a not uncommon vacation in hell

It is not uncommon for couples who have been married for about ten years to fall into a routine revolving around caring for children and building careers that can easily ignore their inner needs. Only a few years ago life seemed like a great adventure, filled with possibility. Now it seems like a trap that threatens to swallow you up and spit you out. There is a sense of desperation that drives one to do incredibly stupid things. My profession brings me into contact with many people who have been in this situation and struggled with this experience.

Coelho book “Adultery” is an exploration of this vacation in hell. The focus is on the inner turmoil and the adultery itself is inly one expression of the protagonist’s struggle. The author does a good job of building the complexity of his main characters and allowing the reader/listener to enter into their perspectives. Stupid and desperate behavior is the hallmark of this experience and the author conveys this quite well.

My frustration with the book was that the protagonist tended to show more insight at times than people in this situation can muster. It was as if Coelho voice and experience began to show through and the protagonist grew transparent for a few paragraphs, especially in the last few pages of the book.

The narrator did a good job of interpreting the book. She was irritating in the beginning with the deliberateness and plodding rate of her reading but this was the part of the story where the protagonist is struggling to maintain control of a world that is spinning out of control. The narrator helped the listener to enter into the experience at a visceral level.

24 people found this helpful

Book was OK, audiobook not so much

I read the first half of the book on Kindle, and I had some audible credits to use up so I decided to get the audio companion. I think the narrator was way over the top, even pretending to cry and inflecting far more emotion than I got from the text… not in a good way.

As far as the story goes, I didn't connect with the main character. She seems to be cheating out of boredom, but develops an obsession over a guy who makes it pretty clear he isn't interested in her for anything other than sex. I know all too well that we can't help who we love, but there should at least be SOME point in the story where there's conditions for it.

By the end, she rambles on and on about love, telling the reader of its utmost importance, yet she hasn't shown at all that she has even experienced it.

Maybe it's a cultural difference, but as an American with my own adultery battle scars, this didn't at all feel like real life and at no point did I sympathize with anybody in the book.

Having said all that, the first half of the book is not bad and it did look like it was getting into a more interesting storyline involving revenge plots and obsession. But by the second half, it was just rambling with some casual sex thrown in.

7 people found this helpful

Disappointing & Depressing!!!

Any additional comments?

This book was very disappointing. The main character was very entitled, spoiled and negative. I went through the entire book hoping there would be a point that things would around, however I grew to like it less and less as it progressed. It made me feel so down the entire time I read it. This was my least favorite audiobook that I have ever listened to.

23 people found this helpful

horrible narration, boring story

I could not relate to the problems of the main character. The story was depressing, boring and without any depth. The narration was just horrible: wrong accents and a voice sounding very old, while the story was told by a young woman. Just totally generationally wrong way to speak. I like Coelho, but did not enjoy this production and this story.

27 people found this helpful

Not so good...

Would you try another book from the authors and/or Susan Denaker?

I would try another book from Paulo Coelho but not the narrator.

What was most disappointing about the authors’s story?

It was such a boring story, it just felt so dramatic all the time.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator doesn't not help. She's over dramatic even when she's talking about non-dramatic topics.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

The story was just flat, boring and very disappointing to be honest. I love Paulo Coelho and I have read most of his books, but this one is definitely not one of his best ones. The narrator was extremely dramatic all the time. I kept waiting for the book to get better but it never did.

3 people found this helpful

BORING AT BEST. Terribly Predictable.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Um...it being a good book.

Has Adultery turned you off from other books in this genre?

If "Lame" is the genre, then yes.

How could the performance have been better?

Narrator was overly dramatic. Like a BAD soap opera

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Zero.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had every minute of my life listening to this back. Attempts at shock value are sadly unoriginal. Tawdry with trite "lessons" Really it was just an insult to my intelligence as well...a human being. I bought it off the suggestion of someone with a food blog I happen to love, biggest mistake ever. Read reviews for purchases.

1 person found this helpful

Sooo disappointed

This story fell short of what Paulo Coehlo has given his fans over the years.
The entire story is told in the first person by a whiney main character with no real relatable problems. It's just an annoying rant with a few soft porn moments tossed in. I contemplated giving up on it but I guess I had faith it would get better. It didn't. The last seven minutes were so painful.

1 person found this helpful

need engagement

I like it. but I did not love it. needs more engagement. the story wasn't the best

It sucks!!

So disappointed. I’m surprised the author thinks that love is about sex, and more sex. I don’t believe your time on this planet is about sex at all. Love is not sex.

Good Book

I have been reading Paulo's books since Alchemist. This would be better read than audio