The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

This is DEFINITELY  one to listen to!!

When I started a part time job about a year ago, I delved into listening to podcasts (about books, a'course) and more audiobooks.  I have never really been on the page of calling listening to books "reading." I just had a hard time moving away from my beloved hardbacks.  I don't have a problem reading on my Kindle, I just like BOOKS.  And reading with my EYES.

However.

Ok, fine, now I will listen all the time because I am in the car for over an hour on the days I drive to work.  This means I can listen to a whole book in less than two weeks (well, not The Huntress but that was worth the renewal!!).  And I have learned to be that person that can toggle back and forth between an audio book and a book.  I have always been a monogamous reader mainly because I would get the storylines twisted and mixed up.  But maybe I have grown.  Huh.

So, anyway, I have said on other reviews that the audio book was "ok" and wondered if the experience would have been better for me if I had actually read the book.  I do not worry about that here, so much so that I recommended to my Beloved Bookworms Book club that has been meeting for over 15 years now that we LISTEN to this book.  And, for the first time, we actually did!

Here is why:  this story of a wedding celebration gone wrong is told from the perspective of six different narrators.  I think reading the physical book, and putting it down and picking it up again in the middle of a chapter, would have become confusing as to who was telling the story at the time.  But the audio version presents different actors who perform the different perspectives with such identifying voices and accents for this American that you know instantly who you are listening too.  Olivia, the bridesmaid, has such a small, damaged, tentative voice that you just want to pick her up and hug her.  Hannah, the Plus-One, has a brilliant Manchester accent, so different from the posh London speak of the Bride.  Johnno, as the Best Man, just comes across as pathetic, and the Groom lends his rising TV star fame a lot of swagger.  Aiofe, the wedding planner, brings in the Irish lilt and the bonus is you learn how to pronounce that name (say:  A-fah with a long A sound).  

Set on a remote Irish Island, two relatively famous people are getting married, and their nearest and dearest and most messed up-est loved ones are coming.  Everyone seems to have secrets and backstories and oh what a tangled web we weave. It is a bit of a slow build, maybe too slow. It all leads up to a tragic event.  Or is it justice delayed? Too much time spent with the ushers looking for said event's results and a little TOO tangled of a web (yeah, this is fiction, but come on!), but still a really good listen and only about 10 hours, so a relatively shorter one. A great Whodunit that just might surprise you in the end. Definitely worth a listen!