Sandwich

A Novel

By: Catherine Newman

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

“Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life.""—Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

“A total delight.”—Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man and Welcome Home, Stranger

From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch, and learning to let go.

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.

This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.

It's one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.

©2024 Catherine Newman (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

So good! Hilarious, poignant, and truthy.

This book is perfect for where I am at this point in my life. While the book is emotionally meaty, it also made me laugh out loud several times while reading. Family, relationship, love, and loss. It’s all here is a way that is not melodramatic.

Sandwich

I grew up on Cape Cod and of course I wanted to read it. I identified with Rockie only I never had my own children and was never able to have children but I had 3 wonderful children. I identified with the huge change that menopause and som anger issues but for different reasons. I truly laughed and cried!

great feelings spoke about

enjoyef the raw feelings. a multi generational gem that should not be missed this summer

Depressing

Rocky was extremely depressed and never received the proper therapy. She said she had seen a therapist, but never told him/ her about the babies and therefore never resolved her primary issue.
There were some very funny moments, and the writing is good. Overall was depressing to listen to.

Perfect in it's simplicity and depth

Sandwich perfectly captures the joy and sorrow of watching your kids grow and leave the nest. It will have you laughing and nodding vigorously about the indignities of menopause, and crying over the parts of life that we can't avoid...loss, frustration, and growing old. The story itself is simple and takes place largely over one week, but underneath is everything...a whole life. I loved it and it made me feel seen.

It just went on and on

A description of family life during a vacation week, except that the narrator went on and on about her unfettered rage, her menopause symptoms in the most graphic sense, and various conditions of her vagina throughout the book. Hell, I went thru menopause too, and I just felt like telling the narrator to get over it. The plot was just ok. Not that great.

Disappointed , didn’t love the story or narrator

Very short (good summer read) but disappointing; didn’t love the narrator.. interesting topic but and liked imagining the setting but just didn’t grab me..

If you’re in your fifties…

Oh my did I relate to Rocky and her menopausal experience. And as a mother to 2 young adults and the eldest daughter of aging and ailing parents (who once lived in Sandwich!) so much resonated for me! Thank you for this spot on story!

Relatable

I’m a middle aged woman, and this story really spoke to me. The writing is great, too. An enjoyable, quick read.

Rolled my eyes a lot

This book had some good dialogue but otherwise I had a hard time sticking with it. Kind of stupid.