Ordinary Time

A brilliant portrait of a community and an insightful exploration of marriage and family life. Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying – Nina StibbeOnce 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 – Clare ChambersHere is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming – Meg MasonI 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 – Philippa PerryHas 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 – India KnightA 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 – Kit de WaalWitty, 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 – Clare PollardA wise and funny novel full of heart and truth by a truly brilliant writer – Julia SamuelI 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 – Fanny BlakeI 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 – Kate EberlenI devoured Ordinary Time … immensely satisfying – Patrick GaleA 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 – Marian KeyesThis 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 – Harriet EvansCompassionate … The character of Ann is so well written, it felt as if I knew her * Good Housekeeping, 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH *Witty, waspish and sharply observed * Grazia, BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER *Anyone who has reached midlife and thought, “is this it?” will relate to the protagonist of Rentzenbrink’s compelling second novel * i Paper, BEST NEW BOOKS FOR JULY *I RACED through this beautifully written, very wise book about love, duty, family and loyalty … Wonderful * Daily Mail *This thoughtful novel about a reluctant vicar’s wife is deeply touching … Ann is so well written, it feels as if you know her * Good Housekeeping 50 Best Ever Beach Books *

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the novel Everyone Is Still Alive and several acclaimed works of non-fiction including the Sunday Times bestseller The Last Act of Love. She grew up in Yorkshire, spent many years in London and now lives in Cornwall.