St. Ivo, Joanna Hershon
St. Ivo, Joanna Hershon
List: $15.99 | Sale: $11.20
Club: $7.99

St. Ivo

Author: Joanna Hershon

Narrator: Joanna Hershon

Unabridged: 5 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/14/2020


Synopsis

Over the course of a weekend, two couples reckon with the long-hidden secrets that have shaped their families, in a charged, poignant novel of motherhood and friendship It’s the end of summer when we meet Sarah, the end of summer and the middle of her life, the middle of her career (she hopes it’s not the end), the middle of her marriage (recently repaired). And despite the years that have passed since she last saw her daughter, she is still very much in the middle of figuring out what happened to Leda, what role she played, and how she will let that loss affect the rest of her life. Enter a mysterious stranger on a train, an older man taking the subway to Brooklyn who sees right into her. Then a mugging, her phone stolen, and with it any last connection to Leda. And then an invitation, friends from the past and a weekend in the country with their new, unexpected baby. Over the course of three hot September days, the two couples try to reconnect. Events that have been set in motion, circumstances and feelings kept hidden, rise to the surface, forcing each to ask not just how they ended up where they are, but how they ended up who they are. Unwinding like a suspense novel, Joanna Hershon’s St. Ivo is a powerful investigation into the meaning of choice and family, whether we ever know the people closest to us, and how, when someone goes missing from our lives, we can ever let them go. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessica on January 20, 2020

3.5 stars. While they don't seem to have all that much in common, I would put this book in the same stack as last year's THE BODY IN QUESTION by Jill Clement. Both are definitively literary novels, but use elements of crime and suspense to heighten tension. Ultimately neither one is really all that......more

Goodreads review by RJ on October 29, 2019

The synopsis made the book sound mysterious and exciting -- I wanted to settle in and enjoy this book. However, the more I read, I realized that the description was the best part. The characters were two dimensional, cliches. . . And not very likable. The story meandered here and there, seemingly wi......more

Goodreads review by Heather on August 28, 2020

I can see how some people might find this book meandering and kind of pointless, but I have to guve it 4 stars for how wonderfully Hershon nails the feeling of loving an addict, and what it might feel like to have your own child reject you. I also liked how real the marriage felt, too.......more

Goodreads review by Kayla on January 13, 2020

Sarah goes about her life in a daze, half in the past and half in the present. She worries what the future will hold. A chance encounter on the subway sticks with her even after she and her husband, Matthew, are mugged. The couple quickly leaves town to visit old friends they haven’t spoken to in ye......more

Goodreads review by Anna on May 02, 2020

I couldn't put this book down. A page-turning glimpse under the surface of a seemingly perfect life and marriage, St. Ivo had me hooked from its opening pages. Highly recommend for those who like smart, emotionally satisfying literary fiction--and for anyone (isn't that everyone?) who'd like to esca......more