Rules for Visiting

A Novel

By: Jessica Francis Kane

Narrated by: Emily Rankin

NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY: O Magazine * Good Housekeeping * Real Simple * Vulture * Chicago Tribune

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY: “The Today Show” * “Good Morning America” * Wall Street Journal * San Francisco Chronicle * Southern Living

An INDIE NEXT LIST Pick

Shortlisted for the 2020 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
Long-listed for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize

"Fun, hilarious, and extremely touching."—NPR

A beautifully observed and deeply funny novel of May Attaway, a university gardener who sets out on an odyssey to reconnect with four old friends over the course of a year.

At forty, May Attaway is more at home with plants than people. Over the years, she's turned inward, finding pleasure in language, her work as a gardener, and keeping her neighbors at arm's length while keenly observing them. But when she is unexpectedly granted some leave from her job, May is inspired to reconnect with four once close friends. She knows they will never have a proper reunion, so she goes, one-by-one, to each of them. A student of the classics, May considers her journey a female Odyssey. What might the world have had if, instead of waiting, Penelope had set out on an adventure of her own?

RULES FOR VISITING is a woman's exploration of friendship in the digital age. Deeply alert to the nobility and the ridiculousness of ordinary people, May savors the pleasures along the way—afternoon ice cream with a long-lost friend, surprise postcards from an unexpected crush, and a moving encounter with ancient beauty. Though she gets a taste of viral online fame, May chooses to bypass her friends' perfectly cultivated online lives to instead meet them in their messy analog ones.

Ultimately, May learns that a best friend is someone who knows your story—and she inspires us all to master the art of visiting.

An unexpected pleasure

I found this story to be very touching - a socially awkward botanist finds her way via trees, old friends and Emily Post. Hard to describe. Give it a chance and you may be drawn in as I was. And contrary to some reviews here, I thought the narrator was just right.

Poetic prose

Interesting novel, elegant in parts, poetic in parts, a little slow to get started though. I liked the device of mingling plant and tree names and details into the flow of the narrative, although it was not always clear what the intended connection was between a particular plant or tree and the point of the story where it was included, or if there was an intended connection. So sometimes the naming of a flower, shrub or tree just seemed gratuitous, as if the author (or character) was kind of showing off their botanical knowledge. I enjoyed the literary allusions throughout. Overall, a poignant, poetic, and understated musing on living and dying, and the importance of connection to family and friends who know us, and potential friends who want to know us. One important message of the book is to stay open to love regardless of how flawed the giver may be. Worth listening to. May be and even better physical read…The narrator performance was rather weak in parts. She did not create enough variation in the character voices or maintain consistent tones or accents to make clear distinctions between different characters in some scenes. So, it was hard to know who was speaking at times. Still, I recommend the book for readers of literary fiction.

Three and a half stars

Great writing , mediocre story, until about the last 2 hours , then very moving on friendship , moments of 5 stars writing and heart squeezing. Lots on trees and gardens , probably ala the Ovestory which I haven’t read yet.

There’s Nothing Like This

This unique book is in my top 2 favorites. I enjoy the protagonist’s search and growth in this story. I like the dialogue concerning plants and trees and gardens. Respect is paid to plants and trees in a way that doesn’t often make it to the mainstream. I like the quest to rekindle friendship. Also, noteworthy is the processing of grief.

There are layers to this story. Initially I read this book on kindle. Since then, I have listened to the book a few times on audible. Each time- I find something new and unique to treasure.

Reader wasn’t compelling

I think I would have enjoyed this book more than I did if I read it rather than listened. I didn’t enjoy the reader at all and that really detracted from the story.