Ordinary Time
On sale
17th July 2025
Price: £9.99
Selected:
Paperback / ISBN-13: 9781474621199
‘There are already three of us in this marriage. I’m not sure there is room for a fourth…’
Anna is a reluctant Vicar’s wife. She loves her family and tries hard to do her duty, but a certain restlessness persists. These days, her husband only likes talking to God and her son hardly talks at all.
When her brother asks for help, Anna travels from Cornwall to be with him in London. And then she meets Alex, and a new world unexpectedly opens up. Anna knows what the older women of the parish would say – she’s made her bed and now she has to lie in it. But temptation is easier to avoid than it is to resist . . .
The wise, moving and funny new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, Ordinary Time is an unforgettable story of the trials and sacrifices of everyday life; one that asks big questions about marriage and friendship, forgiveness and salvation, and the path of true love.
Anna is a reluctant Vicar’s wife. She loves her family and tries hard to do her duty, but a certain restlessness persists. These days, her husband only likes talking to God and her son hardly talks at all.
When her brother asks for help, Anna travels from Cornwall to be with him in London. And then she meets Alex, and a new world unexpectedly opens up. Anna knows what the older women of the parish would say – she’s made her bed and now she has to lie in it. But temptation is easier to avoid than it is to resist . . .
The wise, moving and funny new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, Ordinary Time is an unforgettable story of the trials and sacrifices of everyday life; one that asks big questions about marriage and friendship, forgiveness and salvation, and the path of true love.
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Reviews
A very special book. Quietly Brilliant is the best way I can put it. Stealthily Extraordinary. She makes the everyday profound like Anne Tyler does. Melancholy interiority meets great capacity for joy. A beautiful, beautiful book about love in all its forms
Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Cathy Rentzenbrink is so astute and observant about the small dramas, disappointments and compromises of marriage, and the deadening effects of duty . . . incredibly moving
Witty, tender, heartrending. Ordinary Time is about the huge feelings that howl beneath the surface of the everyday. No one has written this astutely about the inner lives of middle-aged women since Barbara Pym
This is a very special novel. It manages to do several things beautifully: tell Ann's story with humour, wit and head-nodding empathy, but it is also an unputdownable read. It is impossible not to be swept up in the inner tumult of Ann's quietly passionate life. I really loved it
I loved reading Ordinary Time, moving giddily between recognition, empathy and awe. Cathy Rentzenbrink explores the different facets of love with such subtlety, honesty and compassion and her characters are irresistible
Compassionate . . . The character of Ann is so well written, it felt as if I knew her
I loved Ordinary Time and couldn't put it down. Cathy Rentzenbrink is Britain's answer to Anne Tyler . . . a very clever, funny, well-observed, absorbing and beautiful novel. Wonderful
I devoured Ordinary Time . . . immensely satisfying
A brilliant portrait of a community and an insightful exploration of marriage and family life. Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying
Witty, waspish and sharply observed
Here is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming
A wise and funny novel full of heart and truth by a truly brilliant writer
A beautiful and generous novel about love in all its forms, about daring to reach for the stars and how to sail through the storms that knock us off course
Has a touch of the Madame Bovarys, or indeed Anna Kareninas, though it is less tragic - we're past the age of women having to die for wondering if they're maybe a bit bored. It's also funnier, warmer, and with a solidly middle-aged heroine. Which actually takes us slightly into Barbara Pym territory too, what with the vicarage and the ever-alert lady parishioners. Very good on marriage, family life and the eternal questions surrounding both . . . Cathy Rentzenbrink is possessed of high emotional intelligence
Anyone who has reached midlife and thought, "is this it?" will relate to the protagonist of Rentzenbrink's compelling second novel
I so enjoyed this novel. It's a super sharp-eyed look at a marriage. Friendship, love and forgiveness all come under Cathy's scrutiny in the story of a woman struggling with her lot in life . . . Funny, moving and beautifully accomplished. I really recommend it