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Ordinary Time

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Ordinary Time

By: Cathy Rentzenbrink
Narrated by: Olivia Poulet
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About this listen

'Here is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming'
Meg Mason

'Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying'
Nina Stibbe

There are already three of us in this marriage. I'm not sure there is room for a fourth . . .

Ann is a reluctant Vicar's wife. She tries her best but her husband only has eyes for God, her son is asking questions she struggles to answer, and it is all too easy to displease the congregation. It may only be a matter of time before she makes the headlines of the local gazette: Vicar's wife gets giggles in church. Vicar's wife refuses to bake scones. Vicar's wife does not care about other people.

When her brother needs her help, Ann travels from Cornwall up to London. There she meets Jamie, and a new world unexpectedly opens up. Ann knows what the older women of the parish would say - she's made her bed and now she has to lie in it. But once she has been led into temptation, it may prove impossible to resist . . .

The funny and heartbreaking new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, Ordinary Time is an unforgettable story of the joys and sorrows of everyday life; one that asks big questions about friendship and marriage, forgiveness and redemption, and the real meaning of love.

'Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Cathy Rentzenbrink is so astute and observant about the small dramas, disappointments and compromises of marriage, and the deadening effects of duty . . . incredibly moving'
Clare Chambers

'A very special book . . . She makes the everyday profound like Anne Tyler does. Melancholy interiority meets great capacity for joy. A beautiful, beautiful book about love in all its forms'
Marian Keyes

©2024 Cathy Rentzenbrink (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited
Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Marriage Funny

Critic reviews

A brilliant portrait of a community and an insightful exploration of marriage and family life. Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying (Nina Stibbe)
Here is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming (Meg Mason)
I loved Ordinary Time and couldn't put it down. Cathy Rentzenbrink is Britain's answer to Anne Tyler . . . a very clever, funny, well-observed, absorbing and beautiful novel. Wonderful (Philippa Perry)
A beautiful and generous novel about love in all its forms, about daring to reach for the stars and how to sail through the storms that knock us off course (Kit de Waal)
Witty, tender, heartrending. Ordinary Time is about the huge feelings that howl beneath the surface of the everyday. No one has written this astutely about the inner lives of middle-aged women since Barbara Pym (Clare Pollard)
A wise and funny novel full of heart and truth by a truly brilliant writer (Julia Samuel)
All stars
Most relevant  
Loved the story. A light romantic story of a wife of a vicar. It was real and funny at times. A good listen and will try another one of the authors books.

First time with this author

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This was a very easy, humorous and heart warming listen. The narration was perfectly pitched

A warm and good-natured novel

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Listened to this after a book I didn’t really enjoy so was delighted it was so great. The narrator was excellent too and never got in the way. The story was gentle, although I was really gunning for the main character :)

Great storytelling

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Cathy R is a genius. I loved it! Touching and sentimental and funny, completely absorbing story with unique characters.

Fabulous!

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Stunning, beautifully sensitive, and evocative writing, but spoiled by unexpected and unnecessary use of the C word!

Eye-opening glimpse into the wife of a vicar. Very enjoyable, but hard to overcome offensive language…didn’t add anything to the storyline.

Editing needed for C word, spoils this lovely book

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Simply exquisite & now seeking out more from this spectacular author. Thank you in more ways than you Do actually know ❤️

A treat to yourself

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I loved this from start to finish, recommended by the Weirdos Book Club-always brilliant recommendations.

Beautiful and real

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An old story revisited. The dull, preoccupied husband v the sensitive stud. A bit more focus on lust this time round. Otherwise the same old story. So, not very interesting. Might be revealing to flip the genders and have the husband enjoy a brief, lyrical fling with beautiful, footloose woman.

An unimaginative retread of Brief Encounter

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terribly dull and the characters grated. Such a waste of time, I wish I hadn't struggled to the end.

tedious

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