The Restaurant Critic's Wife Audiobook By Elizabeth LaBan cover art

The Restaurant Critic's Wife

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Restaurant Critic's Wife

By: Elizabeth LaBan
Narrated by: Angela Dawe
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.00

Buy for $20.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

People magazine included The Restaurant Critic's Wife on their Great New Fiction list and hailed it as "thoroughly entertaining."

Lila Soto has a master's degree that's gathering dust, a work-obsessed husband, two kids, and lots of questions about how exactly she ended up here.

In their new city of Philadelphia, Lila's husband, Sam, takes his job as a restaurant critic a little too seriously. To protect his professional credibility, he's determined to remain anonymous. Soon his preoccupation with anonymity takes over their lives as he tries to limit the family's contact with anyone who might have ties to the foodie world. Meanwhile, Lila craves adult conversation and some relief from the constraints of her homemaker role. With her patience wearing thin, she begins to question everything: her decision to get pregnant again, her break from her career, her marriage - even if leaving her ex-boyfriend was the right thing to do. As Sam becomes more and more fixated on keeping his identity secret, Lila begins to wonder if her own identity has completely disappeared - and what it will take to get it back.

©2016 Elizabeth LaBan (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage Restaurant
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Restaurant Critic's Wife

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    84
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    110
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    67
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
    30
  • 1 Stars
    15

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Unlikeable characteds

I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a husband as much as I dislike Sam. No one ever discusses how controlling and mentally abusive he is. I can’t stand him or the way his wife is such a pushover.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

I liked it.

A good listen. I liked the plot and narration. It held my attention. I f I were reading instead of listening I'd have had a hard time putting the book down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Great Book

This was a great book. I really enjoyed listening to this. The story line flowed smoothly and really held my interest. i evem learned a thimg or two about what goes into being a food critic. interesting.I look forward to reading more from this author


.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

I loved this book!

This was my first Elizabeth Laban book. since this one I've listened to all her over ones! it was beautifully written, I loved the characters and narrator. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a light read who loved food narratives. Made my mouth water!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Ladedadeda

I kept waiting for something to happen and it never did. I would have left Sam many moons before this story was told. The reader was good and after a few duds I’d listened to before, she brought some life to this book I was happy to see end. I kept waiting for something to happen but it never did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

So-so book

I generally liked this book, but I felt like the main character/the wife was still stuck.
I don't think I could be in a marriage like that, but that was her husbands dream and that's what she went a long with.
This book is defiantly going to have me thinking for a couple days.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Good Read

I took my time getting into this story. The author has great insight into real life situations and the main character matures beautifully.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

not bad

The story was engaging- but I could never be married to her husband. good narrative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Annoying loud child!

This was a very good book about a husband that is a control freak. I would buy a regular book to read though due to the loud annoying voice of the child. I stopped listening several times thinking I couldn't take hearing her any longer. I finally made it to the end. It was agonizing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

My Thoughts on The Restaurant Critic's Wife

4.5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books that drew me in with how real it was. Real life problems, worries and frustrations. Lila was so relatable for me as a mom of two who often has her own struggles with wondering if I'm doing the right thing as a parent. I could understand the moments of feeling like you just aren't communicating well with your spouse no matter how much you love them. And I felt like I really connected with that desire to find the right balance to satisfy everyone involved. I don't often read books where the couple is established and dealing with the day to day of married life, but this book makes me want to read more of them.

As I read and listened I thought thought the narrator was amazing. I loved the emotions and variations in her voice when she was doing the different characters and conveying what they were feeling.

I definitely plan to check out more from this author and narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!