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The Scenic Route: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 425 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Sylvia is a forty two year old woman who is trying to make sense of her present using the only tool she has--her past. She must apologize to her best friend Ruby for what she has done, or failed to do, in their friendship. And so she begins the apology at the beginning of her love story with Henry, whom she met at a cafe in Europe, where she had fled following her (entirely reasonable) divorce. She and Henry begin an old fashioned, romantic tour of the Continent, putting to use Henry’s talent for finding a gem of a bistro or cafe for every meal as well as Henry’s generous budget from his estranged wife. Their deliciously hedonistic love affair is juxtaposed with Sylvia’s vivid memories of her soulmate parents, her calculating brother and his wife, and all the ancestors who have come before them.
As ever in Kirshenbaum’s work, themes of love, self, ritual, faith, friendship, and family weave throughout the novel. Her consideration and care for the fate of her characters is deep, but her narrative is never without humor. Whether remembering a dateless prom night, or the lost friend who “went Navaho”, Kirshenbaum’s writing never fails to be poignant, fresh, and hilarious.
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"This is the perfect vacation book - clever, a little dark family history, a little doomed romance, a little antiquity, a little poetry. Marisha Pessl should take note...this is how you stuff a book with sly witticisms without making the reader want to brain you with the nearest bookend."
— Aquavit (4 out of 5 stars)
The Scenic Route Listener Reviews
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" A very casual, fun, easy read, perfect for poolside. It's like having a conversation with a girlfriend, and it makes you want to take a roadtrip. "
— Anne, 2/19/2014 -
" This might just be my favorite book for 2009. It's a cautionary tale about love not chosen and friendship lost. That sounds depressing and trite but the writing is excellent and a joy to read. "
— Janice, 2/6/2014 -
" While I found this book a bit on the depressing side, I enjoyed it. I like the way the author writes and I found it to be an interesting read. I will definitely try another of her books. "
— Pat, 2/4/2014 -
" a little slow, but, hey...it WAS the scenic route "
— Debmeinke, 1/29/2014 -
" the frame story about Henry isn't nearly as gripping as the detailed, vivid, enthralling stories of Sylvie's youth and family - well worth reading for that alone "
— Misty, 1/8/2014 -
" If I could, maybe I would have given it 2.5 stars? I appreciated it for what it was...the style was different from what I typically enjoy but it wasn't awful (I did finish it) This would be an interesting book to talk about... "
— jodi, 1/3/2014 -
" Yuck! This book didn't go anywhere and I felt like I wasted my time reading it when I could have read something more worth while. "
— Niki, 11/26/2013 -
" Very sad. Sad lonely characters. Driving the scenic route to what end? More emptiness. Just passing the time. "
— Liz, 11/21/2013 -
" Just could not get into this book at all. Tried several times. It is due at library and I will just take it back rather than renew it. Just seemed to rambly and disconnected. "
— Mary, 9/6/2013 -
" The title of the book is appropriate. It's a bit rambling with all the various stories. And the end was very abrupt, but no surprising. "
— Christine, 7/8/2013 -
" seems I ordered the wrong book for bookclub... hmmm...serendipity it would seem. "
— Lisa, 5/22/2013 -
" Another oddly compelling read. Not chick-lit at all, but using many common chick-lit tropes. It's fluidly associative, which stops it from being quite like anything else I've read recently. Or ever. "
— Sarah, 4/30/2013 -
" This was an oddly written book. A divorced woman meets a married man in Europe while on a trip and travels with him. She tells him random stories about her life. Some were really sad and some were boring. I did enjoy parts of this book but overall found it sleep inducing "
— Brian, 2/22/2013 -
" The cover art makes this book look heinous, which it isn't. I read an interview with the author, and I really wanted to like this book, but when I was reading it I just couldn't get over the feeling that I was totally reading something by someone with an MFA. "
— Shannon, 7/31/2012 -
" Fun with great dialogue as well as interesting travel details. "
— Gail, 4/19/2012 -
" Hard to follow journey that didn't really lead anywhere. "
— Tamara, 4/2/2012
About Binnie Kirshenbaum
Binnie Kirshenbaum is the author of An Almost Perfect Moment, On Mermaid Avenue, A Disturbance in One Place, Pure Poetry, Hester Among the Ruins, and History on a Personal Note. She is a professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where she is chair of the Graduate Writing Program.