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Title: Evenings at Five

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Gail Godwin

Narrator: Gail Godwin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Every evening at five o'clock, Christina and Rudy stopped work and began the ritual commonly known as Happy Hour. Rudy mixed Christina's drink with loving precision, the cavalier slosh of Bombay Sapphire over ice shards, before settling across from her in his Stickley chair with his glass of Scotch. They shared a love of language and music (she is an author, he a composer, after all), a delight in intense conversation, a fascination with popes, and nearly thirty years of life together.

What did I think - that we had forever? muses Christina, seven months after Rudy's unexpected death. While coming to terms with her loss and with the space that Rudy once inhabited, Christina reflects on their vibrant bond - with all its quirks, habits, and unguarded moments - as well as her passionate sorrow and her attempts to reposition herself and her new place in the very real world they shared.

In this literary jewel, a bittersweet novella of absence and presence and the mysterious gap between them, Gail Godwin has performed a small miracle. In essence, Evenings at Five is a grief sonata for solo instrument transposed into words. Interwoven with meditations and movements, full of aching truths and a wicked sense of humor, it exquisitely captures the cyclical nature of commitment - and the eternal quality of a romance completed.

Critic Reviews:

"An unflinching account of love, loss, grief, and the struggle toward consolation. It should touch every reader with its emotional power." (Elizabeth Spencer)

Members Reviews:

Deeply real

This is the third Godwin book I've read (The Finishing School, Grief Cottage, Evenings at Five). I have loved all of them. They are imaginative and give quiet affirmation to the human experience in all its faces. The writing is clear and poetic, the characters feel real, and they are easy to love and identify with. A gifted author full of insight and hope.

Will resonate with musicians who might also read "Continuo" by Robert Starer

Knowing this was somewhat, if not entirely autobiographical, having read the late composer, Robert Starer's book, "Continuo" - which I recommend especially to musicians - this book was delightful and very moving. Ms. Godwin engages the reader in such a way that the protagonist's experience is exquisitely shared with the reader; truly a gift.

Grief needs companionship and someone may find it here

Perfect reading for someone who's lost in the early evening because their mate has died.

The beautiful ritual of sharing conversation and companionship at the end of a grueling day is an especially warm one. It's difficult to know what to do at the designated hour after spending years with someone.

One of her best!

Gail Godwin is an amazing writer. She gets better and better. This collection is not to be missed!

I love her writing but this was too short to be ...

I love her writing but this was too short to be a novel. More of a novella to use an old term. It really didn't go anywhere. disappointing because I usually love her work