Preview
  • Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

  • By: Ayelet Waldman
  • Narrated by: Susan Denaker
  • Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

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Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

By: Ayelet Waldman
Narrated by: Susan Denaker
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Publisher's summary

In this moving, wry, and candid novel, widely acclaimed novelist Ayelet Waldman takes us through one woman’s passage through love, loss, and the strange absurdities of modern life.

Emilia Greenleaf believed that she had found her soulmate, the man she was meant to spend her life with. But life seems a lot less rosy when Emilia has to deal with the most neurotic and sheltered 5-year-old in New York City: her new stepson William. Now Emilia finds herself trying to flag down taxis with a giant, industrial-strength car seat, looking for perfect, strawberry-flavored, lactose-free cupcakes, receiving corrections on her French pronunciation from her supercilious stepson - and attempting to find balance in a new family that’s both larger, and smaller, than she bargained for.

In Love and Other Impossible Pursuits Ayelet Waldman has created a novel rich with humor and truth, perfectly characterizing one woman’s search for answers in a crazily uncertain world.

©2006 Ayelet Waldman (P)2006 Books on Tape
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Critic reviews

"[An] honest, brutal, bitterly funny slice of life." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Sweet--interesting psychological insights

I enjoyed this novel..the narrator is fantastic, and captures each character perfectly, particularly little William. I found it a bit depressing, but realistic, and appreciated the wise insights into human relationships that the tale provided. All in all, a worthwhile and entertaining read.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Real Life

As a stepmother and woman who's lost a child, I really love this book. It's not the most interesting of stories, but it's relatable and well-written. I enjoyed the narrator and the passion in which she told the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart breaking, hopeful, and brilliant writing.

I loved this book. As a mother who lost a child, I found it authentic, unbearably sad, but also redemptive. The heroine, Emelia, was maddening in her inability to empathize with her five year old stepson, but also lovable with her wit and sarcasm. Her anger was hard to bear at times, but I remember my own so well after my child died 22 years ago.

It is an ode to motherhood, the tragedies of divorce and infidelity, and the ability of us all to bond with one another. Highly, highly recommend it but it is not for the faint of heart or for those unwilling to face the unbearable loneliness of grief

The narrator is wonderful -- a perfect match for the character and the tone.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfrul

This was a wonderful story and beautifully read. As a stepmother, I could identify. Though it was humorous, I also found myself with a lump in my throat several times.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story

This was a good story about marriage and motherhood, especially for us neurotic women - gave me something to relate to. The story was very good but some of the bits became rambling, but they helped to define the idiosyncrasies of the characters so they we worth getting thought most times.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Truly awful

I read/listen voraciously, almost never quit. I've tried this twice, and it's not worth the effort. In fact, as a reader I think the writing is insipid, and as a listener I hate the narrator. As a woman lawyer, I hate the main character. Don't waste money/credits/time. Have you read Cutting for Stone? Now that's a treat...

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2 people found this helpful