Playing Away - Adele Parks

Advantages: Entertaining, nice writing style
Disadvantages: Crude language was a shock at first

...Than Life, Game Over and Playing Away) by northern author Adele Parks. The first one I read, is this one, 'Playing Away'. The book promised to be a close up look at having an affair, but the design of the book did not make me think that it would be a serious look into the pros and cons of affair. I had an image of a Bridget Jones style character as the lead, only this time she is married. The main character is a management consultant called Connie ...
...husband, Luke, a good job (even though she hates it), and a wide supportive network of friends, who we are introduced to almost immediately. First, there is Sam, Connie's work colleague, an incurable romantic desperate to find Mr Right. In my mind she is like Val from ITV's Fat Friends. Then there is Daisy, seems a bit of a wet blanket at first, loves to hear stories of how Luke proposed to Connie. In my mind she is like Emily from Emmerdale, and ... Read review

Advantages: Easily readable
Disadvantages: Contains nothing you'd really want to read!

Over the years, I've become quite a fan of the chick-lit and bloke-lit genres. It's one of those guilty pleasures, in which you know every time you pick the book up that you should be reading something with a bit more depth but you just don't quite have the will power to let go. Fortunately, I think I may just have found the book to cure my addiction to the genre. A couple of years ago, I was given a free book on the purchase of a travel guide. ...
...unloved upon my shelf until a friend who has similar reading tastes to me mentioned she was a big fan of the author. Given that our tastes coincide in so many ways, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. If only I had known then what I know now. Connie is married to Luke and has been for the last year, she believes happily. However, life is becoming stale so when she meets John Harding at a work conference, she struggles to resist. Then, when ... Read review

Advantages: The emotional depth of explanation
Disadvantages: A little slow in places

I have recently read alot of books by Britains younger authors. There is defenately potential tallent there, and this book is no exception. The blurb, doesnt really do the book justice so dont be put off by this. The book is able to stretch all emotions for the main character as she encounters physical attraction within marriage. The reader is able to emphasise with the main female character when she meets John. He is hansome and woos her. Every ...
...she has to deceive her loving husband. Why should she have someone to nice. This changes to guilt as her good friend Rose is cheated on, and expresses much pain. The final emotion is that of pity when she is rejected by her husband when John leaves her for another 'project'. Sub-plots exist which keeps the reader guessing. However, are a little predictable in places. The style of writing is good and has potential. The characters are young and ... Read review

Advantages: a good read, great characterisation
Disadvantages: not compelling enough

Playing Away is a novel written by Adele Parks, a young British author. I had not heard of her before, but the book was recommended to me by a friend, and the cover declares the novel is the closest you will get to having an affair, without having one - so it sounded interesting !! It is the story of Connie & Luke's marriage, told from Connie's viewpoint. On the surface she has it all - a good job, nice home, perfect husband and it is early on in ...
...But when Connie goes away to a conference and meets John, a handsome flirt, why is she tempted to stray ? This is a light read and a fairly good book, but not one I would rave about. One of Adele Parks' best qualities is how well she writes about the other characters in the book, Connie & Luke's friends - Rose & Peter, Daisy, Lucy et al - which really brings them to life. I will look out for more of her novels, but hope she can improve them slightly, ... Read review

Advantages: amazing written, gripping, entertaining
Disadvantages: you won't be able to put it down

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It's chick lit, so you don't need to have won the nobel science prize to understand it
Disadvantages: The main character is selfish and needs a good slap.

...Playing Away was one of the first of a long series of Chick Lit genre books that I read (and am still reading)and I was so disappointed in it that I have shunned everything else that Adele has written since. Her central character is a girl called Connie and Connie has been married to the pityable Luke for a year; the reader is led to believe that everything in the garden is rosy until the John Harding, the Corporate Lothario arrives on the scene and a bored and shallow Connie dives head first into the murky puddle of an affair. What Adele's first outing has in common with most author's first outings is that you get the distinct impression that the main character is modelled on themselves - an understandable trait in an author; I mean, you have to start somewhere... and sticking with what you know is fairly safe. But because Connie... Read review

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Advantages: all the write ingredients...
Disadvantages: none

...the perfect couple. Meanwhile one of her close friends marriage is going through a bad patch, can Connie deal with this aswell, as her own guilt. Will Luke find out? Does she tell him herself? What are the secrets two of her closest friends are hiding? This story portrays real life, not everything has a happy romantic ending, are affairs really worth a lifetime of regret and heartache? If you've ever thought about having an affair, reading this will certainly make you think, funny in places too, but you really feel like you are living out Connies character, you want to tell her what do next. I picked this up and had to finish it before putting it down. I await Adele Parks next novel with anticipation.... Read review

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