The Things We Do for Love

A Novel

Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria’s heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman.

Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women - one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother’s love - will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined.

©2004 by Kristin Hannah. (P)2004 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[Kristin] Hannah is superb at delving into her main characters’ psyches and delineating nuances of feeling.” (The Washington Post Book World)

“Wonderful . . . enormously touching . . . The warmth and complexities of these characters grab hold of the heartstrings.” (RT Book Reviews)

“Wrenching, convincing . . . bittersweet.” (Publishers Weekly)

Couldn’t recommend enough for anyone craving a read with which you can really connect

I don’t typically go for this kind of story or this kind of genre, but something drew me into listening to this one. It was so very special in how intimately you end up bonding with the characters, their backstories, flaws, deepest fears & emotions, their hope. This was such a pleasant listening/reading experience for various reasons I’ll go into but I’ll start with my favorite and, in my opinion, most helpful one: While it’s so captivating that I couldn’t stop listening to it and finished the whole audiobook in 3 days – it’s a story you can listen to and be fully immersed in while not having to pay hard attention to constantly follow the plot, read into the characters too much, or feel like you have to rewind every time you blank out for a bit because there is so much you will have missed that feels like you’re lost if you don’t intently listen the whole time. There’s a steady rhythm to the story that feels like whatever you’re doing, you can just tune in and are able to be there with the characters, their innermost dialogue & how they grow throughout the plot in a way that feels natural almost like listening to NPR in the background - except here every word is so easy to register and find yourself captivated in without having to try. I really liked that about this one, how it felt like hanging out with an old friend where you don’t really have to try and have a good time with them - you can just spend time with this audiobook. It’s nice & refreshing.

Some other reasons (on performance & more on the reading experience)

At the end, I was so sad that my time with them was over - I almost hadn’t realized the story was going to end because of how close I somehow felt to the story. I wished it could have kept going at least a little more - but that is only a testament to how powerfully touching of a read this is. And yet - not too mushy or corny or saccharine sweet. It felt very real in many ways, (again) like an old friend. I didn’t cry but for once - not even at the story’s plot line but because of the deeper emotions the vulnerability and depth of the characters’ internal dialogue brought out in me and how relatable some of their very personal universal-seeming sentiments were to me on a very personal level, despite not really having many similarities to the details of the story & the character’s lives. That is one of the things that makes this book special - the kind of book that it almost doesn’t matter what it’s about because of how well written it is and how much you end up no do my with the characters.

I quite liked the narration in this one too. I am very sensitive to the narration of audiobooks to the point there have been great books I have not been able to listen to because the narration felt too mechanical, flat, or the narrator had an annoying voice. This one was pleasant and very well performed, actually giving LIFE to the story but in a way that didn’t feel overly theatrical at the expense of the literary feel that can often be lost in audiobooks versus print books - not in this one at all. Many phrases and sentences hit home the way they would (perhaps even more) in a reading experience - I can’t think of a more perfect balance for how literature can be transposed into audio forms.

Once again, totally unexpected from my usual reads or reasons for loving a book. But couldn’t recommend enough - it also taught me a lot about womanhood, relationships, dealing with grief & hard times, reconnecting with what’s important in life in a way that was honestly very healing somehow.

10/10 read and couldn’t recommend enough for anyone craving a read with which you can really connect

Things we do for love.

Another Five Star book. You will need Kleenex in a couple of places. Kristin Hannah has another hit.

amazing!!

this is an incredible story! and she really keeps you guessing all the way to the end.

tears

Great ideas to understand the pain of love. most of the story was predictable. but was very enjoyable. recommend it for you romantics of the world

what an incredible story

highly recommend this incredible story. love all her books but this was excellent. feel the love read the book