your favorite?

When she meets her biological dad.

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

They must make a movie! I'd watch it!

Sometimes we search our whole lives for where we should be only to find we are right where we belong...

Good til the end...

Would you consider the audio edition of Where We Belong to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed listening to this book -- the story was engrossing and I had trouble turning it off. However, and not to ruin it, but I was really disappointed by how the author chose to end the book. I think she could have easily gone in a couple different direction that would have made the reader happier and she chose none of those. So overall, I would say it was good until the end which again, I found lacking.

Book great, narrator just okay.

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

I'd probably recommend this audiobook to a friend. I wasn't in love with the narrator but the book was so good I could get past it. I really enjoyed listening to this at work.

What other book might you compare Where We Belong to and why?

If you like Emily Giffin's other books, you'll like this one too.

Would you be willing to try another one of Orlagh Cassidy’s performances?

I would most likely not try another Orlagh Cassidy performance. It would have to be a book I really really really wanted to read/listen to. I definitely wouldn't seek out any books read by her. I didn't like her performance as Kirby at all. She made her sound nasaly and rude most of the time. I didn't think it was portrayed how Kirby is really written. As far as her regular voice, I didn't like it much either. She sounded "old" and "teacher-y". As someone in her early 30s, with Marion being 36, I would've expected a younger sounding voice. Not this warm, grandmother voice.

If you could rename Where We Belong, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename the book. It's fine.

Any additional comments?

At first, I thought I wasn't going to like this story because I was completely appalled by what Marion did, with the lying. She seemed to continue her life like that, and be someone who didn't face her issues. As the story continued, I did grow to like her, which was a relief. I can't stand a book where I don't like one of the main characters.

This is another great Emily Giffin book. If you like her work, you will like this book. I hope she writes another book about these characters. I'm about as attached to them now as I was/am to Darcy and Rachel.