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Escape
In her luminous new novel, Barbara Delinsky explores every woman’s desire to abandon the endless obligations of work and marriage—and the idea that the most passionate romance can be found with the person you know best.
Emily Aulenbach is thirty-two, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with victims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side.
And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband, James, with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.
Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.
Emily Aulenbach is thirty-two, a lawyer married to a lawyer, working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, but she spends her days in a cubicle talking on the phone with victims of tainted bottled water—and she is on the bottler’s side.
And it isn’t only work. It’s her sister, her friends, even her husband, James, with whom she doesn’t connect the way she used to. She doesn’t connect to much in her life, period, with the exception of three things—her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch.
Acting on impulse, Emily leaves work early one day, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. Groping toward the future, uncharacteristically following her gut rather than her mind, she heads north toward a New Hampshire town tucked between mountains. She knows this town. During her college years, she spent a watershed summer here. Painful as it is to return, she knows that if she is to right her life, she has to start here.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
964 people are currently reading
5126 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Delinsky
307 books4,356 followersI was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 963 reviews
July 16, 2011
I am a Barbara Delinsky fan, I have read many of her books, but I must say I was a little disappointed with this book. I just could not connect with the main character, Emily, at all, I found her a bit spoiled and self-centered, and just a bit boring. I could not make the connection between her and the coyotes, it seemed a bit weird to me. However, that does not mean I won't read anymore Delinsky books. (I love her books.) I just think being from the older generation, this book will probably be enjoyed much more by the younger generation. I know if I ever pulled a stunt like the main character Emily did, I don't know if I would have had a home to come home to.
The book was very predictable, with a strange ending, at least to me. I must say, Emily had a very understanding and long suffering husband. I just kept wanting to yell at the top of my lungs at Emily, ENOUGH, GO HOME!!! I suffered through the whole book, made it to the end. I'm sorry Ms. Delinsky, this book was just not my cup of tea.
The book was very predictable, with a strange ending, at least to me. I must say, Emily had a very understanding and long suffering husband. I just kept wanting to yell at the top of my lungs at Emily, ENOUGH, GO HOME!!! I suffered through the whole book, made it to the end. I'm sorry Ms. Delinsky, this book was just not my cup of tea.
August 9, 2011
You know how sometimes you just have to be in the right place in your life to enjoy a book? Well, this one's not doing it for me. I think I would have liked it better in my younger years. Now, I'm too old, jaded, synical. The protagonist Emily, is a lawyer, escaping from her life in NY. Her husband is also a lawyer, they own a house, a nice car, are both young and beautiful and struggling to conceive a child. Emily does not feel fulfilled in her life and is looking for more. Perhaps if Delinsky elaborated a little more in the beginning to get you on Emily's side, it would have worked. But, sorry but I can't relate to "escaping" from that world. I'm much happier reading a rags to riches story.
January 18, 2012
Emily is 32; living in New York; working 16-18 hours a day at a large law firm; married to James, a wonderful man whom she loves dearly, who also happens to be a lawyer, and who works more hours than she does. Like every other morning, when Emily wakes up at 6 am she’s already receiving and sending text messages from her boss, husband, clients, sister, and colleagues, etc. She gets to work and it’s while she’s dealing with a file that she feels the walls closing in on her. She immediately leaves the office, goes home, packs, grabs the car and leaves the city without telling anyone. At that moment she doesn’t know where she’s going, if she should call her husband, and comes to the conclusion she hates all technological gadgets. She also knows that the life she is leading is not the life she signed up for. She and her husband had a dream and it’s not what they’re living. She’s trying to figure out where it all went wrong. She needs to change that. In a nutshell, she’s trying to find herself.
Who doesn’t at times want to chuck it all in and just leave at some point in their life. God knows I have. Leaving her job is one thing, but leaving the husband she loves? No. As I read on, I found Emily to be self-centered and selfish, not to mention boring. It’s all about what she wants. She wants the best of both worlds, but instead of being an adult, she waits for the answer by some means. I will say that I really adored her husband, James. I don’t think in reality a man like that would put up with Emily (I could be wrong). My issues with her: if you don’t like your job, find another one; don’t like techie-gadgets, throw them away; love your husband, don’t leave him. Talk to him. If he won’t listen, find a way to make him listen. Running away will not solve the problem – it creates more. By the way, I have no idea what the references to the wolves meant.
I can’t say I loved the book, but I also can’t say that I hated it. I know it’s just a made-up story but I didn’t think it was written or thought out well. There were other characters introduced that I thought didn’t need to be included. It’s as though the author was going to go in one direction with the story, but instead went another. As for the ending, it was what I predicted half-way thru.
Who doesn’t at times want to chuck it all in and just leave at some point in their life. God knows I have. Leaving her job is one thing, but leaving the husband she loves? No. As I read on, I found Emily to be self-centered and selfish, not to mention boring. It’s all about what she wants. She wants the best of both worlds, but instead of being an adult, she waits for the answer by some means. I will say that I really adored her husband, James. I don’t think in reality a man like that would put up with Emily (I could be wrong). My issues with her: if you don’t like your job, find another one; don’t like techie-gadgets, throw them away; love your husband, don’t leave him. Talk to him. If he won’t listen, find a way to make him listen. Running away will not solve the problem – it creates more. By the way, I have no idea what the references to the wolves meant.
I can’t say I loved the book, but I also can’t say that I hated it. I know it’s just a made-up story but I didn’t think it was written or thought out well. There were other characters introduced that I thought didn’t need to be included. It’s as though the author was going to go in one direction with the story, but instead went another. As for the ending, it was what I predicted half-way thru.
January 3, 2012
Today at 5AM I dropped my significant other off at his work. Instead of turning right out of the parking lot as I always do, I turned left and kept going. Yeah, I can relate to this book. It's a different mind-set, driving off into the unknown, leaving the known and dissatisfaction behind. For a while I imagined just driving and driving, stopping in new or even revisiting old places, getting a room, checking in relaxing, walking, exploring, visiting. There are no time constraints, no pressures, an easing of stress, responsibilities.
Alas, my bank account cannot manage an escape such as Emily's and I'm back home after a short, very short, sojourn. I enjoyed reading "Escape" and found it totally plausible, not just for myself, but for the many others in mind numbing situations. My sister, for one, is driven by the pressures of "Billable. Billable. Billable," so I understand and can relate to both main characters. I truly enjoyed every word and circumstance, especially the animal refuge and the symbolic coyotes.
Alas, my bank account cannot manage an escape such as Emily's and I'm back home after a short, very short, sojourn. I enjoyed reading "Escape" and found it totally plausible, not just for myself, but for the many others in mind numbing situations. My sister, for one, is driven by the pressures of "Billable. Billable. Billable," so I understand and can relate to both main characters. I truly enjoyed every word and circumstance, especially the animal refuge and the symbolic coyotes.
July 20, 2016
At one point or another everyone searches for an escape from their busy life. An escape from work, family, technology, friends, obligations. An escape from the harsh reality of the real world. And the promise of escape from my whining child – even a short-term one – is what drew me to this book in the first place.
This is the story of 32-year-old Emily – wife of James, employee of Lane Lavash, and a woman who dreams of becoming a mother. Emily thinks she’s living the dream in New York City until one day she realizes that there’s nothing perfect about the “perfect life” she’s been living.
At this realization Vicki suddenly has an overwhelming need to get away from it all. So she does. She packs a bag, bundles everything into her husband’s flashy sports car, and takes off to reconnect with old friend Vicki Bell in a small New Hampshire town haunted by memories of an old life and an old love.
Emily keeps in minimal contact with her mother and her husband James but otherwise has no desire to maintain even a shred of her previous life. She has no plan – aside from having no plan – and decides to play everything by ear. And when Emily’s old love Jude comes onto the scene Emily is tested: as a wife, as a friend, and as a human being.
I wanted to love this book – I really did. The compelling summary on the book jacket made it seem like something I would love! But while this book started out with great promise it sort of stopped moving forward a few chapters in. Throw in some very strange metaphors – including the parallel of a man and a coyote and I couldn’t force myself to read one more word about 50 pages in!
Bottom Line: This is the first of Barbara Delinsky’s books that I’ve had a chance to read an unfortunately I am not exactly running to pick up the rest of her works. It makes me sad to write this but Escape is boring, plain and simple. I don’t recommend it at all.
This is the story of 32-year-old Emily – wife of James, employee of Lane Lavash, and a woman who dreams of becoming a mother. Emily thinks she’s living the dream in New York City until one day she realizes that there’s nothing perfect about the “perfect life” she’s been living.
At this realization Vicki suddenly has an overwhelming need to get away from it all. So she does. She packs a bag, bundles everything into her husband’s flashy sports car, and takes off to reconnect with old friend Vicki Bell in a small New Hampshire town haunted by memories of an old life and an old love.
Emily keeps in minimal contact with her mother and her husband James but otherwise has no desire to maintain even a shred of her previous life. She has no plan – aside from having no plan – and decides to play everything by ear. And when Emily’s old love Jude comes onto the scene Emily is tested: as a wife, as a friend, and as a human being.
I wanted to love this book – I really did. The compelling summary on the book jacket made it seem like something I would love! But while this book started out with great promise it sort of stopped moving forward a few chapters in. Throw in some very strange metaphors – including the parallel of a man and a coyote and I couldn’t force myself to read one more word about 50 pages in!
Bottom Line: This is the first of Barbara Delinsky’s books that I’ve had a chance to read an unfortunately I am not exactly running to pick up the rest of her works. It makes me sad to write this but Escape is boring, plain and simple. I don’t recommend it at all.
May 20, 2012
I really like Ms. Delinsky's books, but this was not a favorite. It got off to a good start and had some action toward the end, but the majority of the story was a little too "nothing" for me, and I found myself not able to relate to the main character a lot of the time. We were never given sufficient reason for why she would want to escape the way she did, and I would have liked to have seen a few more pages explaining why she found both her husband and her job so unbearable. Once the story got going, it was hard for me to be sympathetic to someone who seemed immature and selfish more often than I wanted her to be. I have a problem with couples who love each other like crazy but for some silly reason aren't together, and there was some of that here. The husband we come to know seems like a completely different person than the brief glimpse we had of him before she ran away. There were other inconsistencies that made things just not ring true. I also couldn't relate to the coyote part at all. I understand the symbolism, but it seemed forced, and I don't usually feel that in books by this author. I didn't completely dislike it, but I don't think it was anywhere near as good as many of her others. The title is intriguing, but I think it could have been much better.
October 30, 2011
For the mostpart I enjoyed Escape. An easy read and a story I could identify with.
However...
**SPOILER**
I didn't expect the hostage situation, in fact I found it inconsistent with the storyline. I think what bothered me most was both James and Jude seemed completely out of character in handling the situation. James may have been a great negotiator but I don't believe he would've walked into such a dangerous situation, especially with a baby on the way - he was portrayed as way too responsible for that. It bothered me too that the local cops just stepped aside to let the big city lawyer take over the negotiations - seemed unrealistic to me and a little insulting to small town law enforcement. Although Jude was selfish and a risk taker, I didn't think he was an idiot, and barging in on a volatile hostage situation so he could get a rush just seemed silly.
The coyotes I could take or leave. I think I understand where the author was going with it but the story could've survived without that aspect.
Had the characters battled it out in the courtroom rather than in the victim's home, I think I would've enjoyed Escape more but it was still a good read.
However...
**SPOILER**
I didn't expect the hostage situation, in fact I found it inconsistent with the storyline. I think what bothered me most was both James and Jude seemed completely out of character in handling the situation. James may have been a great negotiator but I don't believe he would've walked into such a dangerous situation, especially with a baby on the way - he was portrayed as way too responsible for that. It bothered me too that the local cops just stepped aside to let the big city lawyer take over the negotiations - seemed unrealistic to me and a little insulting to small town law enforcement. Although Jude was selfish and a risk taker, I didn't think he was an idiot, and barging in on a volatile hostage situation so he could get a rush just seemed silly.
The coyotes I could take or leave. I think I understand where the author was going with it but the story could've survived without that aspect.
Had the characters battled it out in the courtroom rather than in the victim's home, I think I would've enjoyed Escape more but it was still a good read.
July 16, 2011
I'm very surprised by the number of stars this book received. I have read others by Delinsky that were also escapist fiction, but much better than this one. I read in the afterword that she wrote this book on the advice of her fans. I don't think that was a very good idea. We fans are not authors--what do we know? Premise was ok, the whole "coyote" thing--stupid. And, there were too many things going on at once, but not a lot of detail. I feel like I need to emphasize how lame I felt the coyote plot was.
1.5 stars. Yes, I kept reading. The characters weren't horrible. It wasn't horribly written. It wasn't a horrible premise.
I look at my Kindle, and when I see this book, contrasted with, let's say, The Passage, I think--wow, THAT was a great book. Or, A Visit from the Goon Squad--even better. I need to remove this one from my device, stat.
1.5 stars. Yes, I kept reading. The characters weren't horrible. It wasn't horribly written. It wasn't a horrible premise.
I look at my Kindle, and when I see this book, contrasted with, let's say, The Passage, I think--wow, THAT was a great book. Or, A Visit from the Goon Squad--even better. I need to remove this one from my device, stat.
April 25, 2012
Escape is the 41st stand-alone novel by popular author, Barbara Delinsky. One Friday morning, New York lawyer Emily Aulenbach takes stock of her life and realises it has strayed so far from her dream that she needs to escape. She takes off her watch, turns off her Blackberry, leaves behind her laptop and, without telling anyone or having any firm plans, heads north. After a few days, she finds herself in Bell Valley, New Hampshire, a place where her life changed radically one summer, ten years ago, and a place where she hopes to, once again, find herself. In Bell Valley, she renews a neglected friendship with Vicki Bell, submits to the healing powers of the Animal Refuge and reconnects with the mystical coyote of that long-ago summer. But an old lover, Vicki’s brother Jude, has also returned to Bell Valley; Emily is wedded to James, but the problems she ran away from include her unfulfilling job, her demanding family and friends and her dysfunctional marriage, so is Jude’s presence a help or a hindrance? In this novel, Delinsky gives the reader characters with depth, spirit and integrity and a plot that is original and unpredictable, with an exciting climax. Delinsky touches on a range of topical subjects: the pressure of modern-day life; damage claims against large corporations; animal refuges; trust funds; intimidation and stalking; infertility and life balance. I had not read any Delinsky novels for quite some time, so I had forgotten what a pleasure these are to read. I really enjoyed this one.
March 29, 2017
Life can change all the dreams you've made about your life. Especially when the dreams you had are making you unhappy or near a nervous breakdown. Emily was in her element as a lawyer but was not doing the lawyerly things she planned to do. Her job was making her ill (mentally; would soon become physically). She had to take a huge leap of self-adjustment in order to figure out what was important to her and what she really needed to do in order to feel whole, alive and content with herself.
This book makes you re-evaluate what's most important to you. It shows you the downsides of never growing up , the issues you run from (Jude), how to return to happy. Enjoy reading. I certainly did.
This book makes you re-evaluate what's most important to you. It shows you the downsides of never growing up , the issues you run from (Jude), how to return to happy. Enjoy reading. I certainly did.
January 26, 2017
For decades I have loved the works of B. Delinsky, Anne Rivers Siddens and Nancy Thayer. In the last month I have read the newest novel of all 3 authors and am astounded by what they have lost. Delinsky was always a sure bet for a mesmerizing, gripping and beautifully written novel. Escape escaped all of these adjectives. There were at least half a dozen typos and several grammatical errors, as well! What is going on w/ the editing these days?
The premise of this book was a good one: What happens when today's female yuppies,( in this case, a 32 yr. old attorney), simply get fed up with the rat race, technology, and never taking time to enjoy nature and genuine communication? Emily, the protagonist, decides she simply has to get away and returns to a small NH town where she once spent a romantic, magical summer, falling in love with Jude (basically a spoiled loser) and enjoying the warmth of Jude's family. She returns, not looking to be with Jude, since Emily is happily married, but to find herself again, find the young girl she was, just after college. The cast of characters include unscrupulous lawyers, bastard swindlers, a meek baker, an old best friend, an overbearing matriarch, and a wonderful husband (James). Sounds good, but it just didn't flow well until the last 30 pages when there was some really excitement. There are coyotes and animals in need of love and rescuing, but the characters need rescuing as well. Again, the premise was good, but on many levels the story was slow and never did congeal as well as the author is capable. I could not believe the numerous typos that were so blatant that anyone would notice, let alone a paid editor. Are these authors simply getting too old? I would hate to think that as they are not much older than I am, and I do not yet feel my brain has slipped! It is not the worst book ever, but definitely well under par for Ms. Delinsky!
The premise of this book was a good one: What happens when today's female yuppies,( in this case, a 32 yr. old attorney), simply get fed up with the rat race, technology, and never taking time to enjoy nature and genuine communication? Emily, the protagonist, decides she simply has to get away and returns to a small NH town where she once spent a romantic, magical summer, falling in love with Jude (basically a spoiled loser) and enjoying the warmth of Jude's family. She returns, not looking to be with Jude, since Emily is happily married, but to find herself again, find the young girl she was, just after college. The cast of characters include unscrupulous lawyers, bastard swindlers, a meek baker, an old best friend, an overbearing matriarch, and a wonderful husband (James). Sounds good, but it just didn't flow well until the last 30 pages when there was some really excitement. There are coyotes and animals in need of love and rescuing, but the characters need rescuing as well. Again, the premise was good, but on many levels the story was slow and never did congeal as well as the author is capable. I could not believe the numerous typos that were so blatant that anyone would notice, let alone a paid editor. Are these authors simply getting too old? I would hate to think that as they are not much older than I am, and I do not yet feel my brain has slipped! It is not the worst book ever, but definitely well under par for Ms. Delinsky!
October 16, 2011
Nice, quiet read. Nothing too complex, the characters were people I could relate to and the plot was simple. Who, if they really had the chance, has not wished they could not quit everything they were doing and run away for a few days and just "find themselves"? The main character in the book did just that and she ends up running back to the place where she found her first love (not her current husband) and where her closest girlfriend lives. But wait, before she leaves "her current life" she gets another letter from her first love telling her that he is going back home- just an FYI to her. Yes, she thought she pefectly happy with her husband but why not tempt herself and make sure that she really is happy and although she says throughout the book that she is not going back to that town because of him, come on folks..lets be real. What I liked about the book was that it made me escape my own daily life and that is what books are supposed to do I liked that the Emily realized what was important to her before it was too late in life. Perhaps if other people can take a bit of Emily's enlightenment and apply that it their lives, they could be more compassionate, less materialistic, more real, less busy, more friendly, etc.
October 8, 2012
Makin' your way in the world today takes everything you got. Takin' a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you gotta go where everybody knows your name.... Emily needed a Cheers. I'm just sayin'. I kept singing the theme song to myself while I read the book.From the outside, it looks like Emily has it all. She's got the gorgeous husband, the expensive home, the high-paying job at the top-notch law firm. But New York hasn't been kind to Emily. She feels lost and forgotten - don't we all sometimes? She realizes that she doesn't have one good friend she can turn to, one person who will understand her, one shoulder she can lean on. She actually hates her job, where she doesn't get to use her excellent skills as an attorney, instead having become a glorified data entry clerk, taking calls from potential clients who are having the most devastating time in their lives due to corporate negligence. She thinks her husband may be having an affair, and even her book group, that barely sees each other for an hour a month, isn't an escape, everyone busy on their phones or with their lives and never really connecting.
So Emily escapes to the small town she stayed in the summer between college and law school, drawn back by dreams of a coyote she saw in the woods once upon a time, by a long-neglected friendship with the one woman in her life as close as a sister, and by the lure of possibly seeing her first love, Jude, one more time.
I really enjoyed Escape. I think everyone has had a moment or two when they've wanted to just walk out of their job and not look back, get in their car and drive somewhere beautiful, where you don't have responsibilities or stress. I could relate to Emily and her struggles, her disappointments in life, and the way she managed to put the pieces back together again after walking away and shattering the image of a happy life.
This isn't high literature, but it's a departure from some Delinsky novels style wise, in that while it had romantic elements, the primary storyline of the book was a search for oneself. It isn't a heavy read, but there are definitely moments that make you contemplate your own life. I like books that make me think a bit, and I wasn't expecting this one to do that, but it certainly delivered on the consider-your-outcome angle.
I would also like to take a moment to say that Delinsky's sex scenes? Yeah, I actually like them. I usually skip them in books, honestly, because I find them either boring or distasteful (No, I'm not secretly an 11 year old prude, I just prefer doing to reading about - hah!). I found the ones in Escape, as I have in other Delinsky books - to be lovely, romantic, not over-the-top but still very sensual. I don't know how she does it, but she manages to create an incredible sensual atmosphere without being overly graphic or cliched.
Overall, this was a great late summer/early fall read. Much of it was read lounging on the deck on crisp afternoons with a cup of tea, and it was ridiculously perfect for that. An excellent "get away" book when you can't take off yourself.
September 2, 2011
Emily Aulenback is a successful 30-year-old lawyer married to James - who is also a lawyer. While once she dreamed of representing victims of abuse... instead she sits in her cubicle day after day talking to people who drank tainted water. Day after day the job drones on, the long hours, James putting in even more time than she does, the demands of the lifestyle they had created. Emily lives by her blackberry, her computer, and her watch.
Then one day... suddenly she decided she has had enough. She walks out of her job, packs a bag, leaves her husband a quick note - and starts to drive. One word resounds in her mind....
escape.
At first she has no destination... but then she finds herself heading towards a small New Hampshire town that she knew well from her college days. She knows her friend is still there now running a bed and breakfast and maybe she will find her way.... by going back to when life was just easier.
I was initially drawn to this book by the title and the cover. Perhaps a little shallow of me, but come on - the title.... "escape".... what's not to like? I think that may be why as I sit here attempting to write this review... I am struggling a bit.
Why?
Well... there was a lot I liked about the book... I liked the idea of "the escape", I mean seriously - I have been there... sometimes I have joked that it would be easier to go and live int he woods.... get a little cabin, no internet, no phone, no commitments... just me living off the land. Of course if you know me... you know this would be cool for about a week before I would be crawling the walls for something to do and ways to connect...... but still, it is there.
I liked Emily, but did not love her. I liked her husband James a lot, finding him patient and even likeable even thought their marriage was off track, you could see it was both their doing. I liked the small town Emily escapes too, her friend Vicki, and the mini saga of Lee... I even think I liked Jude as "the other man" even though... well... he isn't...
It almost felt like one story was being told in the beginning... 1) Emily is receiving letters from her ex boy friend and decides to escape to where she knows he will be, and then 2) Emily is deeply in love with her husband and is just trying to find a happy medium...
Even as I write this I am still torn, my gut says there was an opportunity for a great story here that was not developed. It started strong, and quickly fithered (my word) into just an ok read... I felt many of the story lines never came to fruit.... there was more to the wolves, but we never got there, there was more to Jude, but again... unfinished, ... so after all that.... my one sentence summary is:
Started with a strong boil that quickly went to a slow simmer.
Then one day... suddenly she decided she has had enough. She walks out of her job, packs a bag, leaves her husband a quick note - and starts to drive. One word resounds in her mind....
escape.
At first she has no destination... but then she finds herself heading towards a small New Hampshire town that she knew well from her college days. She knows her friend is still there now running a bed and breakfast and maybe she will find her way.... by going back to when life was just easier.
I was initially drawn to this book by the title and the cover. Perhaps a little shallow of me, but come on - the title.... "escape".... what's not to like? I think that may be why as I sit here attempting to write this review... I am struggling a bit.
Why?
Well... there was a lot I liked about the book... I liked the idea of "the escape", I mean seriously - I have been there... sometimes I have joked that it would be easier to go and live int he woods.... get a little cabin, no internet, no phone, no commitments... just me living off the land. Of course if you know me... you know this would be cool for about a week before I would be crawling the walls for something to do and ways to connect...... but still, it is there.
I liked Emily, but did not love her. I liked her husband James a lot, finding him patient and even likeable even thought their marriage was off track, you could see it was both their doing. I liked the small town Emily escapes too, her friend Vicki, and the mini saga of Lee... I even think I liked Jude as "the other man" even though... well... he isn't...
It almost felt like one story was being told in the beginning... 1) Emily is receiving letters from her ex boy friend and decides to escape to where she knows he will be, and then 2) Emily is deeply in love with her husband and is just trying to find a happy medium...
Even as I write this I am still torn, my gut says there was an opportunity for a great story here that was not developed. It started strong, and quickly fithered (my word) into just an ok read... I felt many of the story lines never came to fruit.... there was more to the wolves, but we never got there, there was more to Jude, but again... unfinished, ... so after all that.... my one sentence summary is:
Started with a strong boil that quickly went to a slow simmer.
October 8, 2011
Emily and James seem to have it all. They are both high powered New York attorneys with a home in the right neighborhood, and the fast paced lifestyle of the city. However, in a sudden realization, Emily runs home and packs up her bag, grabs the car, and races out of the city with the urgent need to escape. She can't breathe. Her life has turned into a machinical routine and the life with James that she used to love is gone and in its place is 19 hour days, more work at home, and little sleep much less time for intimacy with her husband. She drives aimlessly until she ends up in Bell Valley, New Hampshire, the hometown of her best friend Vicki Bell where she spent an unforgettable summer. This may be a dangerous decision for Emily because although the town and its relaxing atmosphere have everything to offer Emily, who needs rest and time to re-examine her life, also holds Jude Bell the wild and dangerous man she was involved with that unforgettable summer long ago. Jude, Vicki's brother, is everything her husband is not...spontaneous, carefree, wild, reckless, and adventure. But Emily doesn't want that extreme either. She wants to find herself and a place in the middle where she can lead the life she wants with James, balanced between work, friends, and marriage. She soon finds a relaxing routine in the small town volunteering in the animal refuge, helping Vicki run her inn, and calling James to reassure him she isn't leaving him. She meets Lee, an employee at the inn, who needs Emily's and James help. With that bond between them, Emily and James learn together what is really their dream.
An enjoyable read by a quite capable author, this cannot be labeled chick-lit. This is a contemporary women's fiction read that may at first seem to have a familiar plot, but Delinsky delineates her story from the old plot and adds her own spin to this couple who need to learn find balance in their lives. There are some action packed parts mixed in with love, relationships, and good friends. You can't help finding yourself cheering on Emily and James in hopes that they can make it.
An enjoyable read by a quite capable author, this cannot be labeled chick-lit. This is a contemporary women's fiction read that may at first seem to have a familiar plot, but Delinsky delineates her story from the old plot and adds her own spin to this couple who need to learn find balance in their lives. There are some action packed parts mixed in with love, relationships, and good friends. You can't help finding yourself cheering on Emily and James in hopes that they can make it.
October 5, 2016
I started this book while on holiday back in July and really struggled to get into it. I normally love Barbara Delinsky's novels, but this one didn't even feel like it was written by her. Maybe part of it was the first-person perspective? I just didn't care about the protagonist whatsoever. I kept plugging away at this book in the hope that I would enjoy it more as the story developed, but I got about halfway through and still wasn't any more invested in the story and finally decided to give up on it. Every author writes a dud, and I guess this is Delinsky's. I'm really bad at abandoning books, but this one was getting me down and gave me a real reader's block as I didn't want to start anything new until I'd finished it, but it was taking forever to read. Basically, it's okay to give up on books that you're not enjoying. I need to do it more.
May 26, 2017
This was a good story with a happy ending. A very nice read. I enjoyed it. When I started the story I kept thinking, no one would do what this woman did, leave her job, husband and home, just walking away and telling no one where she was going. But the story did make sense and I also realized as I was reading that I had done something similar to this when I was in my 20's. So it can happen and does and after that I could relate to the character and the story. Very well done. Will definitely recommend if you like this type of book which I do.
November 20, 2011
I too was unable (or unwilling) to finish the book. So much about it is wrong, from the cookie-cutter characters to the unnatural dialogue. I should write more, but I get tired thinking about it. I'm just glad I didn't waste any more time in attempting to finish it.
January 30, 2023
It's a story of dissatisfaction and searching for a better way, which I think we all go through at least once in our lives. In that, I can relate to the main character. I cannot, however, fathom "running away" in order to figure things out. I also disagree with the author's assertion, through her main character, that all women like to talk about sex. The sex scenes (while not all that explicit) could have easily been cut from the book and left to a mere mention and the story would not have suffered a bit for it.
October 1, 2017
I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected! I have not read Barbara Delinsky in years. Downloaded this to my Kindle for a trip, expecting a lighter read. These characters are well developed; the plot conflicts are real and contemporary. This was a 3.5 ⭐️ for me, but rounded up for GR.
March 18, 2018
Liked this book & the happy ending
September 22, 2017
3.5 i liked this book, i think the added story of Lee and the hostage stuff was too much though... there was enough story with Emily and James and her escaping a life she was unhappy with to try and figure herself out.
July 6, 2018
I usually love books by Barbara Delinsky but this one didn't do it for me. I think it was because I really disliked the main character and found her to be self-centered and whiny. All of us should be able to be selfish sometime in our lives and find our happiness, but she just kept abusing people, places and things even when she was supposedly doing good at the refuge or helping another character. I also found the coyote connection to be utterly ridiculous...
September 20, 2024
Realizing you’re not living your best life and working to make a change.
August 20, 2018
I loved this book. It was about real, timely issues of taking the right path in life. If you find it doesn’t fit anymore, turn around and reevaluate. Choose a path that will bring you happiness and fulfillment.
July 22, 2011
What if you looked around one day at the accouterments of the "perfect life" you were leading, and literally couldn't breathe? What if the dreams you had and the people you love feel more like "gadgets" in your world, until you scarcely notice them? What if you feel invisible?
Successful New York lawyer Emily Aulenbach experiences all of these feelings one Friday, and acting on impulse, she leaves her office, goes home long enough to grab a few possessions, and takes off. Where will she go? Her path suddenly leads her to a place she left ten years before—Bell Valley, a small New Hampshire town that is a place of quiet peace. Surrounded by woods that seemingly beckon, along with a coyote's call, Emily believes she can find her center again here.
Old friends are there, as well as those she hurt when she left abruptly years before. But soon she is caught up in finding that inner core that once directed her, and deciding how to rearrange the pieces of her life.
But she just can't disappear. She still has to deal with those she left behind in New York, like the husband she loves. He, too, is immersed in that techno world and he is hurt by her actions. Will the two of them reconnect? Will they rediscover what drew them to one another? And will something that happens in Bell Valley help them do just that?
Yes, the themes feel familiar, but with the twist of texting instead of talking and computers instead of face time, we get to watch this couple as they weed through the extraneous layers of their lives to find out what they want. A new and exciting case in Bell Valley reminds them of what they once loved and helps them put the pieces together to form a new version of their lives.
I enjoyed "Escape" from the beginning to the end. In some ways, the character of Emily felt too predictable in the way she dealt with an old love and how quickly she found her center in this town. But the book earned four stars from me.
Successful New York lawyer Emily Aulenbach experiences all of these feelings one Friday, and acting on impulse, she leaves her office, goes home long enough to grab a few possessions, and takes off. Where will she go? Her path suddenly leads her to a place she left ten years before—Bell Valley, a small New Hampshire town that is a place of quiet peace. Surrounded by woods that seemingly beckon, along with a coyote's call, Emily believes she can find her center again here.
Old friends are there, as well as those she hurt when she left abruptly years before. But soon she is caught up in finding that inner core that once directed her, and deciding how to rearrange the pieces of her life.
But she just can't disappear. She still has to deal with those she left behind in New York, like the husband she loves. He, too, is immersed in that techno world and he is hurt by her actions. Will the two of them reconnect? Will they rediscover what drew them to one another? And will something that happens in Bell Valley help them do just that?
Yes, the themes feel familiar, but with the twist of texting instead of talking and computers instead of face time, we get to watch this couple as they weed through the extraneous layers of their lives to find out what they want. A new and exciting case in Bell Valley reminds them of what they once loved and helps them put the pieces together to form a new version of their lives.
I enjoyed "Escape" from the beginning to the end. In some ways, the character of Emily felt too predictable in the way she dealt with an old love and how quickly she found her center in this town. But the book earned four stars from me.
September 25, 2011
I am a big Barbara Delinsky fan. When I saw her new novel was out, I knew I had to read it.
This book starts off with a bang. Emily leads a very fast moving, stressful life. One day she has decided she has had enough and just ups and walks out of her job without so much as a word. She goes home, grabs a bag and off she goes, ending up in a town where she spent a very memorable summer. Yep, just ups and leaves her husband and job. There have been times when I would love to take off and just leave all my stress and worries behind so I felt a bit of envy for Emily. The responsible person in me thought Emily was nuts but let's face it, this could make for a great story.
Then the story began to drag for me. I kept waiting for something to happen. Then I found myself thinking, "am I supposed to be feeling like Emily when she realized how quiet life can be and she was contemplating what to do with her life?" Emily kept trying to decide who she was and what she should do next but in my eyes, she wasn't trying all that hard. I began to get very frustrated with her. Then to make things more fun, the guy who stole her heart that memorable summer, strolls into town. He was another character who seemed to have no responsibilities.
The last half of the book picked up again. There is a bit of mystery that comes into play and the story picks up momentum. Emily's husband also plays a bigger role in the story.
I would say this was an okay read. It wasn't my favorite Delinsky book. It kept me interested enough to finish it. If the whole book was as intense as the beginning, it would have made for a great story.
August 18, 2011
I liked it but there were some irritants. I had no problem with her stalking the coyotes -- but I have coyotes in my backyard and they don't just hang around when you approach. They run. Fast. So that was just an eye roller for me, everytime she went to connect with herself by staring into the golden eyes of the coyote. Yeah, not gonna happen.
The second was it was based in a fictional town in N.H. and the characters were given the backwoods accent that would have been completely easy to leave out. Because there really aren't all that many people in New Hampshire who speak that way. I know, because I live in a non-fictional town in the backwoods of N.H. and we use our R's.
And thirdly, there is constant reference to when she had been in this place 10 years ago. Like, that the town would not forgive her for leaving. Or that she would be recognized, etc. She was in the town for a summer 10 years prior. Anyone who lives in N.H. knows that summer is exactly six weeks. I find it highly unlikely that she would have made this huge, lasting impression on a town in that amount of time. And there was constant reference to her sleeping in the garden shed. Why? The inn had not been owned by her friend's family, so why would they be in the shed? It was like Delinsky needed to create these connections that were not necessary and in my mind detracted from the story.
Which, as I said, I liked. Just not a five-star novel. And I feel I am being a bit generous giving it four!!!!
The second was it was based in a fictional town in N.H. and the characters were given the backwoods accent that would have been completely easy to leave out. Because there really aren't all that many people in New Hampshire who speak that way. I know, because I live in a non-fictional town in the backwoods of N.H. and we use our R's.
And thirdly, there is constant reference to when she had been in this place 10 years ago. Like, that the town would not forgive her for leaving. Or that she would be recognized, etc. She was in the town for a summer 10 years prior. Anyone who lives in N.H. knows that summer is exactly six weeks. I find it highly unlikely that she would have made this huge, lasting impression on a town in that amount of time. And there was constant reference to her sleeping in the garden shed. Why? The inn had not been owned by her friend's family, so why would they be in the shed? It was like Delinsky needed to create these connections that were not necessary and in my mind detracted from the story.
Which, as I said, I liked. Just not a five-star novel. And I feel I am being a bit generous giving it four!!!!
September 10, 2011
Who hasn't thought about tossing everything and just running away? This story starts out simply enough with a Emily, a corporate lawyer in New York, realizing her life isn't what she thought it would be. She loves her husband and like being a lawyer, but finds herself more on the side of those she is supposed to be defending her client against. Emily decides she has had enough and simply walks out--on everything. She ends up driving until she discovers herself in a familiar setting where her best friend from college, Vicky Bell, lives and runs a bed and breakfast. She settles into a routine, helping Vicky out and volunteering at an animal shelter.
There the story becomes a legal drama and something happens that I wasn't expecting. Yes, I did expect her to meet Jude, the guy who broke her heart and Vicky's brother, but I never expected the part where she comes to the defense of the B&B's baker, Lee. This is where the story really goes into legal thriller as she helps Lee defend herself against evil relatives in order to keep an inheritance. There were parts of the book where I though the plot was not going anywhere and then this drama unfolds and becomes a page turner. The last part of the book is worth sticking around for. Overall, a good summer read with a bit of drama and romance.
There the story becomes a legal drama and something happens that I wasn't expecting. Yes, I did expect her to meet Jude, the guy who broke her heart and Vicky's brother, but I never expected the part where she comes to the defense of the B&B's baker, Lee. This is where the story really goes into legal thriller as she helps Lee defend herself against evil relatives in order to keep an inheritance. There were parts of the book where I though the plot was not going anywhere and then this drama unfolds and becomes a page turner. The last part of the book is worth sticking around for. Overall, a good summer read with a bit of drama and romance.
December 22, 2017
3 1/2 stars. Entertaining read owning a decent argument for not staying in a job that one dreads going to daily.
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