Anyone But You

By: Jennifer Crusie

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

For Nina Askew, turning 40 means freedom - from the ex-husband whose career always came first, from their stuffy suburban home. Freedom to have her own apartment in the city, freedom to focus on what she wants for a change.... And what she wants is something her ex always vetoed: a puppy. A bouncy puppy to cheer her up. Instead she gets...Fred.

Overweight, smelly, and obviously suffering from some kind of doggy depression, Fred is light-years from perky. But for all his faults, he does manage to put Nina face-to-face with Alex Moore, her gorgeous, younger downstairs neighbor.

Alex looks great on paper - a sexy, seemingly sane, surprisingly single E.R. doctor who shares Fred's abiding love for Oreos - but a 10-year difference in age, despite his devastating smile, is too wide a gap for Nina to handle.

Ignoring her insistent best friend, some interfering do-gooders, and the ubiquitous Fred - not to mention her suddenly raging hormones - Nina thinks anyone but Alex would be a better bet for a relationship. But the more silver-haired stiffs she dates, the more she suspects it's the young dog-loving doctor she wants to sit and stay!

©2005 Jennifer Crusie (P)2005 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Considered by many to be a romantic comedy classic....the novel is given a note-perfect reading by Susan Ericksen....Also worthy of note: the upbeat, jazzy score." ( AudioFile)

Jennifer Crusie knows how to have fun

I had read "Fast Women" because is was on sale and very entertaining. So I thought I would try another by this author. what a great story with lots of laughs.
The narrator did a great job. I understand that some of the narrators for Ms Crusie books are not as enjoyable. I suggest a listen before purchasing.
I enjoyed this one very much and recommend

Love Fred

Her minor characters always support the story. I love how she uses movies and books and music in her books.

Love ya Fred!

Humor, a great looking sexy doctor, and a basset hound. What more could you ask for? :)

Enjoyable light romance

This romance is perfect for a light feel good read. Nina is. Recently divorced woman of forty living life on her own terms for the first time in ages. She meets her downstairs neighbor, Alex, and sparks fly. The one hitch, Alex is 10 years younger. What follows is a fun tale of how our own insecurities can unwillingly cause us to do silly things.

The author has written a story full of likable characters that you want to learn more about. The storyline is fun if somewhat predictable. The dog Fred is characterized perfectly.

If you are in the mood for a feel good romance, this is a great choice.

Narration on this one was very good. The narrator effectively voices male and female characters and uses a hollowed out noise technique to distinguish characters on the phone.

I love this book!

It's not often that I listen to a book more than once, but this book has become a go-to for me. I listen to it at least once a year, because it's just so much fun. it's great fun to watch Alex, the youngest in a family of M. D. Royalty, and Nina, ex-wife of another m. D. God, find their way to each other. All thanks to a red Incredibra and Fred, the basset hound mix, who is the most adorable cupid in history.

No one but you...

Just as amazing as all other Jennifer Crusie books. The performance was a little slow, but audible makes that easy by being able to speed it up, thank you. This was one of my more recent Crusie books purchases, and I love it. I have the paperback version, in which I first bought/read it and now I’ve heard it too. Zany characters, dogs and food, what’s better than that? That’s just one element of Jennifer Crusie books that I love apart from the 30 something women that strong men fall for.

Another fun book by Ms. Cruisie

I enjoy all of Ms. Cruisie's books, and this was no exception. it's so nice to have a romance that's about a mature woman.

The narrator's voice is reminiscent of Nina Totenberg, who reports on the U.S. Supreme Court for NPR. Pleasant enough in short reports, but painful for the length of a book.

Wonderful story. Bad narrator.

I love the story, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over because the audiobook narrator was awful.

I read the paperback several years ago and laughed a lot. I recently listened to the audiobook. I didn’t laugh because I knew what to expect, but I still enjoyed the story.

I was so drawn to the characters. I loved the slow building relationship between Nina and Alex. I enjoyed other characters as well, especially the 75 year old physically fit neighbor Norma.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR - Susan Ericksen:
I don’t like this narrator. It feels like a bossy person is yelling at me, lecturing me, nagging me. It’s jaring, irritating and stressful to listen to. There is no sweetness, softness or vulnerability in her voice. It’s loud. I don’t like monotone readers, but Susan Ericksen is too far the other way. I feel like she is overacting with artificial cheeriness, overly energetic. Her emotional interpretation of men is off. Alex sounds like a bossy female instead of a guy desiring her and wanting sex.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 275 pages. Swearing language: mild including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: 1990s U.S. Copyright: 1996. Genre: contemporary romance, older woman younger man.

Susan Ericksen makes the difference

I LOVE this story.

I've loved this story since the lurid purple cover originally appeared in my mail box as part of my old Harlequin subscription box, back in late 1996. It made me a Jenny Crusie reader, because she's always had a good sense of the ridiculousness of human beings; but as much as I've loved this story, for a long time, Agnes and the Hitman had supplanted it as my favorite Jenny Crusie book, quite a while ago now.

But I was looking for another Susan Ericksen listen one afternoon, and here it was...Fred, and Nina/Alex. The minute I saw it, I had to have it.

Hearing this dear old story in Susan's voices, has put Anyone but You BACK ON TOP as my favorite Jenny Crusie book. There's something so world-weary, yet hopeful in Susan's voices that it's impossible not to just...come back, and join Nina's story again and again.

Cute

This is a great fun read. Made me laugh several times and the ending was sweet. Great narrator!