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    Rachel's Holiday
    Rachel's Holiday
    Rachel's Holiday
    Audiobook16 hours

    Rachel's Holiday

    Written by Marian Keyes

    Narrated by Gerri Halligan

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    'How did it end up like this? Twenty-seven, unemployed, mistaken for a drug addict, in a treatment centre in the back arse of nowhere with an empty Valium bottle in my knickers . . .'

    Meet Rachel Walsh. She's been living it up in New York City, spending her nights talking her way into glamorous parties before heading home in the early hours to her hot boyfriend Luke. But her sensible older sister showing up and sending her off to actual rehab wasn't quite part of her plan. She's only agreed to her incarceration because she's heard that rehab is wall-to-wall jacuzzis, gymnasiums and rock stars going cold turkey - plus it's about time she had a holiday.

    Saying goodbye to fun will be hard. But not as hard as losing the man who she realises, all too late, might just be the love of her life . . .

    'Gloriously funny' Sunday Times

    'A born storyteller' Independent on Sunday

    'The voice of a generation' Daily Mirror

    Praise for Marian Keyes:

    'Comic, convincing and true' Guardian

    'Mercilessly funny' The Times

    'Funny, tender and completely absorbing!' Graham Norton
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateFeb 1, 2008
    ISBN9781407416083
    Rachel's Holiday
    Author

    Marian Keyes

    Marian Keyes is the author of ten bestselling novels and two essay collections. She lives in Ireland with her husband and their two imaginary dogs.

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    Reviews for Rachel's Holiday

    4/5

    883 ratings38 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a brilliant and captivating read. The book addresses tough issues surrounding addiction and recovery in an honest and entertaining way. The characters are incredibly real and the delivery of the story is superb. Although some readers found Rachel's denial annoying, it adds to the story's depth. The audiobook is highly recommended, with an excellent narrator. Overall, this book is a favorite comfort read that keeps readers engaged and entertained.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Superb writing addressing tough issues surrounding addiction and recovery, without dressing it up or softening hard truths. Marian Keyes does it again.
    • 5/5
      Love the humor and the character Rachel! Can’t wait to read the sequel.
    • 4/5
      This was my 2nd Marian Keys book. I really liked Watermelon a lot, so I was looking forward to reading this one. I found Rachel's Holiday to be a somewhat serious story about Rachel who is addicted to drugs and is in total denial. Marian Keyes handles this subject very well and also writes it with lots of wit and humor. The story held my interest from start to finish and I'm now looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I highly recommend this series to those who love chick-lit with lots of humor.
    • 3/5
      I'm going to give this 3.5 stars, although it maybe wasn't average it wasn't a 4 star for me either. My sister has wanted me to read this book for literally over 10 years, and this month I did. I really enjoyed it, it is incredibly witty, sarcastic - both exciting and terrifying. But Rachel annoyed me ☺️ I get thats part of the point... Her denial, it's the addiction, but it was very annoying at times for me even when I knew it was all for the story and that everyone would most likely be okay at the end. All the characters were incredibly real and bright, the audiobook is incredible should you try this book
    • 5/5
      Honest, captivating, entertaining and funny. Couldn’t wait to get back to it every day. Excellent narrator too!
    • 5/5
      The best book ever, loved it so much, twenty fifth time ive read it.
    • 4/5
      I don't read a lot of chick lit - I always think it's not my thing, but every now and then I yearn for a light read and end up reading something from the genre, and find myself really enjoying it. Rachel's Holiday is no exception.The story follows Rachel, a twenty-something living in New York, as she's made to go back to Ireland and into a rehab centre after ending up in hospital from an overdose. She's convinced that she isn't an addict and only goes because she thinks there'll be celebrities there. The story focuses on her time at the Cloisters while flashing back to her NY life to show the events leading up to her overdose.Rachel isn't particularly likeable at first, but her wit and vulnerabilities made her an appealing heroine for me. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments alongside the more serious stuff, thanks to some great characters in the Cloisters, and I was even engaged with the romance plotline, although I think the very final part of that could have been left out without detriment to the novel.The most interesting thing for me was definitely Rachel's journey through her denial and obnoxiousness to self-awareness. I understand that Marian Keyes is a recovered alcoholic and it's clear from the novel that much of Rachel's story comes from her own experiences. I'd definitely be interested in reading more by Keyes based on Rachel's Holiday.
    • 4/5
      This is one of my favourite comfort reads and thought I’d listen along while doing some other jobs: only it’s narrated by a (very talented I’m sure!) English accented lady doing a fake Dublin accent… I couldn’t go beyond three minutes… such a pity
    • 5/5
      Brilliant read. Really enjoyed the delivery of this book. Would recommend
    • 3/5
      Oh man, when I first read this book I loved it but it doesn’t quite hold up in 2022. Still enjoyed the story and the characters but I was constantly jolted by casual problematic quips about race, gender, body size, rape and an oddly sympathetic handling of domestic violence.
    • 5/5
      I've been trying to remember when I first read Rachel's Holiday and I've come to the conclusion that it must have been when it was first published in 1997 as I clearly remember looking forward to Marian Keyes' next book, Last Chance Saloon, being published because I had loved Rachel's Holiday so much. In fact, I've always thought that this book was my favourite Keyes. Did I still think that after my reread? Well, read on.Rachel Walsh is 27 and living in New York, away from her family in her native Ireland. You might think this means she has her life together but in fact her life is a mess, lurching from drug to drug, drink to drink. Rachel is a bit of a catastrophe but a fun-loving, somewhat likeable one. She shares a flat with her best friend, Brigit, and has a boyfriend who gets her hot under the collar but one drug-fuelled night too many sees her returning to Ireland to enter The Cloisters, a rehab centre that Rachel, in her haze, expects to be full of Jacuzzis, saunas and swimming pools.Rachel's Holiday is THE most wonderful book. It's full of humour that had me laughing out loud on so many occasions. Keyes has such a dry and witty way of describing people and situations that just chimed with me. But there is a serious story underneath Rachel's surface, that of addiction and the effects not only on the addict but on those around them. Rachel and her fellow 'inmates' at The Cloisters go on such a journey, both physical and emotional, that it's impossible not to feel for them. I was so moved and at one point tears sprang into my eyes as I realised there was more to one of the characters than I (and Rachel) had at first realised.At 600 pages you might imagine the story would dip in the middle, or not keep the reader's attention. Wrong! I was fully embroiled in Rachel's story from beginning to end and if it had been longer I would have been rejoicing. I'm certainly thrilled to know that we’ll be hearing more from Rachel in Again Rachel, out February 2022.So is it still my favourite Keyes? Yes! Rachel's Holiday is superb in every way. It's emotional, it's sexy, it's hilarious, it's thought-provoking and thoughtful, and it's real. I LOVED it!
    • 3/5
      The simplest way that I can describe Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes is that I was impressed by how much it accomplished and yet I didn't like it at all. It's a complicated thing, because a large part of the reason I didn't like it was because the main character's attitude, actions, and state of denial were SO AGGRAVATING. Like, holy shit, I wanted to shake this woman and never let her go. But then that's the whole reason the author was successful - because she did such a spot-on job of portraying a non-recovering drunk, and then a newly-recovered drunk, and then a relapsed-drunk, and then a comfortably-settled-into-recovery drunk.I hated how aggravating the main character was but she was aggravating because people in that state are aggravating. As a recovering alcoholic, I'm sure my behavior was just as confusing to other's as Rachel's was to me. I'm sure my denial, my entitlement, and my ability to find really bizarro excuses for my behavior were no better. And yet, it's rather unpleasant to be stuck in this character's head for hundreds of pages.All of that said, would I recommend this book to a friend? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. A fun little book that lives up to the pastel purple cover and fun-loving stick figure above the title? Yeah, that's not here. Do you want answers to those, "What the hell were they thinking?!?" questions you've had about people whose lives have gone to hell yet can't seem to stop their bad behavior? Well, this book will answer those questions - though I don't know that you'll like the answers.
    • 5/5
      This has always been my favourite of Marian Keyes novels... I love the deflecting humour and the real pain that is gradually dug up, and eventually dealt with. I do have a minor quibble with the end, after making peace in New York and saying goodbye, well I just think it would have been a stronger ending without the "Malcolm the Mountie always gets his man" final chapter... But, still a five star read for me.
    • 4/5
      Well this is a fecking good book, so it is! It's a comedy about a woman who lives in a state of denial. She can't admit she's a drug addict, that she's tried to kill herself, that she's a completely unreliable narrator. It had me snorting with laughter again and again. It's also close to the bone. The therapy scene where she talks about the dentist was a bit of a personal eye-opener.
    • 3/5
      Originally on my book blog!

      “Of course I knew I was a shallow and horrible person and all that, but I couldn’t help it.”

      For most of this book, I completely agreed with that statement because it was the truth. I could not stand Rachel and I almost got to a point where I wanted to drop the book because I don’t like reading a book that I hate. I kept with it because I knew that was the point. We were supposed to hate Rachel so we could love her even more when she inevitably grew up and recovered. I am glad I stayed with the book, though.

      I will give Marian Keyes one thing: she can write a funny book. It’s hard to make books funny when they are about drug addiction and alcoholism, but Keyes did this perfectly. One thing I loved about this book was that it was funny. It was a light read, even though it had heavy material; I could picture myself sitting on a beach and reading this in an afternoon.

      Keyes also writes her characters very well and that’s probably why I didn’t like Rachel for most of this book. Rachel was selfish and self-centered. Many addicts are in a way, but Rachel just made me want to rip my hair out.

      She didn’t want to date Luke because she was ashamed of him and didn’t know what her “cool” friends would say. She only finally starting liking Luke after Brigit told her that Luke was cute. She didn’t want Luke to come to her house after going on a date, but that didn’t stop her from getting mad at him for not asking to go to her house. Then when he got home and called her to ask if he could come over, she slammed the phone down in anger. She only wanted to date someone from rehab to make Luke jealous. She honestly thought that she could get out of rehab and go get drunk and be totally fine
      She would not admit that she had a problem and usually chalked it up to “just having fun”.

      Basically, she was very annoying. I didn’t like her. She wasn’t a good person. But then…

      “For the first time I realized how selfish and self-centered I was.”

      After spending over 80% of the book filled with her lies and scapegoats, I was elated when she finally admitted that she was finally owning up to her horrendous behavior. I found myself rooting for her for the last part of the book after that. She was more bearable and at times it almost felt like a completely different person.

      When I wasn’t wanting to rip my hair out because of Rachel, I was enjoying the rest of the book. Marian Keyes sets up scenery well. Cloisters was a made-up clinic, but Keyes made it come alive. She made the other characters come alive. She is from Ireland and that’s where most of the book took place. It was fun reading a book set in a place where I’ve never been. Keyes brought in Irish accents and dialects that I didn’t know existed throughout the country.

      Part of the book was also based in New York because it went back and forth between Pre-Rehab and During-Rehab. The New York part of the book was about the same as most other books I’ve read about New York, minus all the drugs obviously. Pre-Rehab Rachel was obnoxious and very stuck up, so that part of the story was never that fun because it just annoyed me. Then there is Post-Rehab that is set in both places as well. I liked this part most because she was a likable person at this time.

      The other characters were fun and a good break from only hearing about Rachel. I loved the other people in Cloisters and was sad when they all left. I enjoyed that this was different from other books that I’ve read with institutions involved.

      In the end, I would probably read another Marian Keyes book if I saw one around. I see why she is popular. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
    • 4/5
      An interesting story about addiction but it was too long, filled with superfluous details which I started skimming. Still I was drawn to continue even though the rehabilitation process overshadowed the romance. Rachel's family checked her into a rehab center because of her drug addiction.
    • 3/5
      It was a great read, just the thing when you are on a holiday (luckily not the same type as Rachel). Marian Keyes is a master at making you feel like you could be one of the gang and that her characters could become your best friends even if they are all a bit nutty because thats the type of friends I like to have. Rachels Holiday may initially come across as one of Keyes typical style of story but quickly becomes deeper and quite sad and poignant at times the issue addiction is dealt with using a clever mix of comedy and what I can only guess is in depth research.
    • 4/5
      I've read this one before but I purchased it recently for a re-read because I've always thought of it as my favourite of Marian Keyes' books. It probably still is.I've said before and I'll no doubt say again that when Marian Keyes is good, she's brilliant and that brilliance lies in the honesty of her characters. She understands what being an addict is. The pacing of the book is excellent, gradually filling in what brought us to the present situation even as that current is moved along. It's the same structure she's used in her most recent (at the time of writing) The Mystery of Mercy Close, but that feels disjointed and heavy handed in comparison to this one.It's littered with Irish vernacular, which I really like.What I'm not a fan of - and it's just a question of personal taste - are the "chick-lit"-ee bits: those obligatory parts of the genre which those who don't read it thinks constitutes its whole. There aren't many of them and they don't detract too desperately, but personally, I could have lived without them.So, yes. I'd recommend it.
    • 5/5
      I waffled between five and four stars for all of ten seconds before deciding on five, simply because of my sheer inability to be rational about this novel.

      I fell in love with Rachel, and I have no idea why. If I hadn't picked this up at a library sale when my impulse control was at it's lowest, I wouldn't have it at all. There's literally nothing about this book, from the cover, to the genre, to the jacket copy to make me think I'd enjoy it, or that it was my kind of book. Because it really isn't.

      In fact, my first thought on opening the book on a whim a year after putting it on my shelf (not an uncommon phenomenon) was "oh, nice typeface." Rachel's story was convincing and compelling, if only because the reader is so well grounded in her mental state—she's all over the place emotionally and never seems to notice, but you still get a sense of who she really is under all the drugs. And even knowing that she's in more trouble than she thinks she is, Rachel's done a thorough job of hiding from herself, so as bad as it is, you're almost as shocked as she is when confronted.

      Even that wouldn't be enough to give in five stars in my mental rating system, but when Rachel is forced to remember her early childhood, I abruptly found myself in tears. I haven't connected so strongly to a character in I don't know how long. And I don't know why it's Rachel, either. If I were anyone in this novel, I'd be Margaret, the 'brownose' But for Rachel, I spent much of the second half of the novel in tears for her, and was so proud of her recovery. Bizarre, but this unexpected total empathy is exactly why I read, and I haven't experienced it for a while.

    • 2/5
      Rachel Walsh's family sends her to what she believes is an exclusive rehabilitation center, but it doesn't turn out to be the vacation she'd dreamed about.I think the most difficult thing about this book was the fact that I didn't care about any of the characters. Rachel, the drug-addicted twenty-something, was a mess. I pitied her, but I didn't care about her. Neither did I bond with any of the other patients in the treatment center. As much as Rachel claimed that her boyfriend Luke, was an amazing guy, he seemed very cold emotionally as well as sexually demanding. Her bff, possibly the only likeable person in the book, showed up rarely. The nun who was in charge of Rachel's rehabilitation was a bully. Because I couldn't get close to the characters, reading this was like watching a train wreck.What I did like was the portrayal of Rachel's struggle to come clean. I also liked how she tackled her denial.Overall, it was kind of meh.
    • 5/5
      Probably my favorite Marian Keyes.
    • 4/5
      Marian Keyes is a very funny writer, and like so many of her books, this one manages to deal with a serious subject and still be tremendously entertaining. The serious subject here is drug and alcohol addiction. In New York Irish ex-pat Rachel Walsh's life devolves as she develops cocaine and alcohol addictions. After losing her job, her boyfriend, and her best friend, Rachel finds herself back in Ireland in treatment. Refusing to believe that she is an addict, Rachel agrees to treatment only because she thinks she might see celebrities. What follows are Rachel's comic misadventures as an addict in denial while in treatment, interspersed with the story of how she became an addict. Keyes has an amazing ability to bring humor to horrible situations, and this is a book to read when you need a pick-me-up. The ending is a bit unbelievable, but the book is by and large light and fun reading.
    • 4/5
      This book took me a while but that was a lot to do with the festive season. It was a little slow at times but I did like it. I liked Rachel (the protagonist) and saw her vulnerabilty as well as seeing that she was not the horrible person she was sometimes put across as being. She was merely an addict who in the thick of it had been a bit of an unsavoury version of herself. Once getting to know her, and the longer she spent in the rehabilitation centre, the more I warmed to her. Her final acceptance that she was indeed an addict was touching, and you really felt for her, especially as most of the time she was looking at the other addicts as if she had nothing in common with them, when in fact she was exactly the same. The ending was nice too, and you almost wished her to succeed after the book, even though its not actually real =)
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! It read like a memoir and I didn't want it to end.
    • 5/5
      I really like the way Marien describe characters, situations and conflicts. The book is funny and sad at the same time. I couldn't put it down and we never know how it is going to end. When I finished reading this book, I felt starting reading it again at the same minute.
    • 3/5
      A fun read about a young woman brought back from New York by her parents and put in a rehab clinic in Ireland. An easy read as with all Marian Keyes books.
    • 2/5
      I picked this book up looking for a quick, easy, light read. I found the main character hard to like and it took a very long time for me to start to care about what happened to her. It was a very heavy subject matter for what I expected to be light and carefree. I don't know enough about addiction and addiction treatment to evaluate it that way.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book by Marian Keyes that I've read, and I've come to realize that I should have started with the first book on the Walsh-sisters. Despite of that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I felt that Keyes described so well what went on in Rachel's head, and that I really learned a bit about how the mind of an addict works. Topping that off with a great sense of humor - excellent!
    • 5/5
      This has to be my favorite Marian Keyes' novel. I adore the character Rachel, so funny and real. Absolutely lovely story.
    • 4/5
      I'm loving Marian Keyes! This was so funny in places! Rachel expects rehab to be a plush spa experience. Ha!