Discover Legally Popular Titles Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary Top 100

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Citadel

Author: Kate Mosse

Narrator: Finty Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 27 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-12

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the No.1 internationally bestselling author comes the third heart-stopping adventure exploring the incredible history, legends and hidden secrets of Carcassonne and the Languedoc. Set during World War II in the far south of France, Citadel is a powerful, action-packed mystery that reveals the secrets of the resistance under Nazi occupation. While war blazed in the trenches at the front, back at home a different battle is waged, full of clandestine bravery, treachery and secrets.

And as a cell of Maquis resistance fighters, codenamed Citadel, fight for everything they hold dear, their struggle will reveal an older, darker combat being fought in the shadows. Combining the rugged action of Labyrinth with the haunting mystery of Sepulchre, Citadel is a story of daring and courage, of lives risked for beliefs and of astonishing secrets buried in time.

Read by Finty Williams. Finty Williams is a successful stage and screen actress. Her theatre credits include Luise Miller at The Donmar, Twelfth Night at The National, Bedlam at Shakespeare's Globe, and Bedroom Farce at Rose Theatre & Duke of York's and Tons of Money at Theatre Royal Windsor. Television work includes Cranford and Born and Bred and film features include The Good Night, Ladies In Lavender and Gosford Park. Finty regularly performs on radio and has read numerous audio books. She also provided the voice of Angelina in the hit children's television and audio book series Angelina Ballerina.

Members Reviews:

Kate Mosse Citadel

Fantastic, this is the second time I have listened to Citadel. I have really enjoyed her other two books in this series. My favourite is Sepulchre.

I really loved the narrator, Finty Williams, probably would have bought others of hers, but they seem to be all young children's books.

I look forward to giving 5 stars to other books by Kate Mosse.

Moving and interesting

What made the experience of listening to Citadel the most enjoyable?

The historic background and the credible characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I wanted to read and think and then read some more.

Any additional comments?

Very interesting historic and geographical points in the book that made me research a little further. The underlying love story was poignant and added to the edginess of the characters wartime experiences

Good, but not as good as Labyrinth

I like the combination of the way Kate Mosse describes the Languedoc surroundings and the intertwined historic story lines. I've also read Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Winter Ghosts. Citadel is not the best one between the other books (Labyrinth is still my favorite), but it still is a great book.

I am working at rather than enjoying this

I have really enjoyed the author's previous works so am giving it a lot of leeway. The narrator makes much of the language of the book but makes no distinction between one character and another until far too late in the book. I am perservering with this book rather than being swept along by it.

Superb

This book is simply superb, and any fans of Ms Mosse will not be disappointed.

It sticks to the usual formula of two stories, separated by hundreds of years, which come to mesh together. The main story is based in the French Free Zone durning the middle and latter years of WWII.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Odd Girl Out

Author: Elizabeth Jane Howard

Narrator: Eleanor Bron

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Anne and Edmund Cornhill have a happy marriage and a charming house. They are content, complete, absorbed in their private idyll. Arabella, who comes to stay one lazy summer, is rich, rootless and amoral - and, as they find out, beautiful and loving.

With her elegant prose the author traces the web of love and desire that entangles these three; but it is Arabella who finally loses out.

Members Reviews:

Tedious story, but worth it to hear Eleanor Bron .

Love to hear Eleanor Bron ' s beautiful voice. The story is tedious and predictable., but I could listen to her reading the telephone directory.

Nothing much happens but unputdownable

Would you consider the audio edition of Odd Girl Out to be better than the print version?

Yes. There is a lot of minutiae in Elizabeth Howard books, which give great richness in an audiobook but might be tempted to skip in print.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Most interested in the husband

Which character as performed by Eleanor Bron was your favourite?

The odd girl out. I had expected to find her very irritating but the narrator brought empathy to her role

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not so much emotional as stimulating. Very interesting 'read'.

Any additional comments?

Eleanor Bron is a fantastic narrator. I often find women narrators have dreadful hissing or whistling 'S's which drives me up the wall. Eleanor Bron both knows how to talk properly and brings great depth to the characters and description.

Shallow and dated

I found all the characters in this book pretty shallow, selfish and mannered. I'm not sure when it was written but it's very dated without being classical. I've enjoyed other books by this author but this one is a turkey.

Captivating Story!

Although not set in the modern day, this is a very contemporary and artful tale of loyalties challenged and relationships entangled in interesting ways. Eleanor Bron has the most delicious voice and, the combination of this with the great writing, makes for hours of enjoyment. I thoroughly recommend this audiobook.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: One Breath Away

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

Narrator: Joyce Bean, Susan Ericksen, Laural Merlington, Kate Rudd, Buck Schirner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-26-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 120 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the towns children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And 13-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

Members Reviews:

Narrators make or break the book!

With the exception of Susan Ericksen, Joyce Bean and Laural Merlington, the other narrators ruined an otherwise good novel. Excellent story.

Not Gudenkauf's standard

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes. This book would've best been served as a novella. It drags on so long, and honestly doesn't go anywhere. The characters just ring flat in some places and act emotionally overrun in others.

Perhaps the narration also contributed to this thought; no narrator shines in this performance either.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The relationship between Holly and her parents and children was the most interesting; the least interesting was probably the gunman and his identity and motive.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrators?

I have listened to some of these narrators before; some are better than others, but as an ensemble I just couldn't finish.

Any additional comments?

This is not up to the potency of Gudenkauf's "The Weight of Silence" or the strong female leads in "These Things Hidden." I wanted to like this book, but it just meanders along with rabit trails that lead nowhere and everywhere, and I know that Gudenkauf is up to better than this.

Flat As An Iowa Prairie

I like Heather Gudenkauf's work. I was in complete thrall of "The Weight of Silence" and read it in one sitting on a Boston-Sacramento flight recently. But this? What is this? Is the author trying to borrow and apply the suspense and minute-by-minute trauma of the families in "The Weight of Silence"? If that's what she's doing, it isn't working. Instead of getting into the hearts and minds of the families and community players, the reader has to stand back and watch the author paint the scenes using a very bland, broad brush outlining the main features without developing anything substantial.

There is only a lot of small-town gossip and nothing really happens. However, I must qualify this review because I have not finished the book due to a diminishing supply of patience.

I don't object to books that are mostly back story if the stories are detailed and layered enough. But these tales are shallow and merely skim the surface of buried family drama and small-town dysfunction. I want to know more but there is nothing there.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Peaches for Monsieur le Curé

Subtitle: Chocolat, Book 3

Author: Joanne Harris

Narrator: Rula Lenska, Gareth Armstrong

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-12

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It isn't often you receive a letter from the dead.

When Vianne Rocher receives a letter from beyond the grave, she has no choice but to follow the wind that blows her back to Lansquenet, the village in south-west France where, eight years ago, she opened up a chocolate shop.

But Vianne is completely unprepared for what she finds there. Women veiled in black, the scent of spices and peppermint tea, and there, on the bank of the river Tannes, facing the square little tower of the church of Saint-Jerôme like a piece on a chessboard - slender, bone-white and crowned with a silver crescent moon - a minaret.

Nor is it only the incomers from North Africa that have brought big changes to the community. Father Reynaud, Vianne's erstwhile adversary, is now disgraced and under threat. Could it be that Vianne is the only one who can save him?

Members Reviews:

Vianne Never Stays Long Enough

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As always Joanne Harris delivers yet another spellbinding tale from Lansquenet and so a must for all of those who have followed Vianne Rocher and her family through the trilogy.

What did you like best about this story?

I always adore the way Joanne Harris weaves her spell in the way she write her stories.

Which character as performed by Rula Lenska and Gareth Armstrong was your favorite?

Vianne and the children by Rula and Monsieur le Cure by Gareth Armstrong

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the veil was removed for the first time and the story is behind that veil revealed.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this book. The story brings a thousand different images through Joanne Harris' superb ability to capture her readers in a web of intrigue. The smells, colours and characters are seen in the eye of the mind so clearly that again I felt transported to France. I only wish I could visit that wonderful fictitious town known as Lansquenet and visit the Chocolaterie. Perhaps another movie on the way, I hope so.

Intriguing the best yet!

This is Joanne Harriss best yet. I have read most of her books and enjoy her writing but this one surprised me I could not have predicted the twists in this story. It was a terrific sequel to Chocolat and I hope there will be more to come. Highly recommended.

Beautiful

What did you love best about Peaches for Monsieur le Curé?

Joanne Harris hasn't let us down. Loved this book as much as her others. Beautifully written, I feel like I am dreaming when I read/listen to her stories.

What didnt you like about Rula Lenska and Gareth Armstrong s performance?

I found the voices difficult to distinguish at first. I prefer audiobooks that use different actors for all the different characters.

Delightful and delicious

If you could sum up Peaches for Monsieur le Curé in three words, what would they be?

Vivid, entertaining and enlightening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Peaches for Monsieur le Curé?

When they picked the first peaches - I could almost taste them!

Which scene was your favorite?

When the cure was giving confession through his letter box. I also liked spending time in the kitchen with the Muslim women.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I liked having the time to digest each chapter without having to rush through to the next.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Calling Invisible Women

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jeanne Ray

Narrator: Coleen Marlo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 67 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A mom in her early fifties, Clover knows she no longer turns heads the way she used to, and she's only really missed when dinner isn't on the table on time. Then Clover wakes up one morning to discover she's invisible - truly invisible. She panics, but when her husband and son sit down to dinner, nothing is amiss. Even though she's been with her husband, Arthur, since college, her condition goes unnoticed. Her friend Gilda immediately observes that Clover is invisible, which relieves Clover immensely -she's not losing her mind after all - but she is crushed by the realization that neither her husband nor her children ever truly look at her. She was invisible even before she knew she was invisible.

Clover discovers that there are other women like her, women of a certain age who seem to have disappeared. As she uses her invisibility to get to know her family and her town better, Clover leads the way in helping invisible women become recognized and appreciated no matter what their role. Smart and hilarious, with indomitable female characters, Calling Invisible Women will appeal to anyone who has ever felt invisible.

Critic Reviews:

"Women of a certain age will devour Ray's sly satire on the perils of big pharma, middle age, and the unseen consequences of living the quiet life." (Booklist)

"Offers a lot of witty charm." (Kirkus)

"Jeanne Ray is truly wise and funny about family, friendship, and love - about the ways in which we see (and don't see) each other. Calling Invisible Women is an utter delight." (Hilma Wolitzer)

Members Reviews:

Very Good Mom Book -

I really liked this book. Even from the beginning when she's first discovered that she's become invisible and trying to figure everything out. I'm right along with the character thinking "Hey - I feel that way too." The story is well written. I wish our reader would have used just a touch more voice differentiation during the sarcastic remarks, but over all a good job.

Surprising.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

this was a very entertaining book. I was surprised to find myself pondering deeper issues in what I had imagined was going to be a total bit of fluff.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Calling Invisible Women?

when a visitor noticed the narrator was invisible even though her family had not noticed

Which scene was your favorite?

when the invisible women visited the high school

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

comedy meets consumer advocacy

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the reader.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Deceit and Devotion

Author: R. M. Johnson

Narrator: Kevin R. Free

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-14-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Best-selling author RM Johnson has built a loyal fan following with her novels The Harris Family and The Million Dollar Divorce. Deceit and Devotion features the Harris brothers in a tale of passion and revenge. Nate Kenny convinces Daphanie Coleman to sign over custody of her baby to its father. But Daphanie soon regrets her decision and hires Austin Harris to get custody back. Meanwhile, Austins brother Caleb struggles to keep his home while his son is drawn into ever-deeper trouble with the law.

Members Reviews:

disconnected

to disjointed. a mess. I kept looking for something that flowed well. it never happened.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Message to the Planet

Author: Iris Murdoch

Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-19-12

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

For years, Alfred Ludens has pursued mathematician and philosopher Marcus Vallar in the belief that he possesses a profound metaphysical formula, a missing link of great significance to mankind. Luden's friends are more sceptical. Jack Sheerwater, painter, thinks Marcus is crazy. Gildas herne, ex-preist, thinks he is evil. Patrick Fenman, poet, is dying because he thinks Marcus has cursed him.

Marcus has disappeared and must be found. But he is a genius, a hero struggling at the bounds of human knowledge. Is he seeking God, or is he just another victim of the Holocaust, which casts its shadow upon him and upon Ludens, both of them Jewish? Can human thinking discover the foundations of human consciousness? Iris Murdoch's endlessly inventive imagination has touched a fundamental question of our time.

Critic Reviews:

"Carrington MacDuffie gives a fantastic performance, carrying the book through cumbersome philosophical discussions and straightforward drama with equal ease. Each character has a distinct and appropriate voice, making the profuse dialogue a pleasure to hear. As the drama unfolds, along with the loves, betrayals, and intricate triangles, MacDuffie rises to the occasion, taking the listener along for the ride through Murdoch's strange world." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

The Message to the Commissioning Editor

Iris Murdoch created a mythic upper-class English world as recognisable and idiosyncratic as Graham Greenes Greeneland, but its essential feature for the purpose of this review is its irredeemable Englishness, with all that that connotes. When we listen to an audio book pace its many advantages the aural playing-space of our imagination has to surrender to the domination of anothers voice so that we are, to a particular extent, at his or her mercy. The reader in this case is the highly versatile and gifted Carrington MacDuffie who hails from North America and who clearly delights in trying out a variety of British accents to bring the book to life; the results however are with the curious exception of Irinas lamentable and verging on the pantomimic. Honesty is demanded here, not least because the unwary buyer may be forking out the full price of 31.59 for the download and deserves to be forewarned; but also because the eyes of the editor may fall on what I record here and who knows: this may start a ball rolling wherecommissioning policies and practices are reviewed.

We all have opinions, but they are of no account here: let us stay with the facts. Throughout the entire book Ms MacDuffies spirited attempt at English intonations is sabotaged byher relentlessly pronouncing words with an American stress accent rather than English: that is, privileging final vowels over penultimates (viz., garAGE for GARage.). In Murdochs Oxford English world this creates the aural equivalent of someone in a performance of Julius Caesar going on stage arraigned in traditional costume but wearing glasses. Ms MacDuffie clearly has the correct idea that Scots voices and Irish voices sound different from Oxford English, but assuredly no Scot or Irishman ever sounded like these, not even in the days of Music Hall entertainment.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Sarah Thornhill

Author: Kate Grenville

Narrator: Emma Fielding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-12

Publisher: Canongate Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 77 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Sarah Thornhill is the youngest child of William Thornhill, convict-turned-landowner on the Hawkesbury River. Her stepmother calls her wilful, but handsome Jack Langland loves her and she loves him. 'Me and Jack', she thinks. 'How could it go wrong?' But there's an ugly secret in Sarah's family. That secret takes her into the darkness of the past, and across the ocean to the wild coasts of New Zealand.

Among the strangers of that other place, she can begin to understand. Kate Grenville takes us back to the early Australia of The Secret River and the Thornhill family. This is Sarah's story. It's a story of love lost and found, tangled histories and how it matters to keep stories alive.

Members Reviews:

Absorbing, first-rate historical novel

What a great book! Read a glowing review of it in the NYTimes and the audio book did not disappoint. The story is a continuation of Grenville's "The Secret River" - also a great listen - and I really recommend reading/listening to that first to get the full impact of this story. What a compelling character Grenville has crafted in Sarah - I rooted for her, my heart broke for her and I was uplifted when she was uplifted. Emma Fielding does a top-notch job of capturing Sarah's unique voice and making it her own - no play-acting here, just real feeling. Excellent all around.

Very interesting

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sarah was my favourite character, perhaps as she was the main one.

What about Emma Fieldings performance did you like?

She had the accent down pat. She was engaging and interesting to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes. but I didn't like the ending

Any additional comments?

Loved listening to this book, especially as it was about the early days of the Hawkesbury river and beyond. The ending was disjointed from the rest of the book though.

Great story

Would you consider the audio edition of Sarah Thornhill to be better than the print version?

Can only listen unable to read for long

What other book might you compare Sarah Thornhill to and why?

The Secret River because this is the sequel

Have you listened to any of Emma Fieldings other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not heard her before

If you could rename Sarah Thornhill, what would you call it?

I consider the name correct

Any additional comments?

A great story rarely listen to a book twice but this one I did and enjoyed it again

The story continues

A great continuation of The Secret River. Sarah Thornhill is a terrific book which captures the essence of colonial Australia.

A good read

Sarah Thornhill was a good read and it followed on from a revious novel by Kate Grenville, the Secret River. It was well narrated by Emma Fielding. I loved the characters and the way the story unfolded.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Always

Author: Iris Johansen

Narrator: Janet Metzger

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-01-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Lisa Landon makes her living with her voice a voice fueled by a heartbreak she vows never to experience again. But despite her renown, Lisas real ambition is to escape the memories that follow her from one sold-out engagement to the next. Perhaps thats what brings her to the exotic desert nation of Sedikhan and the nightclub where she meets Clancy Donahue. Clancy takes one look at the beautiful, vulnerable chanteuse and knows she is exactly the woman hes been searching for. The Sedikhan security chief needs to bait a trap for a terrorist moneyman, and Clancy is certain that Lisa will be irresistible. What he doesnt count on is that he wont be able to resist her either and that hell do anything to protect her, even if it means risking his own life. With deadly plans in motion and Lisa in the crosshairs, Clancy realizes that before their romance can get to always, it will first have to reach tomorrow.

Members Reviews:

It's an easy read with a happy

This book leaves you with the feeling of time well spent. It's an easy read with a happy outcome

Five Stars

Iris Johansen is always a good read.

Very Sweet

It began as a daring, desperate scenario to flush out a terrorist, a man whose crimes were serious enough for Sedikan security chief Clancy Donahue to kidnap a stunning American singer to act as bait. A man who'd never known any true lover but danger, Clancy had no defenses against the beautiful captive whose spirit and passion imprisoned his heart.

Lisa vowed to resist the flames of need that burned in her blood, but soon both were consumed by an aching desire that was as overwhelming as the merciless desert sun. Before he could offer his beloved all the rest of his days, though, Clancy would be forced to risk her life..

Always - my first Iris Johansen book

This was a book to be read while on holiday or trying to escape serious life. Believable characters in quite exotic settings - unusual enough to give that feeling of being transported to another world. The gentle giant Clancy was almost too honest as people rarely show their vulnerable side. But that's where the romance kicked in and I simply enjoyed the easy pace of the story.

CMc

good read

Love Iris johansen's books. This was part of a series from years ago that I somehow missed. Was glad to finally read Clancy's story.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Lightning Rods

Author: Helen DeWitt

Narrator: Dushko Petrovich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-11

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

"All I want is to be a success.That's all I ask." Joe fails to sell a single set of the Encyclopedia Britannica in six months. Then he fails to sell a single Electrolux and must eat hundreds of pieces of homemade pie, served up by his would-be customers who feel so sorry for him. Holed up in his trailer, Joe finds an outlet his for frustrations in a series of ingenious sexual fantasies, and at last strikes gold. His brain storm, Lightning Rods, Inc., will take Joe to the very top - and to the very heart of corporate insanity - with an outrageous solution to the spectre of sexual harassment in the modern office.

Members Reviews:

Wild tale, enveloping reader

"Lightning rods" are women who have anonymous sex with men in their shared workplace, relieving the anxiety and tension that leads to sexual harassment lawsuits. Still on board? This is a deeply funny novel about salesmen and inventors, creativity and persuasion. Though it's nakedly perverse, it draws more from How to Win Friends and Influence People than The Story of O -- it's detailed but not exactly erotic. Our journey follows Joe, a sad-sack vacuum cleaner salesman who uses his idiosyncratic sexual fantasies to bootstrap his way to the top.

The reader is excellent, with a rich and steady tone that keeps you in the story. Especially interesting, given the subject matter, that a man is reading a novel written by a woman, but Petrovich doesn't oversell the material, which is a risk with such explicit sexual themes. I listen to this in my car, and now I'm late for stuff all the time -- lots of "driveway moments." More by this reader, please.

So great I had to write a review

Would you listen to Lightning Rods again? Why?

Well, mainly I'm writing this review to convince people that they should listen to Lightning Rods the first time...but yes, I would listen to it again because it was excellent satire, the kind where listening to it the second time you are likely to pick up on subtle aspects you missed the first time.

What other book might you compare Lightning Rods to and why?

Catch-22 and most of the books by Christopher Buckley -- the former because the depth and subtlety of the satire and the latter because this made me laugh out loud.

Which character as performed by Dushko Petrovich was your favorite?

Both Joe, and the

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This is a masterpiece of satire -- better than anything that has come along since Catch-22. Buy it. Listen to it. This is the first time I've felt strongly enough about a book to take the time to write a review, and my first 5 star rating in 6+ years of listening to audio books (i.e. I'm not one of those annoying reviewers who rates everything 5 stars).

Saleman Seeks Buyer For His Sexual Fantasy

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story of a frustrated salesman who fantasizes of having anonymous sex with women through a wall, yet yearning to see their unaffected faces. He manages to sell the idea to a business, calling the women 'lightning rods' in order to provide top salesmen relationship-free, faceless sex through the wall of a handicap bathroom stall in order to reward their success with sexual release.