Ordinary Time

'There are already three of us in this marriage. I'm not sure there is room for a fourth . . .'

Ann is a reluctant Vicar's wife. She tries her best but her husband only has eyes for God, her son is asking questions she struggles to answer, and it is all too easy to displease the congregation. It may only be a matter of time before she makes the headlines of the local gazette: Vicar's wife gets giggles in church. Vicar's wife refuses to bake scones. Vicar's wife does not care about other people.

When her brother needs her help, Ann travels from Cornwall up to London. There she meets Jamie, and a new world unexpectedly opens up. Ann knows what the older women of the parish would say - she's made her bed and now she has to lie in it. But once she has been led into temptation, it may prove impossible to resist . . .

The funny and heartbreaking new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, Ordinary Time is an unforgettable story of the joys and sorrows of everyday life; one that asks big questions about friendship and marriage, forgiveness and redemption, and the real meaning of love.

A brilliant portrait of a community and an insightful exploration of marriage and family life. Funny and heartbreaking, immersive and thoroughly satisfying -- Nina Stibbe
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 -- Clare Chambers
Here is the absolute truth about love, told with wisdom, heart and humour. So clever, funny and life-affirming -- Meg Mason
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 -- Philippa Perry
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 -- India Knight
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 -- Kit de Waal
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 -- Clare Pollard
A wise and funny novel full of heart and truth by a truly brilliant writer -- Julia Samuel
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 -- Fanny Blake
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 -- Kate Eberlen
I devoured Ordinary Time . . . immensely satisfying -- Patrick Gale
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 -- Marian Keyes
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 -- Harriet Evans
Compassionate . . . 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

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.

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