Girl Next Door

De: Elizabeth Noble

Narrado por: Lorelei King

Here is a gorgeous and unforgettable novel set in a turn-of-the-century New York apartment building on the Upper East Side. The Girl Next Door features four interwoven stories about love, life, and living together. This emotional listen is full of fascinating characters.©2009 Elizabeth Noble (P)2009 WF Howes Ltd

Even reversed, an engrossing story

I accidentally listened to this in reverse order. the second half, first. Even so, it still made sense, and I didn't realize until I had finished. It was a bit poignant to find out about the characters' lives that led up to the events of the 2nd half, knowing what would happen to them. A rather ho-hum story structure: what happens over the course of a year to the residents of one NYC building, but enough unexpected elements and character development to hold one's interest. Excellent narration. Loreilei King excels at separating her 3rd person narrator voice from the characters' voices and making nearly every character distinct and recognizaable.

A pleasing romp through the lives of New Yorkers

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

Not sure. Probably only to those who don't want to be overly taxed intellectually or depressed by the medical stuff/death.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked the details of New York life, but always wanted to know more about some of the characters. It was not an even representative of the characters. I wish the author hhad developed some of the characters more fully.

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

She was good enough. Her accent for British men was a bit lame.

Was Girl Next Door worth the listening time?

Meh. Had I been in better health and not stuck in bed, I probably would have not finished it.

Any additional comments?

Such great potential for a good tale, but left me wanted more in-depth and realistic depictions. I thought NYC got the short drift in this one.