Thursdays in the Park

By: Hilary Boyd

Narrated by: Joanna David

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

What do you do if you’ve been married to a man for half your life and out of nowhere he leaves your bed – permanently? When this happens to Jeanie, she’s furious and determined to confront George, her husband of thirty years. Is he in love with someone else? What did she do wrong? He won’t tell her. The brightest day of her week is Thursday; the day Jeanie takes her granddaughter to the park. There, one day, she meets Ray, kind, easy to talk to, and gorgeous – he is everything George isn’t. But does she have the courage, while facing opposition from all sides, to turn her life upside down for another shot at love?

Following well over 100,000 ebook sales, celebrated actress Joanna David brings Hilary Boyd's heart-warming romance to life.

©2011 Hilary Boyd (P)2013 Quercus Publishing Plc

Enjoyable listen

If you could sum up Thursdays in the Park in three words, what would they be?

What could happen if marriage partners don't really listen to each other and hear what the other one is saying.

An excellent escapist listen

I loved this novel and for a couple of days the lives of the characters completely took over my life. If you enjoy the novels of Joanna Trollope and Penny Vincenzi then this is definitely worth a listen. It's obviously not a literary novel but it certainly rises above standard chick lit and Hilary Boyd writes a very convincing family story.

Unlikeable characters, unrealistic plot

I know I am disagreeing with the masses here, but I have rarely found an audiobook more grating (and my library is into the three-hundreds). The main character is confusingly portrayed as feisty whilst acting like a doormat. The language used made the characters seem uneducated, while the plot clearly meant them to be otherwise. It was irritated every time I listened! The characters were stupid, melodramatic, manipulative, crass or just plain unlikeable, and the plot was so unrealistic. The central romantic relationship sprung from nowhere, and the same points were made over and over again. We get it, we're supposed to sympathise with the adulteress, she's conflicted, can we move on with the plot now? The baby voice was nauseating, although the narration was not too bad otherwise - just not to my personal taste. Finally, the sensitive issues weren't kindly dealt with and I hated the overall message (I have never been cheated on, I'm not just saying this because I'm bitter!). If I were able to leave a book unfinished I would have. Blah!

Absolutely loved it!

What did you like most about Thursdays in the Park?

The characters were well drawn and the story zipped along at a great pace. It was a joy to listen to, due to both the quality of the story and to the quality of the narration. In fact, it was some of the best narration I have heard. The reader had impressive ability to adopt age appropriate voices and just the trace of a South African accent for a character who originated from there, but had lived in Britain many years.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that the main characters were in their 50s and 60s rather than the usual 30-somethings. It was also spot-on regarding the issues of anyone divorcing after a long marriage and finding love again.

Have you listened to any of Joanna David’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Haven't heard other performances.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and I managed to listen to it over just 24-hours as I couldn't put it down (the first audio book that has had that effect on me).

Perfect for a Walk in the Park

This is the sort of audiobook that is an easy listen, that you can enjoy whilst doing something else. Not too taxing. It is an easy to follow, but not predictable story.

I enjoyed it. The narration is good and absorbing.

This is a love story essentially, but not soppy.

I did struggle to finish this book.

I didn't like tha narration I found the tone of the voice patronising. The voice of Ellie was terrible.
I nearly gave up on this book several times and would have done if I had had another audiobook waiting.

Great story!

I love this book! The story is never boring and swings along at a great pace. Hilary Boyd's books are all full of real people who have real problems and take you along with them. It is well read too!

Enjoyed

A good story that kept me looking forward to my next car journey, very thoughtfully written, I will look for more Audible books by this author

Lovely story

Nice gentle story with a happy ending and very believable too , I will have to read more from this author

Disappointing

Women's mag type of escapism I fear, irritating in its predictability, but very well performed.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

What made the experience of listening to Thursdays in the Park the most enjoyable?

This book had the amazing skill of letting you feel the main characters emotions! Not often seen and this was a real pleasure!

What other book might you compare Thursdays in the Park to, and why?

I've never read anything like it, it shows how many people can be downtrodden in a strange kind of way, yet shows the strength that everyone has.

A story told by someone who "knows" how this feels

What does Joanna David bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The story is told with a genuine sincerity rarely ever heard. Not once did I feel she was reading the story, but actually telling "her" story... Quite magical in a hum drum kind of way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every time the discussion of "moving" I felt her desperation

Any additional comments?

Wonderful, not a book I would normally pick... Thank you audible for your offers that get me to try something new