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    The Opposite of Love
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    The Opposite of Love
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    The Opposite of Love
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Opposite of Love

    Written by Julie Buxbaum

    Narrated by Ariadne Meyers

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    With perfect pitch for the humor and heartbreak of everyday life, Julie Buxbaum has fashioned a heroine who will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has loved and lost and loved again.
    When successful twenty-nine-year-old Manhattan attorney Emily Haxby ends her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is on the verge of proposing, she can't explain to even her closest friends why she did it. Somewhere beneath her sense of fun, her bravado, and her independent exterior, Emily knows that her breakup with Andrew has less to do with him and more to do with...her. "You're your own worst enemy," her best friend Jess tells her. "It's like you get pleasure out of breaking your own heart."
    As the holiday season looms and Emily contemplates whether she made a huge mistake, the rest of her world begins to unravel: she is assigned to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit where she must defend the very values she detests by a boss who can't keep his hands to himself; her Grandpa Jack, a charming, feisty octogenarian and the person she cares most about in the world, is losing it, while her emotionally distant father has left her to cope with this alone; and underneath it all, fading memories of her deceased mother continue to remind her that love doesn't last forever.
    How this brave, original young heroine finally decides to take control of her life and face the fears that have long haunted her is the great achievement of Julie Buxbaum's marvelous first novel. Written with the authority, grace, and wisdom of an author far beyond her years, The Opposite of Love heralds the debut of a remarkable talent in contemporary fiction.

    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 29, 2008
    ISBN9780739359051
    Unavailable
    The Opposite of Love

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    Reviews for The Opposite of Love

    4/5

    115 ratings15 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Good first novel.
    • 3/5
      A girl coming to terms with who she is, who she has lost and all she can be! Wonderful and sad. Listened to on audio Ariadne Meyers
    • 3/5
      Emily appears to have it all - Yale law graduate in a high-pressure firm, a boyfriend poised to ask her to marry him and a great place in the city then she decides to discover what love is by looking for its opposite which is not hate but emptiness which causes her to look at what she has been using to fill her life. Looking for the next novel from this first-time author.
    • 3/5
      Emily Haxy is 29, a successful lawyer, lives in NYC, and has a wonderful doctor boyfriend Andrew. She also has a lot of baggage from her past. When the book opens, Emily is about to go into self-destruct mode, which brings about some major life changes. No surprises but good writing and a happy ending.
    • 5/5
      When Emily has a dream of literally eating her boyfriend, she comes to the conclusion that she must obviously break up with him, preferably before he has a chance to propose. As a young lawyer in a very demanding firm, she feels confident that she has made the right decision. However, as she becomes involved in unethical practices at work and faces the declining health of her favorite grandfather, Emily begins to acknowledge that she is not the person she wants to be. With the support of her friends and some long overdo therapy, Emily begins the painful transformation to become more genuine and honest with herself and the people in her life. This book is laugh-out-loud funny in places and heartbreaking in others. I identified with Emily and enjoyed the way she changed over the course of the novel. A great book about taking risks to love deeper, actualizing your dreams and capturing every moment to fully experience your life.
    • 4/5
      Although this book is touted as "chick lit" I did not find that to be an accurate description.It was a touching tale of Emily Haxby, a 29 yr old lawyer who sold her soul to work for a large law firm in NYC and is dealing with many issues. Her mother dies when she was a teenager, she just broke up with her boyfriend, her beloved Grandfather is 89 yrs old and sickly, and she has no communication skills with her father.I loved the writing in this book, especially the scene in the hotel room with her boss, Carl; and her therapist. I thought she really captured a lost soul trying to find her way very well, and it was totally believable. I look forward to more by Julie!
    • 5/5
      Loved it. Chick-lit appeal but the writing is better and the storyline more realistic. The supporting characters were super entertaining and used perfectly to help the main character, Emily, along her path of self-discovery. Emily is a likeable character who has you rooting for her right to the end. This book had me laughing and crying at different points and often at the same time. I can't believe this is only Buxbaum's first novel. Can't wait for her next.
    • 5/5
      First time author and I am impressed and looking forward to a second book. Started reading this yesterday and finished it this afternoon.
    • 4/5
      Emily Haxby is lost. She breaks up with her boyfriend of two years because she thinks he is going to propose (she's right, he was about to). Her job at a prestigious law firm is far less than satisfying, especially after one of the partners makes unwanted sexual advances. Her mother died when she was fourteen and she's never had an open relationship with her father (lying to each other about life is just what they do). The one person in life who has always been there for Emily is her Grandpa Jack and she is losing him to Alzheimer's. It seems the only way she can turn is inward, which sends her on a downward emotional spiral.The appeal of "The Opposite of Love" is that most readers can identify with Emily Haxby in one way or another. I did. We all have those times when we feel lost and frustrated with life and Julie captures those emotions perfectly in Emily's character. How we choose to deal with being lost, either by staying lost or by finding ourselves again, is the story of life and is ultimately Emily's story. Nothing ever works out perfectly, loose end are not all tied up nicely, and life may or may not go where we think it will.Julie Buxbaum has written a wonderfully honest character surrounded by a host of quirky supporting characters that make what could have been just more "chick lit" into a refreshing look at what happens when we get lost and how we find ourselves.
    • 5/5
      Awesome book. I read it in less then 2 days. The character of Emily was well written . I was glad Emily finally came to realize that she had to face her fears and live life. I hope Julie Buxbaum continues writting.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book, but it wrapped up too neatly for me at the end- I almost think it would have turned out better if everything hadn't, more real I guess.
    • 4/5
      This goes a little beyond the typical light chick lit read. It's a little darker and more serious, but an overall good read.

      If you like Emily Giffins, you'll like this book too.
    • 4/5
      "THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE", by Julie Buxbaum, takes one an emotional journey right along with Emily, the young lawyer who tells her own tale. Like most of us, Emily has compartmentalized deep emotional issues and functioned fairly well on a day-to-day basis. What proves to be her undoing, and ultimately her salvation, is the the tenderness with which she is loved by the good-hearted Andrew. When she realizes that Andrew is beginning to think of a permanent commitment, Emily immediately ends their relationship. Things begin to unravel for Emily without Andrew, and she must face many long-postponed issues before she is free to reach out for the joy which awaits.
    • 5/5
      When Emily starts to suspect her boyfriend Andrew is going to propose, she decides to break up with him. Her friends think she’s crazy and it’s clear Emily isn’t solid on her decision since she keeps the break up a secret from her family. Following the break up, Emily’s life starts spiraling out of control: her grandpa is losing his memory and her boss tries to have sex with her while they’re on a business trip. Emily wants to turn to Andrew, but he wants nothing to do with her. When it all becomes too much, a friend makes Emily an appointment with a therapist; Emily is finally able to deal with the grief she has kept inside since her mother died when she was only fourteen.I completely loved The Opposite of Love. Emily’s law experience seemed very real (probably because Julie Buxbaum was a lawyer) as did the family/friend relationships. I wanted to cry at times, but it helped to know Emily would end up happy as the prologue reveals Emily and Andrew will go on to have a baby. It was a bit odd to have the book start off that way though as it eliminates any suspense of “will Emily and Andrew get back together?”
    • 3/5
      Buxbaum’s first published novel has a comepelling, interesting first-person narrator in Emily. On the verge of being proposed to by her boyfriend of two years, Emily dumps him and begins a journey that of discovery of who she is and what she wants from life. And while Emily’s voice is compelling, unique and makes this novel worth picking up, Buxbaum picks every single last cliche in the book to put Emily through on her journey. You’ll meet character fifty pages in and be clearly able to predict where the story will end for Emily…and then it follows that exact path. Enjoyable but predictable.