Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Title: The Fortress of Solitude

Author: Jonathan Lethem

Narrator: David Aaron Baker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-03-03

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 297 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This is the story of 1970s America, a time when the most simple human decisions - what music you listen to, whether to speak to the kid in the seat next to you, whether to give up your lunch money - are laden with potential political, social and racial disaster. This is the story of 1990s America, when no one cared anymore.

This is the story of punk, that easy white rebellion, and crack, that monstrous plague. This is the story of the loneliness of the avant-garde artist and the exuberance of the graffiti artist. This is the story of what would happen if two teenaged boys obsessed with comic book heroes actually had superpowers: They would screw up their lives.

This is the story of joyous afternoons of stickball and dreaded years of schoolyard extortion. This is the story of belonging to a society that doesn't accept you. This is the story of prison and of college, of Brooklyn and Berkeley, of soul and rap, of murder and redemption.

This is the story Jonathan Lethem was born to tell. This is The Fortress of Solitude.

Critic Reviews:

"Glorious, chaotic, raw. . . . One of the richest, messiest, most ambitious, most interesting novels of the year. . . . Lethem grabs and captures 1970s New York City, and he brings to it a story worth telling." (Time)

The finest novel of the year, by far, and likely of the past five. . . . Better than a movie, better than a symphony, better than a play, and better than a painting, because it is all of them. (Austin Chronicle)

"A tour de force . . . Belongs to a venerable New York literary tradition that stretches back through Go Tell it On the Mountain, A Walker in the City, and Call it Sleep." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

A smorgasbord of language

Some of the sentences in this book are so well crafted, they actually made me whisper "wow" outloud alone in my car.

I've phoned people to make them listen to a single passage.

The reader has it down pat.

This book isn't a thriller, and sometimes runs a little slow. This isn't a drawback as long as you don't go in expecting a rollercoaster. Listen to this book when you feel like contemplating life in general, and your own life specifically.

Perfect! Maybe my favorite book ever

This book was fantastic, from the fascinating story to the fabulous writing (I agree with the previous reviewer who was so "wowed" by it), to the reader who managed to capture perfectly the wide range of voices and personalities of the characters. Even though there is some magic realism in the story, I found everything as believable as a memoir. This is a book I'm going to buy in hardcover and give for gifts this Christmas. I'm looking forward to my 23 and 28 year old sons reading it as so much describes their urban schools and the world and people they knew, including the graffiti painters, and the boys who went off into drugs and incarceration and the ones who survived, damaged or resilient, to grow up.

So good until the last couple chapters

I loved this book and was totally invested in the characters and the story and all it's quirks. Then the story shifted dramatically for the last couple of chapters and I'm not sure why those chapters were even there. They felt duct taped on to the end of the story, they didn't fit, they didn't make much sense, they weren't interesting.

The book was still worth it.

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Title: The 6th Lamentation

Author: William Brodrick

Narrator: Graeme Malcolm

Format: Abridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-12-03

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

During the 1940s, while living in Occupied Paris, Agnes was a member of a small resistance group called the Round Table that risked their lives to smuggle Jewish children to safety (until they were exposed by a young SS officer named Eduard Schwermann).

Agnes's story merges with Schwermann's in this powerful debut novel, which moves seamlessly back-and-forth in time. What Agnes doesn't know is the personal investment Schwermann had in the Round Table, the silent bargains made by its members, and the true extent of Schwermann's final treachery.

Exploring the legacies of history and the way time changes memory, The Sixth Lamentation keeps one thinking and guessing until its astonishing conclusion.

Critic Reviews:

"...storytelling at its finest.... Even in the smallest moments, Broderick's writing is beautiful" (Publishers Weekly)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Sea Glass

Author: Anita Shreve

Narrator: Judith Ann Gantly

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-02

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 128 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Sexton finds a way to buy the house, but his timing is perfectly wrong. The economy takes a sickening plunge, and as financial pressures mount, Honora begins to see how little she knows this man she has married.

Like those translucent shards that Honora finds on the beach, Sea Glass is layered with the textures, colors, and voices of another time. There is Vivian, an irreverent Boston socialite who becomes Honora's closest friend even as she rejects every form of convention. McDermott, a man who works in a nearby mill, presses Honora's deepest notions of trust - even as he embroils her in a dangerous dispute. And there's Alphonse, a boy whose openness becomes the bond that holds these people together as their world is flying apart.

Critic Reviews:

"A literary novel of the caliber and craft of Edith Wharton or Henry James." (Baltimore Sun)

Members Reviews:

A pleasant surprise!

This was the first book by Shreve that I had ever encountered. I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed the book. The characters were colorful and developed so that I felt I knew each and every one of them. I did not want the book to end. These characters struggling through the depression to save their home, ultimately testing the strength of their short marriage. I can't wait to read other books by Shreve.

surprising -

a love story, set in the depression - yet beautiful - friends helping each other - inspite of beliefs - or maybe because of them - you'll enjoy the listen - absolutely

Not as captivating as her other's

There are some audio books I sit in the car just to finish (Poisonwood Bible was one) - this is not one of them. There are some I never finish (Salmon Rushdie). Sea Glass falls in the middle. The characters are rich and the historical context of the mill life and depression informative and heartbreaking. The plot is interesting enough but it lacked the dramatic tension and excitement of many of her earlier books (e.g. Pilot's Wife and Fortunes Rock). I never really cared about the main characters; I thought the secondary characters from the Mill were the most interesting.

Quiet story

This is a good book and I have to call it a "quiet story" because it is mostly a gentle tale that spins out to have a bit of conflict in it. It was good in that it wasn't overly predictable, and I think it is pretty realistic. Overall, a good listen and definitely not a waste of time.

I Enjoyed It

This was not my first listen of a book by Anita Shreve. But I probably enjoyed it the most of those I have listened to.

The story is rich with life, love, and love longed for. It is set in a time when the rug was pulled out from underneath the world. It did not have a totally happy ending, but the ending fit and was needed to have happen that way.

The narrator presented each character with good definition. The joys, sadness, and experiences in general were portrayed well.

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Title: The Wedding

Author: Danielle Steel

Narrator: J. R. Horne

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-00

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 49 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As an attorney for the stars, 29-year-old Allegra Steinberg is used to hand-holding her celebrity clients through their tangled lives and loves, negotiating major movie deals, and fielding phone calls at all hours of the day and night. But with a career that consumes so much of her time, Allegra has little time for a private life, until a chance encounter with a New York writer turns Allegra's life upside down. And suddenly, she finds herself planning a wedding at her parents' Bel Air home.

As preparations begin for a September ceremony, the chaos of last-minute arrangements, surprise announcements, and ever-increasing anxiety brings out both the best and the worst in everyone. But as couples in each generation of the Steinberg family struggle with broken vows and new hopes, the real meaning of Allegra's wedding emerges. For the bride, the ceremony is a bridge between her past and her future. For her parents, it is a reminder of the bond that holds them all together. And for both families, it is an opportunity for reconciliation, forgiveness, and new hope for the future, as weddings often are for us all.

Members Reviews:

God this guys voice

I just bought this book and I honestly dont think I can get through it. I picture the narrator being an old man, balding and wearing geeky clothes. What a total waste of money

And Danielle Steele has never been so shallow in her character development. I didnt notice until I was halfway through it that it was written in 2000. What a waste of money

Pleasant story

This book was what I call pleasant easy listening. It is uncomplicated while highlighting many of the real life challenge s that we all face in life. The love and commitment the family had for each other that was built through the years helped when they faced big problems. Perhaps one can argue that the story was simplistic, but let's face it, life is as easy or as hard as we make it!

Enjoyable listening

A nice enjoyable story that reminds me of all the unexpected, yet at times, predictable twists, turns, disappointments, great joy & love we experience in this game of life!

Enjoyed it!

Good entertainment! Great way to spend a long 6 hour drive! Easy to order and worked great.

wedding

it was ok, she's written better. I enjoyed it though. dig deeper next time please.

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Title: Circle of Friends

Author: Maeve Binchy

Narrator: Fionnula Flanagan

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 60 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The pair becomes a circle when Benny and Eve leave for university in Dublin, and meet beautiful Nan Mahon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a...Circle Of Friends.

Members Reviews:

don't waste your time

The recording of this book is so poorly done. It's scratchy with horrible music drowning out the narrator half the time.

An excellent book, but ...

This is one of my favorite books, and I couldn't find the audio version anywhere but here. The audio would be perfect but the sound quality is the lowest possible. This audio tape only came out in 1999 - I wonder why they weren't able to clean it up any more than that?

I still bought and enjoyed it, though - just be aware it's got really poor quality audio.

Terrible Sound Quality

What disappointed you about Circle of Friends?

I have read this story in book form several times and I love it. The audio version? Terrible. The sound quality is a disaster. I stopped it after five minutes. I had to strain to hear it.

dreadful recording

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I adore the story, but the book was largely inaudible.

What didnt you like about Fionnula Flanagans performance?

I couldn't hear her properly due to the poor quality of the recording. Absolutely shocking

Good Book - TERRIBLE audio!

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

I cannot wait to ask Audible to give me my credit back. This recording is truly horrible! Read the book, watch the film or better yet...RERECORD the audio. Plus, the abridged version of the story lack serious continuity. What a shame.

What did you like best about this story?

Ireland

How could the performance have been better?

record it in this century!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

really?

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Title: Halfway To Forever

Subtitle: Forever Faithful Series #3

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Narrator: Barbara Caruso

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-22-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 68 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Halfway to Forever continues the story of Hannah Ryan, the grieving widow who found her way back to God in Waiting for Morning. As Hannah and her new husband, Matthew, confront obstacles while waiting to adopt a child, their best friends must cope with a devastating illness.

Members Reviews:

Not the Best one She's Written

Didn't like this book as well as others.. Had to fast forward through some of it. I dislike sequels that retells the story from previous books in the sequel. Three very sad

story lines in one book. However, did have a happy ending.

wonderful series

Where does Halfway To Forever rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Ive listened to approximately 35 audiobooks and this series ranks among the highest.

Any additional comments?

This book depicts how true Christians live. Christians have trials and tribulations just like everyone else. The difference is that we have faith in God. Karen does a great job of teaching that we cannot blame God for what happens in this life. When bad things happen it is not Gods fault. We must trust in Him always. I would highly recommend this book!

Story connection

I love reading a series because you really get to know characters! This series was no different you really feel like you are part of the Brunson and Easton family.

As for reading, I think the narrator did make 2 mistakes on the character name she said.

Amazing story

Karen Kingsbury has become my new "favorite listen"! This one had me laughing and crying and thanking God for the part he played in helping these people a fictional story! Strange, but true :-). I hope her stories continue to be as inspirational as those I have already read.

Beautiful Story of Faith and God's Grace

Through tragedy and triumph God is always there. Wonderful narration the perfect end to the 3 book series! Praise God for these stories of Faith.

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Title: The Good Father

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Noah Hawley

Narrator: Bruce Turk, Arthur Morey, Ryan Gesell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-20-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 220 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The Good Father is an intense, psychological novel about one doctor's suspense-filled quest to unlock the mind of a suspected political assassin: his 20-year-old son.

As the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian, Dr. Paul Allen's specialty is diagnosing patients with conflicting symptoms, patients other doctors have given up on. He lives a contented life in Westport with his second wife and their twin sons - hard won after a failed marriage earlier in his career that produced a son named Daniel.

In the harrowing opening scene of this provocative and affecting novel, Dr. Allen is home with his family when a televised news report announces that the Democratic candidate for president has been shot at a rally, and Daniel is caught on video as the assassin.

Daniel Allen has always been a good kid - a decent student, popular - but, as a child of divorce, used to shuttling back and forth between parents, he is also something of a drifter. Which may be why, at the age of nineteen, he quietly drops out of Vassar and begins an aimless journey across the United States, during which he sheds his former skin and eventually even changes his name to Carter Allen Cash.

Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden, determined father and his meandering, ruminative son, The Good Father is a powerfully emotional page-turner that keeps one guessing until the very end. This is an absorbing and honest novel about the responsibilities - and limitations - of being a parent and our capacity to provide our children with unconditional love in the face of an unthinkable situation.

Critic Reviews:

The father of a man who assassinates a presidential candidate tries to make sense of his sons crime in Hawleys gripping new novel.With great skill, Hawley renders Dr. Allens treacherous emotional geography, from his shock and guilt to his growing sense that he knows far less about his son than he thought.Hawleys complicated protagonist is a fully fathomed and beautifully realized character whose emotional growth never slows a narrative that races toward a satisfying and touching conclusion. (Publishers Weekly)

The Good Father is hypnotic and haunting and I lost all track of time when I was reading it. Suddenly the day had become night and still I was engrossed in one fathers poignant story and Noah Hawleys mesmeric tales of a long litany of assassins. (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Night Strangers, The Double Bind, and Secrets of Eden)

Members Reviews:

You'll make up reasons to drive

Keeps you thinking and wanting more

Well read and well presented

Recommended

Stayed in the car several times to steal a few more minutes

Started out compelling but lost steam in the middle

Spent too much time reviewing other assassinations in history..started out compelling but eventually lost steam through the middle but the ending was satisfactory. Narrator was very good.

WHEN IS A PARENT RESPONSIBLE FOR KID'S DECISION?

Noah Hawley examines the emotional trauma that twists the lives of family and friends when the unimaginable, if not the impossible, becomes reality.

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Title: Money

Subtitle: A Suicide Note

Author: Martin Amis

Narrator: Graeme Malcom

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 447 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The story of John Self and his insatiable appetite for money, alcohol, drugs, porn, and more. Ceaselessly inventive and thrillingly savage, it is a tale of life lived without restraint, of money and the disasters it can precipitate.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Martin Amis' book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview that begins when the audiobook ends.

Critic Reviews:

"Absolutely one of the funniest, smartest, meanest books I know. John Self, the Rabelaisian narrator of the novel, is an advertising man and director of TV commercials who lurches through London and Manhattan, eating, drinking, drugging and smoking too much, buying too much sex, and caring for little else besides getting the big movie deal that will make him lots of money. Hey, it was the '80s. Most importantly, however, Amis in Money musters more sheer entertainment power in any single sentence than most writers are lucky to produce in a career." (Amazon.com review)

Members Reviews:

Offensive as hell, insightfull, and brave

Any additional comments?

Graeme Malcom doesn't so much read the book but live it. An amazing performance, especially from someone who has done such gentile work as "Old Filth," which, despite its title, is about a lawyer in Hong Kong. (Filth is an acronym for "Failed in London Try Hong Kong." I've known about Martin Amis for decades, and read his criticism and nonfiction. I've read reviews of his fiction, and I've read a number of stories about him, his father, his bad teeth, etc. I risked reading this book just to say I had, and it is scalding. But only at this point in my life can I say that I have known someone like the main character, John. And the device of introducing "Martin Amis," the writer, as a character in the book is sheer brilliance. I was deeply impressed by the writing, the characterizations, the plotting, the whole package. It's a bit rough to listen to. You will want ear buds. This really is old filth. But full of humor and deep understanding of tortured souls.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Like a rollercoaster, this book is not for everyone. Our hero's self-destructive behavior is either off-putting or endearing - you'll have to decide for yourself. I liked him. I also thought the social commentary pretty funny and I think the writer did a great job with exposing the human condition on the lowest of levels with compassion. I also found the reader's voice perfect for the part, and he read with a great range of feeling - from tender emotion to blathering drunk idiot. Well done!

Time spent with "John Self" well used

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

After initially being off put by Audible's pronunciation of Martin Amis I was scared. I had no need to be. Graeme Malcom's phrasing of the text and understanding of the book far surpassed my own. While listening to his reading, twice I had to worry if I would actually be able to stop laughing and breathe again. Not for the overly sensitive, as advertised, it features plenty of money, sex and pornography. If you can get over it, I found myself jealous of Martin Amis' brilliant use of language, character creations and turn of phrase. I read most of it at my sock but also listened to a good portion driving to and from work in my Fiasco.

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Title: The One That Got Away

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Leigh Himes

Narrator: Kristin Kalbli

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-31-16

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 459 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this irresistible debut novel, a freak accident allows a wife and mother to explore the alluring alternative of the Road Not Taken.

Abbey Lahey is a married, harried working mother of two, struggling to make ends meet in a blue-collar suburb of Philadelphia. When a tumble down a Nordstrom escalator lands her in an alternate reality, Abbey finds herself happily married to the one who got away - a dashing Philly blueblood she met briefly years earlier - and living a Cinderella life of privilege and luxury.

It's everything Abbey ever dreamed of. Or is it? At first dazzled by the clothes, the penthouse, the nannies, and the glittering social functions, Abbey begins noticing troubling flaws in her new 14-karat life...and wonders what happened to the people she left behind. Torn between two vastly different realities, Abbey takes increasingly dramatic steps to reclaim herself - whoever that may be.

Critic Reviews:

"Himes takes an intriguing look at how a simple yes could change a person's entire life...the effort is a rewarding investigation of how all that glitters may not be gold." (Library Journal)

"An enchanting novel about the choices we make in life and love - by turns hilarious, poignant, and nostalgic. Himes's novel will make you revisit all the 'what ifs' you've ever contemplated, from fleeting encounters to almost-weddings...a lively debut that will strike a chord in anyone with a romantic past." (Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook and See Me)

"In the spirit of Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World, Leigh Himes delivers a fascinating novel about the road not taken. I loved the concept and execution of this clever, thought-provoking love story." (Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Rumor)

Members Reviews:

Predictable but not awful.

Overall I found this book quite enjoyable. Of course, I didn't venture into it with terribly high expectations, other than that I was looking a mindless and generally enjoyable break from more serious reading. If that's what you're looking for too, this is your book

Great read

This book was so entertaining and also sends a great message to love what you have, not what you think you want.

what if....

a Thinking Girl's escape your own reality novel!

a glimpse into the great ' what if'.

Love the concept

I love the idea of this book however, the character Abby got on my nerves! I found myself rolling my eyes at her all through the book. She was never satisfied.

Wonderful Novel. Great Philly setting.

Thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Had a great flow and loved all the characters. Great representation of Philly, The Main Line, and DelCo. Hope they make a film of it someday!

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Title: The One That Got Away

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Leigh Himes

Narrator: Kristin Kalbli

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-31-16

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 459 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this irresistible debut novel, a freak accident allows a wife and mother to explore the alluring alternative of the Road Not Taken.

Abbey Lahey is a married, harried working mother of two, struggling to make ends meet in a blue-collar suburb of Philadelphia. When a tumble down a Nordstrom escalator lands her in an alternate reality, Abbey finds herself happily married to the one who got away - a dashing Philly blueblood she met briefly years earlier - and living a Cinderella life of privilege and luxury.

It's everything Abbey ever dreamed of. Or is it? At first dazzled by the clothes, the penthouse, the nannies, and the glittering social functions, Abbey begins noticing troubling flaws in her new 14-karat life...and wonders what happened to the people she left behind. Torn between two vastly different realities, Abbey takes increasingly dramatic steps to reclaim herself - whoever that may be.

Critic Reviews:

"Himes takes an intriguing look at how a simple yes could change a person's entire life...the effort is a rewarding investigation of how all that glitters may not be gold." (Library Journal)

"An enchanting novel about the choices we make in life and love - by turns hilarious, poignant, and nostalgic. Himes's novel will make you revisit all the 'what ifs' you've ever contemplated, from fleeting encounters to almost-weddings...a lively debut that will strike a chord in anyone with a romantic past." (Nicholas Sparks, author of The Notebook and See Me)

"In the spirit of Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World, Leigh Himes delivers a fascinating novel about the road not taken. I loved the concept and execution of this clever, thought-provoking love story." (Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Rumor)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]