Playing Away

Adele Parks' Playing Away is founded on that well-worn adage: the grass is always greener. Connie and Luke have been married a year and they're both ecstatically happy. Or are they? The reader quickly realises that Connie isn't short for Constancy. Away on a business trip, her loins irrepressibly draw her to the devilishly attractive John Harding and she rushes headlong into a heated affair. Connie soon becomes Con-Artist as she deceives her decent but dull husband. While her lover woos her with evenings at out-of-the-way, grubby pubs and with late-night calls and faxes, after pub closing-time, declaring his longing for her, Connie begins to confuse lust with fate and deludes herself he could be the one.

In Playing Away, the author has entered dangerous, forbidden territory by writing from the perspective of the adulteress--a traditionally unsympathetic character. However, Adele Parks has succeeded in making the reader despise the character's actions, without rejecting Connie, who is attractive, candid and exhilarating. So many novels these days focus on finding Mr Right, it is refreshing to come across one that looks beyond the wedding and proceeds to undermine the traditional stereotype--only men are tempted to stray. A scorching, subversive debut novel, this novel has all the ingredients of a successful modern romance but with a healthy dose of reality.

Adele Parks joins the new elite of twenty-/thirtysomething female authors who are sustaining the spirit of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary. By deepening the genre's significance and adding a sting to the tail, they are finding innovative ways to achieve more resonance with today's women. Nicola Perry

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Horrible, horrible, horrible! - Rated
This is one of the worst books I have ever read, and I have read a lot! Most of the characters are quite simply unbelievable, shallow or one dimensional, the dialogue is ridiculously contrived, months pass by with no explanation...

I could go on but this book really does not deserve any more of my time.

One last point - whatever has happened to editors or even simple spell checking? The errors in this book were outrageous!

Interesting and thought provoking read - Rated
i read this book after reading "young wives tales"
to fill me in about the affair between Connie and john.
I was not dissapointed.
I thoroughly enjoyed Young wives tales..but this book was far better!
and Everything fell into place.
I could not put this book down from about half way thru.
You feel the characters pain, joys and sorrows.
it wasnt the best start, but a very enjoyable read just the same.
I look forward to reading more of her books.

Repetitive content..... contrived prose on times - Rated
The premise of the book is unflinchingly true to life, the characters are solid and I was captivated enough to stay up until 3am to finish the book in one sitting.

The 3 star rating I have given this book is purely based on the repetitive nature of some points (I lost count how many times the venue All Bar One is mentioned *yawn*) and oftentimes the prose is trite to say the least.

Would it stop me reading any other books by the author? Probably not but it was kind of frustrating.

Uncannily accurate - Rated
I loved this book - it's scarily realistic. For anyone that has ever been in a comfortable relationship and thought that would never play away!

Doesn't help if the main character is ghastly! - Rated
As an exercise in self-justification, however unreasonable the behaviour, Connie takes the proverbial biscuit! When her husband found out, I found myself hoping that the author would have the courage to end the book with a divorce and not the more usual reconciliation (read the book to found out!).