Happens Every Day

An All-Too-True Story

By: Isabel Gillies

Narrated by: Isabel Gillies

Isabel Gillies had a wonderful life - a handsome, intelligent, loving husband; two glorious toddlers; a beautiful house; the time and place to express all her ebullience and affection and optimism.

Suddenly, that life was over. Her husband, Josiah, announced that he was leaving her and their two young sons.

When Josiah took a teaching job at a Midwestern college, Isabel and their sons moved with him from New York City to Ohio, where Isabel taught acting, threw herself into the college community, and delighted in the less-scheduled lives of toddlers raised away from the city. But within a few months, the marriage was over. The life Isabel had made crumbled. "Happens every day," said a friend.

Far from a self-pitying diatribe, Happens Every Day reads like an intimate conversation between friends. Gillies has written a dizzyingly candid, compulsively listenable, ultimately redemptive story about love, marriage, family, heartbreak, and the unexpected turns of a life.

On the one hand, listening to this book is like hearing a train wreck. On the other hand, as Gillies herself says, it is about trying to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness, and loving your life even if it has slipped away. Hers is a remarkable new voice -- instinctive, funny, and irresistible.

©2009 Isabel Gillies; 2009 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Awesome

I’m not a reader at all but this book caught my attention from beginning to end

Adored it!

I loved this book because it felt like the author was a friend telling me about everything that had happened up until I met her. It was an honest and real look at divorce. I look forward to future projects.

my story

every page of this book was my story of course my feelings and pain except mine hasnt ended that nicely highly recommend

Great book!

I felt like I was in her shoes the entire time. It was filled with emotions and a lot of detail. Very well written!

Not only a good book--she is a great narrator

At first I didn't realize the author herself was the narrator--but then I realized she's a professional actress so of course she would make a great narrator. I am picky about narrators, but usually overlook the issue when writing a review. However, I enjoyed Gillies' voice, tone, and narration so much that I say Please, Please, if Gillies ever takes time off from acting hire her to narrate more books. Her voice is really easy on the ears!
As for the book, it is better than fiction! I am sorry she had to go through this, but there is a lot of heart in this book that will be of comfort and help to others in the same boat. I couldn't "put it down" (wrong phrase for an audiobook...let's just say I kept wearing down my battery on my player.)

Great read for a hard time

Author brings the story of love and heartbreak to you in a very real way.

Great until the end..

This book was very realistic and well written - I felt that I have "been there, done that" - In fact, I have. Unfortunately, the story is all too true and it is written so that you feel you are living the story... until the last 20 minutes. I felt like the author didn't really know how to end the story to keep it believable. The author was an excellent narrator which is not often the case with authors. I will look forward to this author's next book.

its a great listen...

this is a compelling listen...i'm listening whenever possible as this is a hard-to-put-down sort of book. despite some awkward pauses in the recording (a director was needed or the current one should have been fired), thumbs up to the author.

Isabel Inspired Me

Where does Happens Every Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10

What other book might you compare Happens Every Day to and why?

A Year and Six Seconds - sequel, we learn how she pulls her life back together

Which character – as performed by Isabel Gillies – was your favorite?

The other woman

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Hate it

I'd have given this book a lower rating if it was possible to do so. I couldn't figure out why I'd care that this couple divorced, as there was no clue about why they were together to start with. I can't believe I listened to this all the way through but I thought there had to be a point somewhere - there isn't.