Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Title: The Gift

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Narrator: Richard Paul Evans

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-07

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 139 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Here is a heartwarming and inspirational Christmas novel in the tradition of The Christmas Box and Finding Noel. Sure to be a classic, this new tale brings to life the joy of the season and demonstrates the redemptive power of love.

Critic Reviews:

"The tightly honed narrative, brimming with good intention to find courage in shared suffering, soon brings everyone together." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful!!!!!

This story will take you through all your emotions. This is a great listen. Well worth the download. Excellent narration

Excellent story.

Great Christmas message. Lovable and real characters. Didn't want the story to end.

wonderful book - read it during Christmas season

Emotional, touching story with well-developed characters and a message beyond the actual story. Highly recommendable.

Excellent narration!

My Favorite Author

Richard, your books bring a comfort to my deeply troubled soul. Oh I go. On taking life one day at a time and those around me don't see my scars Bless you.

excellent book!

Loved it! beautiful story, great listening, good reader. Love Richard Paul Evans books. this one is tops!

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Title: Whitethorn Woods

Author: Maeve Binchy

Narrator: various

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-19-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 219 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Not knowing which faction to favor, Father Flynn listens to all those caught up in the conflict, and these are the voices we hear in the stories of Whitethorn Woods: men and women deciding between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future, ordinary people brought vividly to life by Maeve Binchy's generosity and empathy, and in the vivacity and surprise of her storytelling.

Binchy is at the very top of her form in this irresistible tale.

Critic Reviews:

"Binchy deliver[s] a panoply of richly drawn first-person characters....[She] takes it all in and orchestrates the whole masterfully." (Publishers Weekly)

"Binchy focuses her prodigious talent on a robust assemblage of characters....Inventively and intricately weaving a series of linked vignettes, [she] astounds with the versatility of the supplicants' voices....Binchy is at her best in this tender yet potent tale." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Not up to par for Binchy

Although Binchy delivers lots of engaging characters in this book, it's really more of a collection of short stories than a novel. Obviously, the well in Whitethorn woods is the thread that loosely binds the characters together. She presents the stories in a chain -- one character's story leads to the next character's story, but often, those characters are not brought together. We see the link between the characters because we saw it from each character's perspective, but we didn't see them together. (This is hard to explain!) An interesting way to develop characters, but I would have loved it had she integrated the characters at some point in the story.

Not a Favorite

I have read two other books by this author and liked both. I wish I could say the same about this one. It was somewhat interesting which was why I gave it 3 stars but I have to say that most of the time I didn't care much about these people. I would have rather had more main story and less individual character development/personal stories. The only reason I stuck this one out to the end was because I had paid for it.

Loved it!

This was wonderful. I found myself watching how much time was left because I hated for it to end. I love Binchy, have read all of her books. I wasn't sure I would like this because of the format but it was delightful.

Whitethorn Woods

This book felt like some short stories very loosely pulled together. This NOT Ms. Binchey's best work.

Love the narrators!

As some other reviewers have indicated, this is a very different style for Binchy, which makes it a little more difficult to follow, but the accent of the narrators really brings the characters to life!

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Title: After This

Author: Alice McDermott

Narrator: Martha Plimpton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-28-06

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 78 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As John and Mary struggle to uphold the framework of their family, the four siblings are destined to experience, firsthand, the challenges and liberties born in the crucible of the 1960s. Alive with passions and tragedies of a determining era in our history, After This portrays the clash of traditional, faith-bound life with modern freedom while also capturing, with McDermott's inimitable understanding and grace, the joy, sorrow, anger, and love that underpin, and undermine, what it is to be a family.

Critic Reviews:

"[McDermott] flawlessly encapsulates an era in the private moments of one family's life." (Publishers Weekly) "Word by word, metaphor by metaphor, McDermott writes the most exquisitely perceptive and atmospheric fiction published today." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

A Jewel of a Book

This book is probably not for everyone. Not a lot happens and a lot of the big things that do happen take place off stage. But I thought it was just wonderful. The author uses a series of scenes from the lives of each of the characters to give us a fully realized picture of one family's life. No melodrama-but I had tears in my eyes a the end.

Beautiful

Stunning! Highly recommended! McDermott paints pictures with words, melodies with sentences. Literature as art. Plimpton's narration only adds to the beauty. If you love books, listen here.

AFTER THIS, I want to read or listen to more!

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

AFTER THIS is very well written and narrated. There is not a false note anywhere.

For those of us who grew up in a similar milieu, this book is a "remembrance of things past". McDermott writes fine social histories populated with 3 dimensional characters, many with their own back-stories.

I have often turned to fiction when studying history. Yes, we need test books, lectures, articles,etc., but I find that by reading different authors who do diligent research in their genre are a great source of ancillary information and entertainment. Back door history at its best can be a great teaching/learning tool. This is a history narration I understand. I lived it. Well done Ms. McDermott and Ms.Plimpton!

What other book might you compare After This to and why?

THE EDGE OF SADNESS by Edwin O'Connor. Boston Irish in the 1950's. Pulitzer Prize winner.

Mary Gordon, Gail, Godwin, Madeline L'Engle - her personal history.

Have you listened to any of Martha Plimptons other performances before? How does this one compare?

She gives a wonderful performance in this book. I will be looking for other narrations.

poignant and poetic

This is a beautifully written book, with a lot of depth. Themes such as war, religion and the role of chance connect the stories, which take place in the lives of one family over thirty years. However, I don't think that the narrator, Martha Plympton, does it justice. She merely reads it aloud without assuming the voices of any of the characters. Adult or child, male or female, drunk or sober, nun or college professor, they all sound the same. I'd recommend reading the book, rather than listening to it.

beautifully written

This beautifully written book is not what I expected. It uses the devise of the short story, each story telling one episode in the life of one member of the family. The book is essentially a collection of short stories. Each story could stand on its own.

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Title: A Spot of Bother

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Mark Haddon

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-25-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 400 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A Spot of Bother is Mark Haddon's unforgettable follow-up to the internationally beloved best seller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Here the madness, literally, of family life proves rich comic fodder for Haddon's crackling prose and bittersweet insights into misdirected love.

Critic Reviews:

"No bother at all, this comic follow-up to Haddon's blockbuster (and nicely selling book of poems) is great fun." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful

I laughed, I cried. Laughed more than cried. Rooted for each character, even though they had opposing goals. His first two books are wonderful, this one and the 'Curious Incident...'

Not so heavyweight, but memorable and worthwhile. Even delightfully ironic you might argue, the cosy, matter-of-fact style versus the subject matter. It is easy to picture a masterpiece in Haddon's future.

Great

This is a wonderful book about a very flawed family and how they deal with each other and various catastrophes in their lives. I love love love the narrator. He is one of my favorites. At times very difficult to listen to, this book is very real. If you read The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night, this book is very differnt but still captures the utter humanity of each of these imperfect characters.

Disappointment

After "the curious incident", a book that I absolutely loved, I was greatly disappointed.

I found this book to be wanting of a story line.

There really was limited overall message/story that linked everything together

Fun and poignant

I wasn't sure what to expect after listening to The Curious Incident, which I *loved*, but Harmon delivered on this one, too. Narrated from several characters' viewpoints, the listener gets inside a British family's joys and flaws, laughing and sympathizing the whole way through. When my iPod runs out of whatever's new in the car, I've returned to this story with pleasure. Enjoyable.

Bother with this one

Bother with it. This very nicely written and excellently narrated novel details the events of yet another dysfunctional British family as the days peel away toward the matriarchal daughter's second wedding. The father, George, is rapidly deteriorating into a pleasantly numb malaise, while his wife sleeps with an ex-colleague, his gay son's relationship falls apart and his daughter veers away from then back to marriage.

A good read with wonderful descriptions and details of this family's life. Oddly, the story occasionally drifts into nearly graphic sex, focusing mostly on Jamie's gay relationship. On the whole, however, full of laughs and pathos and insights. Read it, especially for the narrator's brilliant voice characterizations.

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Title: Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

Author: Fannie Flagg

Narrator: Fannie Flagg

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 07-10-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 101 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking figs, and the next thing she knows she is off on an adventure she never dreamed of. Meanwhile, back home, Elner's nervous, high-strung niece Norma faints and winds up in bed with a cold rag on her head; Elner's neighbor Verbena rushes immediately to the Bible; her truck driver friend, Luther Griggs, whom Elner has known since he was a boy, runs his 18-wheeler into a ditch; and the entire town is thrown for a loop and left wondering, "What is life all about, anyway?"

As this comedy-mystery unfolds, those near and dear to Elner each discover something wonderful, and so will you. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven is proof once more that Fannie Flagg "was put on this earth to write" (Southern Living), spinning tales as sweet as iced tea on a summer day, with a little extra kick thrown in.

Members Reviews:

Entertaining!

It is helpful to know "Standing in the Rainbow" before starting this book so that the characters are familiar but it is enjoyable either way. This book has a twist that you don't see coming! The characters are made up of the kinds of quirks we see in ourselves and those around us.

A Thought-provoking listen

This book was a fun listen. It is a very down-home, southern story that will make you think about why we are here and what's really important in life. The most important theme in this book is that life is a gift and we are to use it how we wish. This simple thought had me coming back to it over and over, days after I listened to it. I recommend it.

So funny!!

I absolutely love Elner Schimfissel and her crazy group of friends and relatives (past and present!)

Fannie Flagg has such a way with creating unforgettable and lovable characters. This was the first book of Ms. Flaggs that I read, although I had seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes long before I realized that she was the author. Since then, I have read almost every book that she has written, but this one remains my favorite!

Thanks you, Fannie Flagg, for giving me hours of reading and listening enjoyment through your books!!

NOT UP TO AUDIBLE STANDARDS

While I enjoy Fannie Flagg's humor she is a terrible narrator. I was disappointed with this book.

trainread

I don't thk there were any surprises in this tale. quick train read. no thking required

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Title: Love in the Present Tense

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrator: David Coburn, Jeremy Redleaf, Duana Speights

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 87 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

They are an unlikely pair: Mitch is a young, unattached business owner; and Leonard is a precocious, five-year-old boy. But together they must find a way to move forward in the wake of Pearl's unexplained disappearance. Their bond as parent and child shifts and endures, even as Mitch must eventually surrender Leonard to a two-parent home.

Is it possible to love the people who can't always be there for us? The answers will surprise and move you. As their lives unfold, profound questions emerge about the nature of love and family. Ultimately, this novel's richest reward is watching Mitch and Leonard grow up together, through the power and the magic of the human heart.

Critic Reviews:

"Brutally lyrical....Hyde movingly conveys the toll of years of emotional damage." (Publishers Weekly)

"Hyde is a remarkable, insightful storyteller, creating full-bodied characters whose dialogue rings true, with not a word to spare." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Amazing

Catherine Ryan Hyde is such an inspired writer. The book touched me in ways I have no words to explain.

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Title: Love Walked In

Author: Marisa de los Santos

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-06

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 172 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.

Members Reviews:

Glad I had the paper book as well

Enjoyable story, but I was hoping for more focus on Clare. I did not enjoy the background noises, shuffling, laughing and swallowing of saliva. Also I imagined Dr B kinder than she interpreted it. Clare was read beautifully

Dreadful audio quality

While the story was lovely and the characters engaging the whole book was ruined by poor audio quality. There were constant "breakthrough" laughs and chatter. Bad form for an expensive book.

maudlin

Tiresome. Trite. Dimestore philosophy and literary references that add nothing to story. A few cute scenes and characters wrapped around sentimental cliche.

REALLY good!!

After the other reviews I was hesitant to get this but I REALLY liked it! The narrators both capture the characters, the thoughts, the emotions, the tone. Cornelia is at first surprisng, and yet once you get to know her, the narrator sounds just like you think Cornelia should. And Claire's narrator,not a child at all, portrays the thoughts and feeling perfectly. There are some very poignant thoughts and the narrators really do bring to life the main characters. The interepretation of the male voices was not as great (especially Tao) but they're passable. The story is simple and yes, predictable, but the thoughts and the observations throughout are interesting, sweet, and touching and, I thought, worth the experience.

Great book - well written, well narrated

What made the experience of listening to Love Walked In the most enjoyable?

Loved the whole story - flowed well

What does Jennifer Ikeda bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

she brings life to Cornelia and does well with the other characters

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Title: Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

Subtitle: The Sunday Philosophy Club, Book 2

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrator: Davina Porter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-05

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 406 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When Isabel's niece, Cat, asks Isabel to run her delicatessen while she attends a wedding in Italy, Isabel meets a man with a most interesting problem. He recently had a heart transplant and is suddenly plagued with memories of events that never happened to him. The situation appeals to Isabel as a philosophical question: Is the heart truly the seat of the soul? And it piques her insatiable curiosity: Could the memories be connected with the donor's demise? Of course, Grace, Isabel's no-nonsense housekeeper, and Isabel's friend Jamie think it is none of Isabel's business. Meanwhile, Cat brings home an Italian lothario, who, in accordance with all that Isabel knows about Italian lotharios, shouldn't be trusted...but, goodness, he is charming.

That makes two mysteries of the heart to be solved, just the thing for Isabel Dalhousie.

Critic Reviews:

"Isabel is a force to be reckoned with. Miscreants, beware, Smith's lady detectives are on the case." (USA Today)

Members Reviews:

A gem!

As usual, listening to an Alexander McCall-Smith book is a much richer experience than reading it, although I enjoy that too. The narrator does a wonderful job with the scottish accent...I guess brogue, and is a pleasure to listen to. I was touched by the engaging story and laughed many times on my way to work and back. If you ever have a chance to attend a talk by the author, do it!! He was recently in Denver and is a warm, funny man. One of the characters in "Friends, Lovers, Chocolate..." plays the bassoon in an orchestra as does the author, who co-founded "The Really Terrible Orchestra"...a great example of his self-deprecating humor. He has been a professor (of law and ethics) and I'm sure that is why this and the "Sausage Dog" series ring so true. He lives in Scotland with his family and was born in Africa. The only time he grew serious during his talk was when he very sympathetically described the problems on that continent and expressed his appreciation for the help provided there by the US government. An amazing and very entertaining man.

Charming

I just adore this author and his incredibly effortless writing style. In both this book and the #1 Ladies Detective Agency Series, Mr. Smith has created a universe that draws the reader/listener in and captivates. His stories are much more about every day life and the relationships people develop with a background plot. Like Mma Ramotswy I looked forward to hearing about Isabelle Dallhousie's life every day when I got in the car to drive to work. I listen to the first Sunday Philosophy Club book and immediatly to this one. Starting one of Mr. Smiths books is like getting a letter from an old friend. He creates these characters with whom you can't help but love and look forward to hearing of their next adventure. Excellent

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: Book 2

It was like getting together with old friends; enjoyed it even more than the Sunday Philosophy Club. Look forward to another sequel.

Entertaining Book

Would you listen to Friends, Lovers, Chocolate again? Why?

Quite an interesting book. Once I got use to the English/Scottish accent the book was well worth listening to. Thoroughly enjoyed

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Title: The Painted Drum

Author: Louise Erdrich

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-12-05

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 233 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From Faye's discovery, we trace the drum's passage, from the reservation on the northern plains to New Hampshire and back. Through the voice of Bernard Shaawano, an Ojibwe, we hear how his grandfather fashioned the drum after years of mourning his young daughter's death, and how it changes the lives of those whose paths its crosses. And through Faye we hear of her anguished relationship with a local sculptor, who himself mourns the loss of a daughter, and of the life she has made alone with her mother, in the shadow of the death of Faye's sister.

Through these compelling voices, The Painted Drum explores the strange power that lost children exert on the memories of those they leave behind, and the intricate, transformative rhythms of human grief. One finds throughout the grace and wit, the captivating prose, and surprising beauty that characterize Louise Erdrich's finest work.

Editorial Reviews:

The painted drum at the center of this lovely book is Ojibwe. It is found, radiating shamanic power, by estate appraiser Faye Travers. That Faye herself is Ojibwe is the first of many repeating motifs in this narrative of linked stories about the people whose lives have been changed for good or ill by the drum. Anna Fields's performance is a tour de force. She was coached in Ojibwe pronunciation and is as convincing as gruff Ojibwe Bernard Shaawano, whose grandfather made the drum, as she is portraying the light voices of the doomed girl children who haunt the book and the smoky timbre of an old Indian woman.

Critic Reviews:

"Erdrich draws us into her exquisitely detailed world effortlessly....Hard to believe, but Erdrich just keeps getting better." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Worth sticking with

This book took me a while to enjoy. It starts slowly but gets very juicy in the second half. I found the Indian characters most compelling. The final scene between mother and daughter moved me to tears. I loved the author's use of language; her dialogues were especially memorable. I would recommend it.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

This was recommended to me through a group on ravelry.com. Knitters tend to know good audio books, and they were right on with this one. I was surprised and pleased when the story turned from modern day back to the origins of the drum. I felt the characters were very real, with all their flaws, and yet remarkable because of them. They came across as every day people - neighbors, acquaintances, friends. This is a great read (listen!)

Powerful

This book sneaks up on you from behind and delivers a subtle, yet powerful, blow between the shoulders which shakes the heart. It builds, turns back on itself, and demands an emotional response. Erdrich circles the story and each turn adds resonance and depth to the characters and to the reader's experience. Highly recommended if you want to experience a book that delves beneath the surface of what it means to be human.

Hurting and healing

Louise Erdrich has composed a beautiful story about life. As Faye, the main character reflects on her life, she is drawn into other lives past and present. Finding and keeping the drum in order to find it's "true owners" provides the opportunity for Faye to learn more about herself and her mother. The writing is succinct, but not spare. I thought the narrator did an excellent job with this book.

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Title: At Home in Mitford

Subtitle: The Mitford Years, Book 1

Author: Jan Karon

Narrator: Jan Karon

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-26-05

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 106 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old. Suddenly Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And listeners get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives.

Don't miss out on the rest of Father Tim's adventures in

.

©1997 Jan Karon (P)1998 Penguin Audiobooks

Members Reviews:

Go for Unabridged version

A friend at work told me about this series. I downloaded the abridged version, and told my friend I just didn't like the story as much as she did. She borrowed it and hated it--the unabridged version was much better, she said. I wholeheartedly agree. Having listened to both, there's no comparison: the unabridged version is richer, funnier, and more touching and heart-warming than the parsed over abridged version. It's worth listening to the extra hours. It's a wonderfully COMPLETE story!

Spell Binding

This book was recommended to me by several friends. I haven't read a book in a great many years but when I sat down with this one I was glued to it. I love the little family, the little town and all the members of the town. Every single person in the book are so real you wish you lived there. When I finished this book, I immediately ran out and bought the next in the series, and then the next after that. Once you start reading, you need to know that you won't be able to stop after the first book.

Wonderfully entertaining

I am on book 4. I am amazed at how wonderful Jan Karon reads her own books. She is an awesome narrator. My children, 6 and 7, are even getting into them. Thank you, Jan, for making this. I actually look forward to remodeling now, because it is when I can listen to these books!

A very sweet feel good story

Would you consider the audio edition of At Home in Mitford to be better than the print version?

I listen to books on the run, while driving, doing housework, running errands, etc. It makes chores and commuting more enjoyable, and I finally read books that have been on my planned reading list. In this case, I have the hard copy book at home, but have never taken the time to read it. Now I can cross this book off of my list, and I am ready to read more of Jan Karon's books.

What other book might you compare At Home in Mitford to and why?

I would compare the homespun stories and writing to Garrison Keillor's books.

Which character as performed by Jan Karon was your favorite?

Father Tim is my favorite character.

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

The book took me through a range of emotions, but my favorite parts made me laugh.

Abridged version lacking

Having read the book, abridged makes it all facts, not much heart or character development