The Way We Weren't

By: Phoebe Fox

Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Christian Baskous

An unlikely friendship between a septuagenarian and a younger woman becomes a story of broken trust, lost love, and the unexpected blooming of hope against the longest odds.

"You trying to kill yourself, or are you just stupid?"

Marcie Malone didn't think she was either, but when she drives from Georgia to the southwestern shore of Florida without a plan and wakes up in a stranger's home, she doesn't seem to know anymore. Despondent and heartbroken over an unexpected loss and the man she thought she could count on, Marcie leaves him behind, along with her job and her whole life, and finds she has nowhere to go.

Herman Flint has seen just about everything in his 70 years living in a fading, blue-collar Florida town, but the body collapsed on the beach outside his window is something new. The woman is clearly in some kind of trouble and Flint wants no part of it - he's learned to live on his own just fine, without the hassle of worrying about others. But against his better judgment he takes Marcie in and lets her stay until she's on her feet on the condition she keeps out of his way.

As the unlikely pair slowly copes with the damage life has wrought, Marcie and Flint have to decide whether to face up to the past they’ve each been running from, and find a way to move forward with the people they care about most.

©2021 Phoebe Fox (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A story of the reassessment of the lives of two unlikely strangers who meet - an old man and a young woman - who together discover that the place in life they have chosen for themselves does not bring the fulfillment they had worked to have. An insightful and compelling read of the courage to change horses in midstream to reach the shore of new beginnings.” (Leila Meacham, New York Times best-selling author of Dragonfly)

"Phoebe Fox simply keeps getting better. Her latest The Way We Weren’t is so deeply satisfying on every level that it will continue to resonate with you long after you turn the page on one of the most exquisitely perfect endings you are likely to encounter in some time. As finely wrought as all of Fox’s characters are, special mention must be made of how fully and lovingly she brings the Gulf Coast of Florida to life. The Way We Weren’t is exactly the beach-trip-in-a-book that you are yearning to dive into right now. An achingly artful portrayal of love lost and love reclaimed." (Sarah Bird, author of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen)

"Fox’s sharp storytelling will endear Marcie and Herman to readers, and a solid support cast (especially bar owner Darla) adds some heft. It’s a simple story, but the author gets it just right." (Publishers Weekly)

Christian Baskous is amazing!

What I enjoyed most about “The Way We Weren’t” by Phoebe Fox is the Floridian feel to the story. The story occurs during hurricane season in Florida which also coincides with the turtle nesting season. As a west coast Florida resident, the turtle nesting season is taken very seriously around here. Ms Fox includes really good information about the season, including the sad statistic of a turtle egg making it to adulthood(about 1 in 1,000 survive to adulthood). Around 90% of all sea turtle nesting in the United States takes place on Florida beaches, so it is critical that residents and visitors do their part to help increase the odds of the eggs making it to adult turtles. What a great way to learn about endangered or threatened species! Additionally, Fox’s atmospheric prose showcases the Gulf Coast of Florida and beach living to life.

This is a story of two people whose lives intersect unexpectedly and form an unlikely bond. Marcie Malone suffers an emotionally debilitating loss which leads her to get in her car in Georgia and just drive south. Her impulsive drive leads her to the Gulf Coast of Florida, Pinellas County to be exact. She inadvertently gets her car towed, which includes her purse, ID, money and all possessions. She collapses on the beach outside of the curmudgeon Herman Flint.

The story is narrated from Marcie’s and Herman’s POV. I listened to the audio, narrated by Dorothy Dillingham Blue and Christian Baskous. Mr. Baskous is THE PERFECT voice of Herman. Ms Blue does a great job as well. I find that the narrators can bring a story to a higher level in entertainment. Those two narrators made me want to get back to my story ASAP!

But I digress. Marcie is searching for meaning in her life. Herman is just living, no searching, no caring. Yet, something about Marcie tugs at his heart strings, and he reluctantly (yet fractiously) suggests that she can stay until she finds her car and purse.

If made into a movie, this would be on the Hallmark Channel. That should be enough info to provide you with the idea of what the story is, or at least how it ends up. Yes, it’s about inner strength and changing the protectory of your life (for the better). The best part, for me, was the Floridian feel. There’s storm surges, turtles, and beach life. I felt like I was reading about a couple of misfits just a few miles from me.

The story is sweet. It’s the narrator’s performance and the story setting that made this great for me. I recommend this as a feel-good story with a Floridian feel. Sometimes you just want a Hallmark Channel story!

Another sweet gem by Phoebe Fox!

I am a big fan of this writer, and her newest release did not disappoint. The two narrators made this book even more enjoyable. I can't recommend it enough!

Lovely story about an unlikely friendship

I listened to The Way We Weren’t on Audible and I’m glad I did. Hearing Herman Flint’s voice added to this marvelous character. He is a grumpy old man who seems to want nothing to do with anyone, not this strange Marcie who he finds on the beach, nor his next-door neighbor. Yet, he is kind despite himself. How can one not love such a person? Not me. I wanted nothing more than to see him open his heart again.

Marcie also is a delightfully complicated character who one day drives off from her perfectly fine life and doesn’t stop until she wakes up on the gulf coast of Florida.

The friendship that forms between Flint and Marcie unfolds as they both reckon with their pasts and forge new futures.

One of the best books I've read!

The writing is so beautiful! The book pulled me right in, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I really liked Marcie and Flint. They were broken, and needed to find out where they fit in. I also enjoyed the secondaries like Isabella and Darla. It was great when the townspeople pulled together to help each other. I cried when I read about the devastation of the hurricane. I had a similar situation in 2005 (The same year as Hurricane Katrina) when lightning started a fire and hit my condo, and I lost everything. It had to be rebuilt from the studs.
I loved the story of the sea turtles, the description of the artist colony in California, and the really complex characters.
This is a new to me author, and I'm anxious to read more.