The Peacock Emporium

A Novel

By: Jojo Moyes

Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre, Christine Rendel, Fabio Tassone

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

An early work from the New York Times best-selling author of The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes, the story of a young woman who opens an eclectic shop and comes to terms with the secrets of her past.

In the '60s, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There, she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past - and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

©2019 Jojo Moyes (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Emotionally luscious, freestanding novel about generations of mothers and daughters navigating grief and the satisfaction of self-discovery.... Though this is not a romance novel like Moyes’ previous works, it maintains their legacy of diving into the emotions of desire and connection, and a spirit of optimism and setting the world right.” (Publishers Weekly)

Always enjoy Jojo

Well done except one thing . I think I missed the connection between chapter 1 and the ending ? It is still well done and entertaining and the characters are always fully developed.
The narrators were really excellent and provided an enjoyable listening experience.
Jojo fans will not be disappointed.

Loved this!

I could not stop listening. I cried, laughed, wondered, and exalted. I wanted to be a character in this book!

Not quite annoying enough to return

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but then it headed south and fell off the rails with a dumb ending. Such an unpleasant lead character. She opens the Peacock Emporium. Will it make her happy? What would make her happy? Do we care?
What about the under-utilized interesting character--the male midwife from Argentina! Why didn't we learn more about him? So many family secrets but why were they secret? The big "reveals" are underwhelming.
Aspects of the story held my interest, but overall this book is a big disappointment.
However if I had really hated it, I would have returned it.

The Peacock Emporium

Jojo Moyes NEVER fails to disappoint!! Being a woman my self, I love how she flushes out their personalities, their character and their struggles no matter the time frame. She does it very elegantly in this book. I will keep it in my library. It’s worthy of a second read...

Love the author and love the book!

I listened to this book because I loved The Giver of Stars. Although it starts slow, I was so glad I stuck with it! 😊

Always a joy

I found this book to have just enough twists and turns to hold my interest and just enough raw emotion to keep me laughing and crying until the very last word.

The whining of upper class

Although the main character was quite hard to like, several of the secondary characters were delightful

Good but not great

I know and love most all Joni Moyes books. Parts of The Peacock Emporium were good but, overall, I would not recommend. Frustrating reading/listening to the first chapters and not knowing timeframe or reference point.

Epic!

Another fantastic epic tale from JoJo Moyes! Just when you think you know what’s coming next - it goes a different but fantastic route. Great reading and dialects from the narrator - an overall glorious adventure!

Just ok

This book was just ok to me. It wasn't a great read or anything, just ok.