Thank you

This is a clever, well thought out novel. I loved it. And no doubt will listen to it again and probably again.

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Past and Present

It was nice listening to this book, as I have not come across one like this before.

It had Peyton and Brooke who are married in the present day, but are having problems in their relationship. Brooke’s great aunt Marty has died and left her house to Brooke, when they are doing renovations Peyton finds letters/diary of Marty’s that are 70 years old. We then find out the story of Marty and Vera and how Marty came to get an elephant too.

In the book one chapter will be Peyton and Brooke’s story, then the next chapter we find out about Marty and Vera’s story. It is in the point of view of Peyton and Marty.

To be honest I couldn’t connect with the characters Peyton and Brooke in the present day story, I just didn’t like them, as there didn’t seem to be any chemistry between them.

For Marty and Vera’s story I was a little disappointed with the ending as I would have liked more information about their relationship. I do feel like it was 1 sided too in the love, as I felt Marty did love Vera very much.

It was well narrated.

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Emotional, sad and hopeful at the same time

Pets. Some people have cats (I have two), some have dogs. Some even have chinchillas. Marty Bell had an elephant. And that’s not even what’s most surprising about her story.

When her wife Brooke inherited her great-aunt Marty’s farm in upstate New York, Peyton Kennedy thought they’d sell it and go back to their life in New York City. Brooke insists on renovating the house and what Brooke wants, Brooke usually gets. Peyton knows how often undertaking such huge work can break a relationship, and their marriage is already shaky. But when they find a box full of letters and an old diary hidden behind drywall, Peyton immerses herself in Aunt Marty’s love affair with another woman, Vera, a circus worker.

Historical novels are not my go-to at all. I like them well enough when I read them, but they’re rarely my first choice. Neither are flashbacks. I shouldn’t have liked this book so much. And yet here I am, giving it five stars.

The letters and diary tell a story of young love (in every way, as Vera is seventeen and Marty eighteen when they first meet), discovery of oneself, of love, of loving someone of the same sex, of hoping for a future together and how life (and war) gets in the way, while, in parallel, Peyton and Brooke are a longish-term couple – they’ve been married for five years – in a rocky marriage. When the novel begins, Peyton is wondering whether it’s all worth the effort and keeps a divorce lawyer card in her wallet. The contemporary story is told from Peyton’s point of view so at first, all we see of Brooke is what Peyton is annoyed with. As the story develops, Brooke’s real personality breaks through and, through Peyton’s eyes, the reader gets to know a much less shallow and much more loving person. This couple seems doomed from the start yet Peyton comes to understand her wife is not the only one responsible for their problems and lets herself rediscover the woman she loves.

Vera and Marty’s story, beyond their love and the elephant (there really is an elephant but I am not spoiling this), opens a window onto the life of women in the late 1930s, WWII and later. Their characters show that, despite their environment, strong women managed to live independent and, to some degree, happy lives. The main message of the novel is how much has changed (and still needs to change) for women in general, and for lesbians especially, but also that badass women have always been around.

As Long As Love Lasts works really well as an audiobook. I love Lori Prince’s voice, I especially loved her voice for Brooke, and I’ll forgive the sometimes-awkward pauses for the way she says “desire”.

All this makes for an emotional read / listen, sad and hopeful at the same time, with so many feelings that I’m not recovered yet.

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1 person found this helpful

An achingly beautiful story

This audio book was such a wonderful surprise. Sadly it reached it's conclusion and left me wishing I could relive the beginning anew. The story will steer us to remember what it was like for the brave women who dared defy the "norms" of a bygone era. To look at and appreciate when we have, the blessings, gifts, and love of our partners. Remarkable story by Jea Hawkins.
Lori Prince has once again not disappointed me.
At my request, I received a free code for this audio book. The review I gave was unbiased and honest. i

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Didnt want it to end

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. It was well written and narrated and had great and believable characters. I didn't want it to end. Will look out for more books for this author.

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Bittersweet with so many twists and turns - incredible!

Such a wonderful book! I seldom give 5 stars for a book, but this one... i just had to! I haven’t had tears in my eyes throughout the whole book before. The story is so bittersweet and eye opening, I could recommend it to anyone! Especially people looking for a historic/modern tale of love and all the twists and turns. Makes you realise how hard it must have been being “different than the norm” back in the day! Highly recommend.

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