The Way Life Should Be
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Caitlin Davies
About this listen
From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Orphan Train comes a novel of love, risk, and self-discovery.
Angela can feel the clock ticking. She is single in New York City, stuck in a job she doesn't want and a life that seems to have somehow just happened. She inherited a flair for Italian cooking from her grandmother, but she never seems to have the time for it - these days her oven holds only sweaters. Tacked to her office bulletin board is a photo from a magazine of a tidy cottage on the coast of Maine - a charming reminder of a life that could be hers if she could only muster the courage to go after it.
On a hope and a chance, Angela decides to pack it all up and move to Maine, finding the nudge she needs in the dating profile of a handsome sailor who loves dogs and Italian food. But her new home isn't quite matching up with the fantasy. Far from everything familiar, Angela begins to rebuild her life from the ground up. Working at a local coffeehouse, she begins to discover the pleasures and secrets of her new small-town community and, in the process, realizes there’s really no such thing as the way life should be.
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This hip contemporary romance combines Jane Austen-inspiration and foodie fiction in a witty and engaging tale of two sisters who are forced to uproot to unfamiliar Austin, Texas, after high rent and broken relationships force them away from their San Francisco life. In this Sense and Sensibility adaptation, Jane Woodward and her sister Celia run a small tea salon in San Francisco but are forced to relocate to Austin, Texas.
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Loved this story, so sweet!
- By BrontCO on 08-26-17
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Stir
- My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home
- By: Jessica Fechtor
- Narrated by: Jessica Fechtor
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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At 28, Jessica Fechtor was happily immersed in graduate school and her young marriage and thinking about starting a family. Then one day she went for a run, and an aneurysm burst in her brain. She nearly died. She lost her sense of smell and the sight in her left eye and was forced to the sidelines of the life she loved. Jessica's journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she drew strength from the restorative power of cooking and baking.
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Wonderful powerful read
- By Amazon Customer on 01-13-24
By: Jessica Fechtor
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On the Right Side of a Dream
- A Novel
- By: Sheila Williams
- Narrated by: Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Having escaped her urban existence, middle-aged Juanita Lewis enjoys her new life in Paper Moon, Montana - but she still has a long list of places she wants to visit. With her true love's blessing, she embarks on a journey of American exploration. When her eccentric friend Millie suddenly dies, however, she rushes home and learns she has inherited Millie's bed-and-breakfast. At last Juanita has it all - true love and financial independence! But does this diner cook turned entrepreneur have too much on her plate? This novel overflows with gentle, self-effacing humor.
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My review
- By DemiE on 05-15-19
By: Sheila Williams
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The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
- A Domestic Diva Mystery, Book 1
- By: Krista Davis
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Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple...real simple.
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The type of cozy I don't enjoy
- By Meep on 09-11-15
By: Krista Davis
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The All You Can Dream Buffet
- A Novel
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- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
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Barbara O’Neal’s novel of food, friendship, and the freedom to grow your dreams brings together four very different women longing to savor the true taste of happiness. Popular blogger and foodie queen Lavender Wills reigns over Lavender Honey Farms, a serene slice of organic heaven nestled in Oregon wine country. Lavender is determined to keep her legacy from falling into the profit-driven hands of uncaring relatives, and she wants an heir to sustain her life’s work after she’s gone.
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Who will inherit the lavender farm?
- By Byron on 08-24-14
By: Barbara O'Neal
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Goodbye, Vitamin
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Khong
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Freshly disengaged from her fiancé and feeling that life has not turned out quite the way she planned, 30-year-old Ruth quits her job, leaves town, and arrives at her parents' home to find that situation more complicated than she'd realized. Her father, a prominent history professor, is losing his memory and is only erratically lucid. Ruth's mother, meanwhile, is lucidly erratic.
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Hello Sweet Sweet Book
- By Syd Young on 08-06-17
By: Rachel Khong
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Notes on a Banana
- A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression
- By: David Leite
- Narrated by: David Leite
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Reminiscing about the people and events that shaped him, David looks back at the highs and lows of his life, from his rejection of being gay and his attempt to "turn straight" through Aesthetic Realism, a cult in downtown Manhattan, to becoming a writer, cookbook author, and web publisher, to his 23-year relationship with Alan, known to millions of David's readers and listeners as "The One", which began with (what else?) food.
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Finished it in a day!
- By Kathryn on 08-23-17
By: David Leite
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The Christmas Pearl
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Celia Weston
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Theodora is the matriarch of a family that, in her opinion, has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. They've all come together to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas. But this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey Christmases Theodora grew up with.
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Never too old to learn or to love
- By Debbie on 12-20-13
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The Story of Arthur Truluv
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Berg
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Three people find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of belonging in this deeply moving novel. Arthur, an old widower struggling to overcome his grief, meets Maddy, a troubled teenage girl who avoids school by hiding out where Arthur goes every day for lunch. The two strike up a friendship that draws them out of isolation.
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Sickly Sweet
- By Amazon Customer on 01-19-18
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Bruno's Challenge
- And Other Stories of the French Countryside
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Martin Walker presents his first collection of Bruno stories featuring all the familiar characters from the novels, the glories of the Périgord, and ample helpings of food and wine.
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Outtakes and Ephemera
- By SW Clemens on 03-23-22
By: Martin Walker
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What listeners say about The Way Life Should Be
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rusty
- 08-08-15
Mainely the Best
The Way Life Should Be is the best book I have read this year. Of course, I may be prejudice since I grew up near Mount Desert Isle Maine and now live in New Jersey - the opposite journey of the main character Angela.
While this novel contained a few sex scenes, I wouldn't consider it a romance; more like Angela's life story with family drama, career decisions, new friendships and dating adventures. I could relate to Angela, a mature twenty something who wanted a more rewarding life, not just a husband and/or wealth.
I was sad when the book ended and hope there is a sequel in the future.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Wendy E. Lamson Collier
- 10-14-18
Liked!
St first was disappointed but as story developed I could really enjoy it. Thank you.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-20-19
Yummy
I loved the story line but also the way the author weaves in the impact the grandmother had in her life. It also makes me want to take an Italian cooking class.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Lisa M. Bondi
- 11-03-15
eh
ut starts out slow and disappointing but had a strong middle and ok ending. I had much higher hopes after reading her last book. seemed like different authors
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6 people found this helpful
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- Stephanie
- 05-13-19
Eh...
The narrator drove me a bit batty; her accents and pronunciations were off. Nice story but a bit predictable.
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- ShopperShauna
- 08-23-17
The narrator is awful
I was expecting more from the story. It's a delightful easy story but lacks the depth of the Orphan train. Not sure I will read any of her other books now
The narrator is terrible. I couldn't get past her improper pronunciation of the TT sound think mitten her pronunciation? mih-en Even some single Ts - Latin - La-in she mispronounced. Even espresso! She said expresso. It's a regional pronunciation so I looked up thinking she was an amateur but she has an MFA and has narrated 80 audio books. Unfortunately for me it took me out of the story with every mispronounced word. Probably won't bother others
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3 people found this helpful
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- Hannah P.
- 03-20-23
Okay book. Narrator takes away from the writing.
I was excited to read this! I just finished The Exiles, which I really enjoyed. It felt feminist and like a meaningful read without being cumbersome to get through. Furthermore, I was excited because I’m a native Mainer (my parents actually live on the island the book is set on) and I’m currently dating a NJ Italian boy who moved here a few years ago for a fresh start. Seemed like the book was made for me. It was very fun to hear all the small references to the actual roads I drive and harbors I go to in real life. I also got a kick out of her very accurate description of what the dating apps in Maine are like (really, you set a 100 mile radius from Mount Desert Island and 95% of men have either their truck, the last fish they caught, the last deer they killed, their motorcycle or their snowmobile pictured in their dating profile.) Otherwise, I found the book to be lacking. The first book I read by the author had me thinking this book would be deeper - not a beach read romance. If that is your thing, you will probably enjoy it. Also, I find the narrator annoying. I can’t imagine the protagonist to be laid back or down to earth or cool because the narrator sounds like a theater girl, if that makes any sense. Overall, I think it is good for the type of novel it is but I personally don’t like these types of books. And narration takes away the ability to get lost in the story.
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- Erin C
- 07-11-18
Well done but a little slow
Light on much suspense or anticipation in the plot. But it was well narrated pleasant to listen to.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jane
- 02-08-19
Didn't want the book to end
I loved this book, loved the narrator. I got so involved with the characters that I didn't want the book to end.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Dianna Bogart
- 06-09-15
Simple story
The story was interesting. there was some language and sexually explicit content that did not need to be there with less detail would not have taken anything away from the story Personally I feel if you can do without the extra language and details then you should.
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12 people found this helpful