Meeting Lydia

By: Linda MacDonald

Narrated by: Harriet Carmichael

When Marianne comes home from work one day to find her husband talking to a glamorous woman in the kitchen, insecurities resurface from a time when she was bullied at school. Jealousy rears its head and her marriage begins to fall apart. Desperate for a solution, she finds herself trying to track down her first schoolgirl crush: Edward Harvey. Even thinking his name made her tingle with half-remembered childlike giddiness. Edward Harvey, the only one from Brocklebank to whom she might write if she found him.

Meeting Lydia is a book about childhood bullying, midlife crises, obsession, jealousy and the ever-growing trend of Internet relationships. It will appeal to fans of adult fiction and those interested in the dynamics and psychology of relationships. Author Linda is inspired by Margaret Atwood, Fay Weldon and David Lodge.

©2011 Linda MacDonald (P)2016 Linda MacDonald

Emotional and poignant

This was a fascinating read, the type that explores relationships and human behavior and the reasons for our behavior. A number of things lead Marianne to try and contact her childhood friend, Edward including insecurity after her husband begins to show an interest in a younger coworker and basic conflicting (and all too common) midlife feelings and emotions. The appeal of connecting online is also a factor, she likes the anonymity that the internet provides and craves something she can call her own beyond motherhood and being a wife. I think women at any age could find something about Marianne’s journey they could relate to and MacDonald explores her issues in an interesting way.

Carmichael is a lovely narrator, she has a melodic and soothing voice but manages to hold your interest as well. I really like listening to audiobooks narrated by someone with an accent, I think it holds my attention better and there’s something charming about an English accent. I found myself caught up in Marianne’s life and was invested in the outcome and while it wasn’t the neat, tidy ending I usually prefer, I respect the way things were left and understand the authors intention.

This book takes you across a whirlpool of emotions

Where does Meeting Lydia rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The beauty of listening to this on audio was I could really get absorbed, the narration kept my interest and it was easy to differentiate between the characters. I always feel listening to a book gives a completely different opinion to ‘reading’ it. This one transferred well to audio and because it spanned over 8 hours it gave plenty of enjoyment. The sound quality is brilliant and I don’t hesitate in recommending this. It is also one of those stories which continues to make you think or reassess your own life once it has finished.

What did you like best about this story?

I do appreciate it when the title of a book is explained and it does become obvious why this is called Meeting Lydia, all part of the rich tapestry of life and ties the story up nicely.

Which scene was your favorite?

This book takes you across a whirlpool of emotions, dissecting childhood fears, teenage angst, marital problems, menopausal interruptions and strives to deal with them all so that possibly life can be rebuilt after a shake-up. It explores so many situations and really grips the heart, one minute I was agonising over whether Marianne and Edward could actually recreate a bond and the next laughing at some of the descriptions she uses about Charmaine, Johnny’s ‘friend’.

Who was the most memorable character of Meeting Lydia and why?

Marianne was quite an awkward character to warm to but she has her moments .. sometimes she could be infuriating though and I’m sure she wound Johnny up just to get a reaction in order to moan.

Any additional comments?

I was offered the audiobook to listen to as part of the blog tour .. the cover image intrigued me straight away then when I read the blurb I figured it could be right up my alley! As a woman of a similar age I could empathise with Marianne on many levels.

She is married to Johnny, grown up daughter just left for uni, suffering empty nest syndrome as well as the dreaded ‘M’ word. She no longer feels attractive her hormones are making her exceptionally cranky and then she realises her hubby is spending time with a much younger work colleague who happens to be gorgeous! He spends more time at the pub and she begins to dredge up her past.

Poor Marianne went through bullying at school this has left her traumatised but she thought she had buried the demons. It’s when her daughter Holly suggests mum get’s a life and shows her how to join ‘Friends Re-united’ that Edward her school crush creeps back into her memory.

Thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and Jess at AudioBookWorm for the opportunity .. I voluntarily reviewed.

My New Book Friend

Any additional comments?

Where does Meeting Lydia rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I would say that this would be in my top third. One reason being that this is a book I can picture myself listening to more than once. It's one where you feel that the female character understands what you, as a woman, is going through at that certain point in your life.

What did you like best about this story?
The narrator was so easy to listen to. She just seemed to get me; to let go of all my outside troubles and concentrate on the story that this author has written.

Have you listened to any of Harriet Carmichael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not listened to any of this narrator's performances before. But after listening to this book, I've already scoped out my next one narrated by Ms. Carmichael and put it on my wish list.

If you could rename Meeting Lydia, what would you call it?
I would never even think of doing that to an author. They have picked the title for a specific reason and since I enjoyed the book as it was why would I want to make any changes. I may not have picked up the book, and probably would have bypassed it, but having the audio copy showed me what I might have missed otherwise.

Any additional comments?
This author has put a voice to what a lot of women go through once they hit that "M" stage. It may not speak to everyone but there will be a few who may understand some of what Marianne was going through. It had me wishing that she were my friend so we could meet and chat.

It's a story where a woman is trying to reconnect with her husband but is there someone else trying to get his attention. Marianne then recollects about a friend from school that she remembers fondly and tries to renew their friendship. Isn't that something like we do when we go to school reunions? How many of us try to track some of those friends down using the resources of the internet? Don't we want to know that we still matter?

This was a great way to find both a new author and a new narrator. I can't wait to get my next read from both. It was a story that made my commute and my days where stress started to overtake me more pleasurable.

I voluntarily reviewed an audio version of this book.

I loved this!

Would you listen to Meeting Lydia again? Why?

Oh, most definitely!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Younger Marianne definitely hit me in a soft spot. Hearing the small details that a child will catch. Like when Marianne walks into her house and the dog comes bounding towards her, and she thinks to bend down and make sure the dog doesn't jump on her. Because she would have been knocked over. She's just this little girl.

Have you listened to any of Harriet Carmichael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not.I believe Harriet Carmichael embraces the main character and definitely helps bring a mental picture of who she is, what's going on. The audio quality was very well put together. I could hear the narrator very clearly. There was a moment or two where it suddenly went softer in volume for a brief second, but maybe it had to do with my crappy headphones. So I'm not counting that.

Harriet Carmichael's voice is forged in my brain. I love how she brings emotion into her narration. She's animated. That's what I look for in an audiobook. When Marianne suspects that she could possibly be pregnant (at 46 years old) or . . . "the M word," Harriet changed her tone so perfectly that it sounded as if she were really the one with these thoughts. And I love that!

Who was the most memorable character of Meeting Lydia and why?

It was breaking my heart whenever Marianne thought of Charmaine. *SHUDDER* My heart was on the floor. The prospect of divorce is bit of a touchy subject in some ways, but the author played it in perfectly. And when Edward Harvey is brought . . . Let's just say I am a huge fan of meeting an old crush again.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book and the story. Audiobooks, for me, bring a different experience to reading a story. I also find that it will depend on the narrator.