Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Title: The Potter's House

Author: Rosie Thomas

Narrator: Rula Lenska

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-05

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Olivia has settled on the tiny Greek island of Halemni; she is married to a Greek man and is mother of two small sons. As the turquoise of summer dissolves into the cool of autumn, so the rhythm of island life goes on unchanged, until an earthquake ravages the Turkish coast, sending a tidal wave to envelop the island. Its force devastates Halemni, tearing apart the fabric of the small community. In the aftermath, a stranger appears. Kitty, an Englishwoman, is alone and without possessions. She accepts Olivia's offer of refuge in the potter's house, but she guards her past as preciously as Olivia protects her young family.

©2001 Rosie Thomas; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"[Rula Lenska] is superb....Rosie Thomas has written a humane story, and Lenska takes the story to new heights with her magnificent application of Greek dialect, understanding of human emotions, and love of these characters." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Not bad.

This book got off to a bit of a slow start but once it got going I enjoyed it. The parallel between the 2 main characters lives was interesting and it had a decent ending.

Escape to the Greek Islands...

Where does The Potter's House rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Probably top.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Potter's House?

The opening chapter when the heroine experiences an earthquake sets the tone for a believable "disappearing" act.

Which character as performed by Rula Lenska was your favorite?

The mother in law, Mellula(?). Rula has an impressive ability to change accents.

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

It will be all right - in the end!

Any additional comments?

Love the author and the narrator. Those combined factors attracted me to purchase.

Unimpressed

I love The Potters House but I didn't realize that I had downloaded part two of this book. So I am quite disappointed. 1 credit should equal one whole book, not a half a book.

A great listen

Rula Lenska's narration is superb, building wonderful pictures in your mind. An excellent read!

POTTERS HOUSE
I'm loving this audio book BUT...

the visible chapter number on the sreen DOESNT show the correct chapter that is being read

CAN YOU CORRECT THIS PLEASE ??

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Title: A Good Yarn

Author: Debbie Macomber

Narrator: Linda Emond

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-05

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 336 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the year since it opened, A Good Yarn has thrived and so has Lydia Hoffman, the owner. A lot of that is due to Brad Goetz. But when Brad's ex-wife reappears, Lydia is suddenly afraid to trust her newfound happiness.

Elise Beaumont joins one of Lydia's popular knitting classes. Living with her daughter, Aurora, Elise learns that her onetime husband plans to visit and that Aurora wants a relationship with her father, regardless of how Elise feels about him.

Bethanne Hamlin is facing the fallout from a divorce and joins the knitting class as the first step in her effort to recover a sense of dignity and hope.

Courtney Pulanski is a depressed and overweight teenager. She's staying with her grandmother, who's trying to help by taking her to the knitting class at A Good Yarn.

Four women, brought together by the craft of knitting, find companionship and comfort in each other. Who would've thought that knitting socks could change your life?

Critic Reviews:

"An unbreakable bond is formed among the knitters in this sweet and poignant story of real women with real problems becoming real friends." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

a good yarn

A really fun book. Visiting old friends and making new friends. It is a feel-good book. Want to listen until the last page!! And then wonder how long before the next installment.

A Nice Story

Although I'm usually the Thriller type, I got this book because of the knitting content - yes, I knit socks!!! A nice, pleasant story with nothing to offend anyone & a happy ending too!! I would recommend this book to readers of light fiction who just want to relax & be entertained.

Great book

Debbie Macomber is very skilled at drawing in the reader into the plots by creating great characters. This book is no exception. It was a perfectly created yarn!

Knitting fever

I am a knitter. I knit every day, so I was intrigued by the title of this book. The story was, at first , confusing but then kept my interest to the end. The family dynamics was interesting. When I listen to a book by this author, I feel like I am right there, in the story with the characters.

Good, cozy story...

I really enjoyed this second installment in the Blossom Street series. The characters are pretty realistic and seem like old friends. I especially enjoyed the knitting tidbits.

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Title: Peyton Place

Author: Grace Metalious

Narrator: Tim O'Connor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 180 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In 1956, when this novel was first published, communities all over New England snapped up copies to see if they were the town portrayed in the book. Peyton Place is the story of a repressive New England town known for its high standards of public morality, and the steamy sexual activities that take place behind its bedroom doors. While the town's rigid mores lead to hypocrisy and repression, the earthy characters have an unbelievably high level of sexual functioning, especially the playboy Rodney Harrington and the profoundly round-heeled Betty Anderson. In this environment, Allison McKenzie, a dreamy girl coming to womanhood, must make her way without a father, living with her frigid mother, Constance McKenzie.

©1956 Grace Metalious; (P)2001 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Metalious was a competent writer with some flair whose punchy workmanlike prose efficiently captured her little inland New England hamlet's earthy (if somewhat unbelievably sexually functional) populace." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Best book I've read to date!

Until now, I would say "To Kill A Mockingbird" is my favourite book; however, after reading "Peyton Place," I think that is now my fave of all time. I watched the movie a bunch of times before ever reading the book, and obviously they couldn't deal with everything in the book for the movie in the "old days" because the book has way more scandalous details.

This book really tells a fascinating story and is a real page-turner. The Audible audio version has a very nice one-hour "bonus" at the end where the narrator talks about the history of the book, how it came to be, stuff about the author, how it was banned in many stores, libraries, and how it was even ILLEGAL to import the book to Canada in the 1950s!

This book is never dull; the characters are a scream; and it is guaranteed to entertain!

Going to watch the movie again, along with the sequel ("Return to Peyton Place") and also plan on renting the TV series (which I've never seen).

A Must, A Classic

Talk about telling it like it is! This book is an absolute must-read, especially because of the controversy it caused when first published. A true lesson on "social intercourse."

It is fascinating to consider that the narration of the book (both on paper and in voice) is from a man. Women are considered to be the gossipers, yet this is presented as from a male perspective (even though I truly think it is a woman's perspective). The narration was superb!!

The movie, of course, made slight changes but none that were too harmful. And then there was the Soap Opera series on TV. But this book, as usual, is the best of all. Even with knowing most of the twists and turns, I wanted it to go on forever.

Guilty Pleasure

I was only 3 when the book came out, but throughout the 50s and 60s there were whispers (and shouts) about Peyton Place. I was still too young to sneak into the movie and when I finally saw it on late night TV, I yawned. That said, both the book and the narrator are a real treat and I found it surprisingly better written than it's trash reputation would suggest. The inner voices are surprisingly honest and I will publicly admit that listening made driving to and from work a great ride.

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Title: Something Rotten

Subtitle: A Thursday Next Novel

Author: Jasper Fforde

Narrator: Emily Gray

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-04

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 989 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After spending her time chasing a stray Minotaur into pulp Westerns, filling in for Joan of Arc, and raising her infant son, Friday, Thursday needs a break in the real world. But her return to Swindon is far from relaxing. Rogue fictioneer Yorrick Kaine and the evil multinational Goliath Corporation are trying to rule the world, and a deadly assassin called the Windowmaker is tracking Thursday's every move. To top it all off, her husband is still missing after being eradicated from the timestream before they met.

Fans of Douglas Adams and Monty Python won't want to miss this charming detective adventure sure to tickle the funny bone and stimulate the literary mind.

Critic Reviews:

"A brazenly witty series." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Opening one of Jasper Fforde's novels means stepping into a playful new universe....It's easy to be delighted by a writer who loves books so madly. (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Re: the different narrator

This book is provided by Recorded Books not Highbridge Audio. I suspect that's why the narrator is different. Too bad - Elizabeth Sastre had it down pat!

Best one yet!

Of the Thursday Next series, this is my favorite. I haven't laughed out loud this much while enjoying a book in a long time. I would give the book a 10 for its overall witty fun. I felt the ending was too muddled and bogged down an otherwise perfect book. I, too, missed Ms. Sastre's narration and almost opted to read the book instead of listen. However, I decided to keep an open mind, enjoyed the narration for the most part and am glad I listened!

Highly Original

Jasper Fforde is a very unique writer, you really have to like this sort of thing. I only recommend him to certain people, but if you love the odd and unusual and have a good imagination you will love his writing. I would never recommend him to someone who doesn't like sci-fi, Monty Python or Douglas Adams. If you like any of the above, Fforde is for you.

I love this series

I've listened to all of the Thursday books and I love the series and it's quirky world.

Some of these reviews puzzle me and I can only guess that some of the books have been rerecorded or something, as Elizabeth Sastre is not the narrator for any of the Thursday Next series available on Audible at the moment. Emily Gray narrates all of them, except for The Eyre Affair which is narrated by Susan Duerdan. I've enjoyed both of these narrators.

The only thing that bugs me about this series is that there seems to be an inconsistency in the pause length in between chapters. Often the pause is long enough that I am just about to reach for my iphone to make sure it didn't die on me when the next chapter starts and occasionally the pause is so short it rambles out from the previous sentence. It's a small enough flaw that it doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the series.

Witty, Original and Lots of Fun

I, too, thought the author, Jasper Fforde, was a woman. Not so. Jasper is a man. That he can convincingly put himself (and a male reader) into the mind of a woman is, itself, sufficient reason to listen to the series.

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Title: Eventide

Author: Kent Haruf

Narrator: George Hearn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-04

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 331 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When the McPheron brothers see Victoria Roubideaux, the single mother they'd taken in, move from their ranch to begin college, an emptiness opens before them, and for many other townspeople it also promises to be a long, hard winter. A young boy living alone with his grandfather helps out a neighbor whose husband, off in Alaska, suddenly isn't coming home, leaving her to raise their two daughters. At school the children of a disabled couple suffer indignities that their parents know all too well in their own lives, with only a social worker to look after them and a violent relative to endanger them further. But in a small town a great many people encounter one another frequently, often surprisingly, and destinies soon become entwined (for good and for ill) as they confront events that sorely test the limits of their resilience and means, with no refuge available except what their own character and that of others afford them.

Spring eventually does reach across the land, and how the people of Eventide get there makes for an engrossing, profoundly moving novel rich in the wisdom, humor, and humanity for which Kent Haruf is justly acclaimed.

Critic Reviews:

"In the hands of another writer these events might read like a hick town soap opera, but Mr. Haruf's understated prose, combined with his emotional wisdom and his easy affection for his characters turns these events into affecting drama." (The New York Times)

"Highly charged and compassionate." (The New Yorker)

"Haruf's storytelling at its best." (Entertainment Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful!

This is a wonderful book, well read. The characters and their world will engage you, and leave you wanting more. Elegantly and sparely written, with dialog that sounds both real and just right. It picks up where Plainsong leaves off, with some of the same characters. I was sorry for the book to end, and hope the series continues.

Good story about small town life

What this book imparts is a quintessential view of American agrarian working class people. It is set in Colorado and speaks of small town life, I would guess in the 1970s or 80s. (One family has a microwave.) It is not plot oriented, so if you want lots to happen, look elsewhere. The picture it draws is astoundingly perceptive. The characters have very ordinary lives, but it is the perfection with which they are drawn that is so fantastic.

I cannot think of another book that delivers such astoundingly perfect dialogs. The sentences are short. What these characters say to each other is what ordinary people DO say to each other. The sentences are often composed of one or two words, or just a phrase. The dialogs are varied between two elderly brothers, between the husband and wife of a family on welfare, a social worker and those she is trying to help, between children, between friends and enemies, the rants of a child abuser. Absolutely all of these dialogs are pitch-perfect. Either Kent Haruf, the author, has a fantastic memory for conversations he has heard or he has used a tape recorder.

The narration by George Hearn, could simply not be better. He delivers the dialogs with perfect pacing. His pauses speak volumes.

This book is the second of a trilogy. The first one is "Plainsong". I read that years and years ago and gave it too four stars. "Benediction" follows Eventide, but I have not chosen to pick that up immediately.

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Title: The Memory of Running

Author: Ron McLarty

Narrator: Ron McLarty

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-04

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3301 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Smithson Ide is 43 years old and weighs 279 pounds when his parents die in an accident. Lost in memories of childhood, Smithson uncovers his old Raleigh bicycle in the garage and begins a cross-country journey to find his beautiful, but tragically psychotic sister. Keenly aware of how ridiculous he must appear, Smithson nonetheless perseveres through a journey that is hilarious and horrifying. It is a trip, he soon realizes, that might provide his last chance to become the person he has always wanted to be.

Critic Reviews:

"Ron McLarty's The Memory of Running is the best novel you won't read this year. But you can experience it, and I'm all but positive that you'll thank me for the tip if you do....What I hope is that you'll order a copy and experience it for yourself....It's bighearted and as satisfying as one of your mom's home-cooked Sunday dinners." (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Funny and Fascinating, A Wonderful Book

I first heard about this book while reading Stephen King's review of it in his Entertainment Weekly column. I put in a request for the title here at Audible and I am so glad they added it. This really is a terrific book, read by the author who is one of my favorite narrators. I didn't know what to expect at first and certainly did not see myself caught up in the story like I became. It is a truly heartwarming tale about a born loser who seems to be just smart enough to know he isn't very smart. You begin to root him on and as the tale and his journey progress he may have the chance to become the person he always wanted to be. I have listened to many audiobooks over the years, a few that I couldn't stand, some that were simply tolerated, many that I really liked and this one that I wished would just never end. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. This book was in turns hilarious and touching. A terrific effort by Ron McLarty and I hope to see more from him. I recommend this book whole-heartedly no matter what your normal listening tastes may be.

A great book written to be listened to

After hearing the terrific narrator Ron McLarty talk about how he felt this was a book written to be listened to, I had to agree. The story and charactors are clear and the sense of place cleanly defined. While there may not be a lot of depth to Smithy you get a great sense of exactly who he is and what he is about. Also there are holes in the narrative, but McLarty's prose and narration glide so smoothly over them, that you are swept along with Smithy as he travels the U.S. on his bike and traveling his past in his mind. What keeps this book from being great is perhaps the lack of real speed bumps and potholes that would have given the book a sense of tension. Still, the charactors we meet are well worth the visit

Marvelous

I usually like suspense, thrillers, anything that makes my heart pound. But I thought I would try something a little different - and I must say that this is the best possible book I could have chosen for my exploration. Gentle yet strong, lost, yet deeply sure in a million little ways, the main character touches me, and gives me hope for humanity. It is lovingly written, with great love for all the characters, and the reading makes you a part of the book. A marvelous read.

Cathartic

You can't help but fall in love with the protagonist, Smithy.

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Title: When the Emperor Was Divine

Author: Julie Otsuka

Narrator: Elaina Erika Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-16-03

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 166 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this lean and devastatingly evocative first novel, Julie Otsuka tells their story from five flawlessly realized points of view and conveys the exact emotional texture of their experience: the thin-walled barracks and barbed-wire fences, the omnipresent fear and loneliness, the unheralded feats of heroism.

When the Emperor Was Divine is a work of enormous power that makes a shameful episode of our history as immediate as today's headlines.

Critic Reviews:

"Exceptional...Otsuka skillfully dramatizes a world suddenly foreign...[Her] incantatory, unsentimental prose is the book's greatest strength." (The New Yorker)

"The novel's honesty and matter-of-fact tone in the face of inconceivable injustice are the source of its power." (Publishers Weekly)

"Mesmerizing." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Excellent

Fascinating book, couldn't wait to drive home to turn on the ipod and listen.

A classic

Executive Order 9066- Japanese Internment

Julie Otsuka's book takes the reader into the lives of a small Japanese American family as they are 'evacuated' and interned in a camp throughout World War two and then on to their return to civilization after the war. The story with bring tears, anger, questions, and greater vision to the reader. The author dealt with this delicate subject with great dignity and grace. The journey taken was enlightening and the imagery used throughout was insightful and memorable. Best book club read of the year.

Amazing wow

Must read for diversity. Trauma and a different perspective of another culture for stereotypes and biases that are so commonly accepted. Now seen from a wonderfully told story of the another story less heard and shared in common society

Narrator

I'm not sure I would have appreciated fully the power and beauty of this story if not for the narrators incredible performance. Loved her voice in telling this

Well written. Don't agree with the author's point.

I heard so many good things about this book (and the fact that many schools recommend it) that I was very eager to read it myself. What a letdown! In fact, the book actually made me feel that the government was correct in what they did to individuals of Japanese decent during WW II, something I never thought before!

We are never lead to believe that the family this tale revolves around are actually citizens of the United States but rather are resident aliens. Pearl Harbor has just been attacked by Japan for no reason other than pure aggression. Americans DIED there, and many, many more DIED on the Pacific warfront over the next several years. Yet when the family's matriarch is asked to swear loyalty to the United States, her attitude is one of "I'll say yes because I don't want to make trouble, because I don't want to go back to Japan, because these are only meaningless words to me." This is when I completely lost all sympathy with the family.

Yes, the book shows the subsequent desintegration of the family that the war had caused. But, as the author points out, many families that were their neighbors also suffered losses and family disruptions.

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Title: Villa Incognito

Author: Tom Robbins

Narrator: Barrett Whitener

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-03

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 290 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Imagine that there is a family in which four generations of strong, alluring women have shared a mysterious connection to an outlandish figure from Japanese folklore.

Imagine just those things (don't even try to imagine the love story) and you'll have a foretaste of Tom Robbins's eighth and perhaps most beautifully crafted novel - a work as timeless as myth yet as topical as the latest international threat.

On one level, this is a book about identity, masquerade and disguise - about "the false mustache of the world" - but neither the mists of Laos nor the smog of Bangkok, neither the overcast of Seattle nor the fog of San Francisco, neither the murk of the intelligence community nor the mummery of the circus can obscure the linguistic phosphor that illuminates the pages of Villa Incognito.

Critic Reviews:

"Here we have weirdness personified, a quirky, outrageous concoction that is a joy to the imagination." (Publishers Weekly)

"It's a fun read." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

More excellent Robbins

If you love Tom Robbins, then you will like this book. The narration is fantastic, and the story is compelling. The classic problem is that it is difficult to wrap up so many stories at the end, so he uses an epilogue to finish the book, which was a little bit of a let down. That being said, it has some great characters, storylines and made me laugh out loud.

Great story but the narrator ruins it.

I love Tom Robbins. I had read Villa Incognito years ago and was excited to listen to it. I've enjoyed all the other Robbins books in audio format. This narrator is terrible. His Thai accent and "cowboy" accents are terrible to the point of distraction. Robbins books are naughty and glib and don't take themselves seriously, that's the beauty of his story-telling. They need a subtle touch. Robbins books, as most great stories, need the narrator to become invisible and let the story shine through. This performance was so disappointing.

Not his best effort...

I am a big Tom Robbins fan and have read almost all of his books. He has a very unconventional sense of humor and a joie de vivre that some people find disconcerting. I did like this book, but I didn't think it was one of his best. The story is complicated and you do have to stick with it at times, as it gets kind of confusing. But that is Mr. Robbins' style: to twist a familiar theme until you begin to see it from the inside out. I have gotten some great insights from his books in the past, but I couldn't get close to any of characters in this novel or their predicaments. Part of the difficulty may be with the reading itself. The reader's attempts at the various accents, especially the asian ones (which sound like something from a Monty Python sketch), were highly stereotypical and difficult to relate to.

Some great sentences, but an incomplete story

Many people would argue that Robbins never focuses very much on plot or story, but I have found his stream of consciousness adventures to be some of the most fun, clever and engrossing books that I have read.

That being said, Villa Incognito was a bit of a dissapointment. This novel follows the same formula as his other books, and it seems that half way through, he got bored with writing another novel about absurdity, gurus, and wahoo and decided to just end it.

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Title: Forever

Author: Pete Hamill

Narrator: Stevie Ray Dallimore

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-03

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 123 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Cormac comes to know all the buried secrets of Manhattan - the way it has been shaped by greed, race and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and above all, by hope.

Through it all, Cormac must fight a force of evil that returns relentlessly in the scions of a single family whose path first crossed his in Ireland. As he searches out these blood enemies, he must watch everyone he touches slip away. And so he seeks the one who can change his fate, the mysterious dark lady who alone can free him from the blessing and the curse of his long life.

Drawing on Pete Hamill's bone-deep knowledge of New York City, Forever is his long-awaited masterpiece, a Shakespearean evocation of the mysteries of time and death, sex and love, character and place. It is both an unforgettable drama and a timeless triumph of storytelling.

Critic Reviews:

"As always, [Hamill] is perfectly enjoyable to read for his great felicity of style (obviously derived from his years as a journalist) as well as his originality of plot. This absolutely embracing novel is certain to hit the best seller lists." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Great, but even better Unabridged

Overall, a fun story, well read. Some of the plot criticisms already reviewed here are valid, I believe, but they certainly don't get in the way of either the story or the setting. This is a much better reading experience in print, I have to say, because the abridgment leaves out so much compelling and interesting detail about New York City, which seems to be Hamill's main reason for writing the book. It's not Audible's fault, of course; the publishers seem to think we all just want a quick read, a la fast food. I liked it when I listened to it, but felt too much was missing. When I read it in print,it just came alive and I luxuriated in the details.

Too chopped

The abridging of this book chops the story so severly that it does not flow well. I understand the complete story is excellent but with this abridged version, it constantly feels like you are missing something. Only the beginning of the book, and the narrator are first rate. The rest can be skipped.

Forever

This was a very well written book, full of history and well defined characters. I was really impressed by how the author tied in history and recent events. I think it took a lot of courage to take an extra year to finish the book to tie it all together. It is kind of creepy to think about how it all happened. The afterward by the author was very good too.

Feh.

Neat premise, good storytelling, but the end seemed truly tacked on and ruined the experience.

Poor Ending

Great start. The historical points at the beginning and in NYC were very interesting. The author was not able to find an ending. Too quick, too easy. Entertaining all the same.

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Title: Three Junes

Author: Julia Glass

Narrator: John Keating

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-03-02

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 1451 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

National Book Award, Fiction, 2002

Love in its limitless forms - between husband and wife, between lovers, between people and animals, between parents and children - is the force that moves these characters' lives, which collide again, in yet another June, over a Long Island dinner table. This time it is Fenno who meets and captivates Fern, the same woman who captivated his father in Greece ten years before. Now pregnant with a son of her own, Fern, like Fenno and Paul before him, must make peace with her past to embrace her future. Elegantly detailed yet full of emotional suspense, often as comic as it is sad, Three Junes is a glorious triptych about how we learn to live, and live fully, beyond incurable grief and betrayals of the heart - how family ties, both those we're born into and those we make, can offer us redemption and joy.

Three Junes is available in print from Pantheon Books.

Editorial Reviews:

Why we think it's Essential: I listened to Three Junes after a trip to Scotland, and found myself transported back to that country by John Keating's lilting narration of this engrossing family saga. But Keating's storytelling prowess extends beyond Scotland's borders; he is just as skilled with American characterizations and crosses time zones and years seamlessly in recounting the three summers that make up this gorgeous National Book Award-winning story. Diana Dapito

Critic Reviews:

"Julia Glass' talent just sends chills up my spine; her novel is a marvel." (Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls)

"Has the rich pleasures of a 19th-century novel and the rush of New York life of the last ten years. I'm amazed it's a first novel - it is a mature, captivating work of fiction." (John Casey, author of The Half-life of Happiness)

"Almost threatens to burst with all the life it contains...extraordinary." (Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours)

Members Reviews:

Beautiful Narration of a Wonderful Story!

Delightfully written, true to life & completely believable characters make this the best "read" I've had in a long time. The narration with the brogue really completes it. My only complaint is that the book goes from past to present & back again very frequently & can be hard to follow (especially at first, till you figure out what's going on). It doubtlessly would have been easier to follow on paper.

Honestly, this has been my best find here, I highly recommend it!

The Search For Love

In the end I enjoyed the book. However, that said, I also agree with negative reviewers in that part 2, the longest of this three part novel, could have used an editor. The flashbacks and time frames got mixed up and at times were really hard to follow.

Further, while audible has this book listed in the genre of fiction with a subheading of contemporary most online book sites list it in the LGBT section. Be aware that the book focuses a great deal on gay men in 1980's NYC during the early AIDS crisis. At times, for me, this focus was too generalized, distanced and stereotypical.

Overall, I stuck with the story in spite of these reservations because I liked the author's writing style and I was caught up in how the tale would play out. I really like books that twist time and provide a variety of points of view on the same events. This was my first book written by Glass and I plan on continuing with her more recent novels.