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

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Title: The Thread

Author: Victoria Hislop

Narrator: Sandra Duncan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-11

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a devastating fire sweeps through the thriving Greek city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou's home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she flees across the sea to an unknown destination in Greece. Soon her life will become entwined with Dimitri's, and with the story of the city itself, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people.

Thessaloniki, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents' life story for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of the people who were forced to leave. Should he become their next custodian and make this city his home?

Members Reviews:

A Powerful story

The characters in this story grow up, grow old, grow stronger or weaker against the backdrop of Greece. As I am not overly familiar with this nation's history, I was thrilled that Victoria Hislop chose to tell the story in this way.

What I liked: This story is a story about people. People putting on masks, taking them off, loving, hating, adopting, creating families, letting go. Characters make choices, good and bad, based on the information they had and who they were. Hoslop's choice of Greece, with it's political turmoil, was a wise one. The city of Thesalonica became a character of its own.

What I didn't like: There are a few too many contrivances... nothing glaring, but enough to make me stap back, raise my eyebrows and keep going. I also found the character of Constantinos as too driven and diabolical to be believable. Also, occasionally the narrator would put on this over-dramatic school-teacher voice that drove me crazy! Thankfully, this was rare, but something to be aware of.

Something I wish had been done differently: The blurb on this book talks about the grandson of the main characters deciding whether or not to make Greece his home. This took up so little of the book that they should've just left it alone. It deserved more than the epilogue it received, especially since I was expecting a double-storyline as in Hislop's novel "The Return."

Overall, this book was well worth my time and credit.

Really liked it!

If you could sum up The Thread in three words, what would they be?

Historical, romantic, well-told

What did you like best about this story?

That it was a historical novel and that it was set in a city I knew nothing about. The city itself almost became a character in the book. I also loved the characters in the book and the descripitions of their relatinships to each other.

Have you listened to any of Sandra Duncans other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of her other performance's, but I liked her as a narrator in this book.

Who was the most memorable character of The Thread and why?

Katerina, because of her importance in the story. But a lot of the other characters were also good. I especially liked Katerina's foster mother.

Epic and moving story of love ad war

This is a wonderful, epic story set in the historically turbulent first half of the 20th century in Greece. It spans the two World Wars with all the sorrows and uncertainty that war causes.

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Title: 40 Love

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Madeleine Wickham

Narrator: Katherine Kellgren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-30-11

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 75 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Everyone wins this game of literary tennis, a comedy of manners about envy in which Wickham skewers the nouveau riche. At their country estate, Patrick Chance and his wife host a weekend tennis party. As four couples gather on the sunny terrace, it seems obvious who among them is succeeding, and who is falling behind. But by the end of the party, nothing will be quite as certain. While the couples children amuse themselves with pony rides and rehearsals for a play, the adults suffer a series of personal revelations and crises. Wickhams nonstop action reveals at every turn that matters may not be as they seem, and in the end one thing is crystal clear: the weekend is about anything but tennis.

Members Reviews:

Money can't buy happiness!

What did you love best about 40 Love?

It's a perfect example that money can't buy happiness.

What was one of the most memorable moments of 40 Love?

As the weekend progresses, financial deals are made and broken, an old lover shows up at the party putting one of the couple's marriages in jeopardy and friendships are tested.

Which character as performed by Katherine Kellgren was your favorite?

Patrick Chance and his wife.

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

No, because it was very unclear where the story was going in the first few chapters, but then it was great.

Boring in the beginning, better in the end.

To many details in introducing characters/introduction went on to long. The end picked up though.

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Title: The Madonna of Excelsior

Author: Zakes Mda

Narrator: Robin Miles

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-29-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In 1971, 19 citizens of Excelsior, a farming community in South Africas rural Free States, were charged with breaking apartheids Immorality Act, which forbade sexual relations between blacks and whites on the pretext of avoiding miscegenation. The women were jailed as they awaited trial and their white counterparts were released on bail. In the end, the state withdrew the charges, but the accused womens lives, already complicated, became harder than ever. Mda tells the story of a family at the heart of the scandal, revealing a country in which apartheid, even as it sought to keep the races apart, concealed interracial liaisons of every kind.

Niki, the fallen Madonna, transgresses boundaries for the sake of love; her choices have profound repercussions in the lives of her black son, Viliki, and her mixed-race daughter, Popi, who come of age in the years after the end of apartheid, when freedom allows them - indeed compels them - to figure out their racial identities for themselves. As the story advances to the present, the mixed society of Excelsior comes to suggest South Africa today, a society far more complex - and more dramatic - than conventional notions of black and white will allow.

Members Reviews:

Pathetic Performance

This book must be reproduced as an audio book. It's read with a wrong accent and bad pronunciation. Words like Thaba Nchu, are read as Thaba Ncu or Nxu, I think we have been taken for granted as listeners or readers.

Poppie is also pronounced badly as well, the fact that it's read wrongly over a hundred times is disappointing if not offensive. Pule is pronounced as Phule. Welkom is pronounced as Welkom instead of Velkom. Slaghuise is also pronounced terribly wrong, like there's a w somewhere in the mix.

At one point even the word surprised is also mispronounced, how pathetic. I should have stopped reading as soon as I reached chapter 17, but I forced myself listen till the end. Even the derogatory word boesman is fudged. I'd take offense if I was an author of this book. I'm disappointed at this Pathetic performance, I wouldn't blame the reader, she did her best but those who employed her should have known.

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Title: Before I Go To Sleep

Author: S J Watson

Narrator: Susannah Harker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-11

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 139 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Winner of CWA Best unabridged Crime Audiobook 2012.

Winner CRIME THRILLER OF THE YEAR BRITISH BOOK AWARDS

As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...'Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

Critic Reviews:

Quite simply the best debut novel I've ever read. (Tess Gerritsen)

Brilliant in its pacing, profound in its central question, suspenseful on every page - and satisfying in its thriller ending. (Anita Shreve)

A deft, perceptive exploration of a fascinating neurological condition, and a cracking good thriller. (Lionel Shriver)

A terrific first novel - well-written, genuinely unsettling and psychologically very plausible. Thrillers seldom come much better than this. Loved it, read it in one. (Joanne Harris)

An exceptional thriller. It left my nerves jangling for hours after I finished the last page. (Dennis Lehane)

So high-concept, so ambitious and so structurally brilliant. It's so rare to read a thriller that's perfect in every detail, but this one definitely qualifies! (Sophie Hannah)

A deeply unsettling debut that asks the most terrifying question - what do you have left when you lose yourself? (Val McDermid)

A truly amazing debut. The central character, Christine, is beautifully drawn. It's hard to imagine a more compelling, believable and sympathetic portrayal of a damaged human being. I loved it from start to finish. (Mo Hayder)

Members Reviews:

Well read, intelligent, psychological thriller!

I was worried that a story whose main character is an amnesiac could come off as sort of a cheap story trick, like the ending 'then I woke up and realised it was all a dream', but this story really works, its well though out. The story is told from the first person point of view, Christine, the amnesiac in question, and we discover her story a little more each day. There is something very unsettling about this book from the beginning. Well imagine if you woke up with no knowledge of yourself or your life, who would you trust? That is scary. As a listener you are not sure if the doubt is valid or if there really is something more sinister going on. Then just how much we are in her head is claustrophobic and adds to the sense of something being really wrong, when she talks to someone, she is searching for clues as to who she is, so we are there with her, in her head, not just witnessing the conversation. I was very eager to keep listening to find out what happens next. The end, well you see it coming, but that isn't a weakness of the story, on the contrary, it just fills you with a sense of wanting to warn her, like someone about to get attacked by the boggy man in a film. The characters are all well developed, seem like real people. Please I want to know what happens to Christine the day after this book ends!

The reading is very good too. The voice is soft and feminine, matches the character of Christine very well.

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Title: Friendship Bread

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Darien Gee

Narrator: Nancy Linari

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-05-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 54 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.

One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: "I hope you enjoy it." Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. Shed just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madelines tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Critic Reviews:

"Readers looking for a quick, easy fix of heartwarming optimism could do worse. And, of course, the recipe is included." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A pleasant enough read

I would say that this is a 3-4 star read. The plot is a bit above average for this type of small town women centered book, and the characters do grow on you as the story progresses. Good enough for an audible credit.

Tasty Treat!

What made the experience of listening to Friendship Bread the most enjoyable?

This was a heart warming story for anyone, especially those who have lost a child.

loved it

Absolutely loved the novel. Simple writing, easy listening, and I wish I lived in the town of Avalon with these characters. This book shows some great connections between people, how one small action can explode into wonderful results, and how things can come full circle when you least expect them to. Yes, its definitely a chick-novel, but a very uplifting, heartwarming story.

pretty lame

This is one my husband would call a "chick novel." It's not trash, but pretty low level writing.

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Title: The Beauty of Humanity Movement

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Camilla Gibb

Narrator: Jenny Ikeda

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-31-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Camilla Gibb reached international best seller status with novels that garner immense critical acclaim for their stunning insights into the human condition. In The Beauty of Humanity Movement, three peoples lives in modern Vietnam turn on the whims of fateeven as each strives for a finer reality. Freshly returned from the United States, Maggie is an art curator in search of her father. Old Man Hung, a soup seller, may hold the secret that could change Maggie's destiny. And Tu is a tour guide who will have a stunning effect on them both.

Members Reviews:

A book I won't forget

This book was quite beautiful. It provided a window into a place and time that is generally viewed through the lens of stereotype. The story was interesting, but the characters were the strength of the story.

deeper view of this wonderful country and its peop

As a Canadian who was barely aware of the American war in Vietnam, visiting that country was an extraordinary experience without the emotions experienced by so many of the Americans we met there. (we were on a conference for a week, then on our own for two) This book transported me to many of the experiences I'd had but took me much deeper into the relationships and thoughts of the people. I could almost taste the Pho. Grateful for this emotional trip through time and art.

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Title: The Far Pavilions

Author: M. M. Kaye

Narrator: Vineeta Rishi, Blake Ritson, Ayesha Dharker

Format: Original Recording

Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-16-11

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of M.M. Kayes epic novel of love and war.

M.M. Kayes masterwork is a vast, rich and vibrant tapestry of love and war that spans over twenty years, moving from the foothills of the Himalayas, to the burning plains, to the besieged British Mission in Kabul.

It begins in 1857 when, following the Indian Mutiny, young English orphan Ashton is disguised by his ayah Sita as her Indian son, Ashok. As he forgets his true identity, his destiny is set...A story of divided loyalties and fierce friendship; of true love made impossible by class and race; a critique of the imperialist adventure; and an examination of the cultural and spiritual clash between East and West, The Far Pavilions is a searing insight into the human heart.

Vineeta Rishi (The Last Detective) stars as Sita and the Narrator, with Blake Ritson as Ashok/Ashton and Ayesha Dharker as Anjuli.

Members Reviews:

DISAPPOINTING

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I thought this would be a narration of the book, but it was actually a drama which condenses the book into a BBC performance. The narration was very good but I was looking for the complete book.

What about the narratorss performance did you like?

Narrator was very good.

Was The Far Pavilions worth the listening time?

It was worth it if you were not looking for complete book but just the condensed version.

It's okay if you haven't read the unabridged book.

Any additional comments?

I read the unabridged book many, many years ago and never forgot it. It was simply splended! Unfortunately, I didn't realize when I bought this audible version that it would condense a big, fat book into a mere 4+ hours of listening. The detail with which the author took great pains to include in the book created for me a totally different world. I was privileged to spend time within the castle walls and experience the politics and morays that gave meaning to certain actions taken by the characters. I felt that I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. (I should add that the movie that was made of this book also fell very flat.)

All in all, if you're interested in this book, I'd highly recommend going out and buying the unabridged paperback and reading it cover to cover. The story is meant to be a saga, not just a story, and it simply cannot be captured in any condensed format. If all you're looking for is a story that takes place in India in the early 1900s, I believe it is, then you'll probably be okay with the audible version.

wonderful

the story was told just as I remembered watching the film as a child. lovely memories

So sad

What would have made The Far Pavilions better?

I loved the book, but this is just bad, the story jumps, and misses a lot.

What could M. M. Kaye have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

MM Kaye wrote a good book, I have loved and shared it with many others, but this shortened version is not worth it.

What character would you cut from The Far Pavilions?

would not have cut more, but brought back more from the full book.

Disappointed

Would you try another book from M. M. Kaye and/or the narrators?

Only if it is actually the book and not an audio play.

Any additional comments?

Wish I had read the other reviews. Was not what I expected at all. The discription did not lead me to expect it was not an actual audio book.

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Title: Minding Frankie

Author: Maeve Binchy

Narrator: Sile Bermingham

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once shes born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel cant do it alone.

Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankies first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankies doting grandparents, Josie and Charles.

But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now its up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.

Critic Reviews:

Binchy is a national treasure in her homeland of Ireland, and her latest novel is a perfect illustration of why.Your heart will have no trouble recognizing the landscape [of this] touching saga. (Publishers Weekly)

Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each others lives, united by family, faith, friendship and community....Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlaths Crescent prove that it does indeed take a village to raise a child. (Margaret Flanagan, Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Classic Binchy, does not disappoint

Would you listen to Minding Frankie again? Why?

Yes. The story is gripping and I love the accents.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Minding Frankie?

When Noel's parents realized they could honor their saint as they wanted to, but also expand that by giving a playground to the community.

Which scene was your favorite?

The dedication of the new playground.

If you could take any character from Minding Frankie out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Probably the cousin, she is a very interesting character and seems to have the answer to everything!

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept my attention from beginning to end. No snoozing off like I do with many audio books!

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Title: Dreaming in English

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Laura Fitzgerald

Narrator: Angela Dawe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-11

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 156 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Knowing she could never be happy in Iran, Tamila Soroush took her mothers advice to Go and wake up your luck and joined her sister in the United States, where amazing freedoms awaited her. Now, after a spur-of-the-moment exchange of I dos with her true love, Ike Hanson, Tami is eager to start her new life.

But not everyone is pleased with their marriage, and Tamis happily-ever-after is no sure thing. As tensions escalate, Tamis sense of self-worth takes a beating, especially when her earlier attempts to find a husband on a visitors visa return to haunt her. And there are her parents, stuck behind in a country that betrayed them. How can she be happy when they are not?Tami is beginning to understand that freedom is not for the faint of heart. With so much stacked against her, and her immigration interview looming, she wonders whether shes got the right stuff when it comes to love, American-style. Maybe her luck is running out... or maybe shell step up to the plate and claim her American dream.

Members Reviews:

Wow, what a book this turned out to be!

This book is such an incredible read! The narrator is authentic as well. Her take on the accents involved within the culture is so on point I couldn't believe it. All of the characters have different voice inflections instead of having the same accent across all of the Iranian characters.

This story is one of love across 2 countries, and the main character is just a jewel to listen to! She is so refreshing! I hope that the author will continue to write about Tamila and Ike, because the way that the book ended left SO much to say in the future!

Get this book! You will be so pleasantly surprised and so glad that you did!

weak under-resached romance

This was one pitiful book supposedly written from the point of view of an Iranian, or should I say, as the author coyly states, Persian woman It was repetitive, the characters one-dimensional, and should have been brutally edited. i can only say that i am glad to note that apparently the only contact the writer had with Iranian people was through three "relatives" otherwise I would be very sad for Iranian womanhood.

Dreaming in English

You know how you do not want the book you are reading to end?: This is one you do not want to end; there are so many emotions, points of view, anger, happiness..Listen to this book, so worth your time

Just couldn't do it.

I wanted to like this book. The characters were unbearable and shallow to me. I listened to about an hour and gave up.

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Read

This was a very enjoyable book........something entirely different. I listened to it in just two days and hated to see it come to an end. The reader was excellent and it was nice to have characters you could really care about.

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Title: Talking It Over

Author: Julian Barnes

Narrator: Steven Pacey, Alex Jennings, Clare Higgins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-19-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Clare Higgins, Alex Jennings and Steven Pacey read Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes' 'he said, she said' novel.

Introducing Stuart, Gillian and Oliver. One by one they take their turn to speak straight out to the camera - and give their side of a contemporary love triangle. What begins as a comedy of misunderstanding slowly darkens and deepens into a compelling exploration of the quagmires of the heart.

Critic Reviews:

tour de force of alternating monologuethree impeccable actors, Steven Pacey, Alex Jennings, and Clare Higginsand there isn't a false note anywhere. A wonderful performance. (AudioFile)

"An interplay of serious thought and dazzling wit. . . . It's moving, it's funny, it's frightening . . . fiction at its best." (New York Times Book Review)

A witty and provocative novel from the author of the masterpiece Flaubert's Parrot. (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

The Narrative Gimmick Works

This was my first Julian Barnes novel, and I immensely enjoyed it. I'll be seeking out more of his work. Some other readers have complained that the concept of the alternating three different first-person narrators felt gimmicky or confusing, but I have to disagree with that. The essence of the story is simple, the real magic comes from the personal insights of these three complex and different characters. Discovering and anticipating the way each views the various situations in the plot kept me wanting more, perhaps because their reactions were all so believable. To paraphrase Gillian, Barnes takes an ordinary situation and manages to make it truly unique.

Another great work by Barns, but narration... well

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I had a hard time distinguishing the transitions between Steven Pacey & Alex Jennings, so I often got confused as to which character was speaking. That got in the way of my enjoyment of a good book. I picked it because I had enjoyed The Sense of an Ending (not available on Audible).