Download Popular Titles Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Title: The Wandering Hill

Subtitle: Volume 2 of The Berrybender Narratives

Author: Larry McMurtry

Narrator: Alfred Molina

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-03

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 257 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Amidst all this, the Berrybender family - English, eccentric, wealthy, and fiercely out of place - continues their journey of exploration, although beset by difficulties, tragedies, and the increasing hardships of day-to-day survival.

Abandoning their luxurious steamer, which is stuck in the ice near the Knife River, they make their way overland to the confluence of the Missouri and the Yellowstone. Tasmin is about to become a mother, living with the elusive young mountain man Jim Snow. Theirs is a great love affair, lived out in conditions of great risk.

From the murder of the iced-in steamship's crew to the appearance of the Partezon, a particularly blood-thirsty Sioux warrior with a band of over two hundred, The Wandering Hill is at once literature on a grand scale and riveting entertainment by a master storyteller.

Critic Reviews:

"As in any McMurtry novel, each character the reader meets has glorious quirks, and Alfred Molina gives an understated, eloquent performance that allows the language to shine....A larger-than-life American adventure." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Outstanding

This installment is even better than the first, Sin Killer. The combination of McMurtry's writing and Molina's versitile performance makes for great listening. It is truly like "watching" a wonderful play when listening to this book. I am not one to go on with superlatives, but this production was outstanding.

The Wandering Hill

This is the second book in the continuing saga of the Berrybender 'tribe'. Even though the Berrybenders are Englishmen (and definitely WOMEN) to the core, this is a very accurate appellation since they seem to bring with them their version of reality to the untamed wilderness of early America. The characters and circumstances are so rich and novel, the author brings them alive to the point that I feel an active loathing and equal admiration for a number of the characters. This is a wonderful 'listen' that I recommend to all.

Delightfully quirky!

Always a fan of Larry McMurtry's prose, I felt I hit the mother lode with the Berrybender trilogy. As much as I enjoyed the entry book, The Sin Killer, The Wandering Hill expands the characters and "gives them flesh" and as annoying as they can be individually at times, their combinations--and conversations--often made me chuckle out loud. In true McMurtry style there is plenty of hard realism but the reader cannot help but feel he has learned a great deal about the era on which the author expounds, the American frontier. To me, however, the savvy language, the unexpected courage and resolve the characters show, and their unbelievable resilience make this one of the most enjoyable reads I've had. The narrator has an almost inexhaustible supply of voices and accents as well, and adds mightily to the book's enjoyment.

Second time around

This is my second time through this series. Enjoyed it as much if not more this time than the last.

Good Story, Well Told

As always, McMurtry doesn't disappoint, and Molina's performance brings the characters to life. Superbly engaging.

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Title: Carry Me Across the Water

Author: Ethan Canin

Narrator: Ron Rifkin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-20-01

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

"Take the advice of no one," the young August Kleinman is told by his mother as the Nazi party rises to power around them in Hamburg. With these words to guide him, young August escapes to America, where he goes on to build a fortune, a family, and a life on his own terms. At the defining moments that reveal character and shape fate, August's bold journey illuminates, at the deepest levels, the ways our lives truly unfold. A shocking encounter with a Japanese soldier in a cave during World War II, an audacious decision to start a long-shot business in America, a lifelong passion for an Italian girl named Ginger, estrangement from his modern children - this is an exquisite novel by "the most mature and accomplished novelist of his generation" (Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio).

Critic Reviews:

"...like the Bach cello suites that Kleinman plays on his stereo at night, [Carry Me Across the Water] is a chamber piece that evokes intense and somber emotions." (The New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

A Captivating Read

This is a wonderful story of a 78-year-old man looking back on his life while he deals with the changes of the present. August Kleinman made some tough decisions in his life, and he did what had to be done to protect his family and amass a fortune, but now that he's older, he's got time to reflect. And one decision in particular must be resolved before his health fails him.

Like many of his generation, August is a tough, plain-spoken man whose exterior belies his big heart. All his life he's been called arrogant, and even now, he's too independent for his own good, according to his son, who nags him to sell the house and move closer. But August has one more task to carry out, and he's going to do it, because he has an iron sense of duty and obligation.

Carry Me is a multifaceted story that captivated me from the start. It's beautifully written. Here's an example of August reflecting on his life:

"His life had shown him the fruit and dirt of the world; he had killed one man and possibly a second, told Lyndon Johnson he was a coward after paying two thousand dollars to meet him, grown rich in a business that was abidingly anti-Semitic, beaten all the odds, and then lost the great love of his life before returning, if not to his former self, then at least to a man who could pass as that..."

This novel is extremely moving. The characters are three-dimensional, the story has a nice pace and dramatic tension, and it illuminates the second half of life. It's one of the better books I've ever read, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Charming and real.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking this journey with "Augie" and with his family as well. The character development was exceptional, for the most part making one feel as though you really understood their perspective and how they tied into this part of Augies' life's journey. Touching upon important issues such as dementia, familial responsibility for elderly parents, and Augies interesting attitude towards his wealth and the value or lack of value it had in his life, keeps the reader almost personally involved in the story.

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Title: July's People

Author: Nadine Gordimer

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

For years, it was called a "deteriorating situation." Now it is war. All over South Africa, mobs of fugitive white people scramble to board departing flights. But Bam and Maureen Smales have no such option. They take up their servant July's suggestion and seek refuge in his remote home village, forever altering the relationship of servant and master. Now it is the Smales who are dependent on their host, their savior - their keeper. Nadine Gordimer is the winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Please note: This is an older title that has been sourced from tape and is the only available version of this title with this narrator.

Critic Reviews:

"It is so flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible." (Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Enhanced format clears up some sound issues

I tried several times to listen to this in the format in which I first downloaded it circa 2007 - but like other listeners found the audio so poor that I abandoned it.

Because I started a South Africa listening theme, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the novel is now available in Enhanced format - a big improvement. However, note that it is still a speculative novel of its time (1981?) about the Apartheid era so it may not appeal to all listeners today. AND although my new download was quite "audible," it still has the sound of an older book-on-tape converted to digital.

I like narrator May's attempt at South African English, but May seems to be one of those narrators listeners either love or hate - Make sure you like Nadia May/Wanda McCadden/Doneda Peters by listening to a samlple from ANOTHER book -Listening to the sound clip for this one may not help because to me, at this date, it sounds like old format version, not the improved Enhanced version.

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Title: Fault Lines

Author: Anne Rivers Siddons

Narrator: Kate Burton

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Adventure and calamity strike when a model wife and mother takes an uncharacteristic risk. She joins her daughter and sister for a roadtrip along the San Andreas Fault, just as a major earthquake hits. The quake causes extensive damage and strands the women for days. Best-selling novelist Anne Rivers Siddons, author of Downtown and Colony, charts this remarkable trip that forever transforms these three strong women and their relationships to one another.

©1995 Anne River Siddons; (P)1995 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"To say Siddons is a Southern writer is not to diminish her talent but to describe the style, subject, and sheer seductive power of her writing." (Chicago Tribune)

Members Reviews:

Another Good Read from Anne Rivers Siddons

Whenever I am in need of a good book to read and have nothing on my list, Anne Rivers Siddons is one of the authors I turn to. I have enjoyed every book I've read of hers, and this book did not disappoint. I am always amazed by the different subjects she covers. This book takes place in Atlanta and the Santa Cruz mountains in California. I am a native San Franciscan and spent my childhood summers in the Santa Cruz mountains (not the Santa Cruzes as she calls them), and I found her descriptions of the area fairly accurate. The storyline was good and thought provoking and, as always with this author, well written. I think my favorite book by her is Downtown, and I've enjoyed every other book I've read by her.

Very moving!

One of her best novels-it's worth reading more than once.

ANOTHER WINNER!!!

This book was the greatest! I love Anne Rivers Siddons books--I have read them all, and always been left wanting more SOON!!! If you have never read her books, Start now and you will be hooked for life! Her characters come alive, the situations draw you in and hold you until the last word is read.

Great story and so informative

I always enjoy her books. I have read all the current ones and was hesitant to try Fault Lines. I was so totally taken with the scientific thread within the drama of each of their lives. I realize it was fiction. However, being from NC and having lived in California for several years;it brought back memories. I watched my popeye goldfish being tossed about in his aquarium while the water sloshed out. That was my first experience with the ground beneath us swaying. Anne Rivers Sidden has a talent for addressing the human needs of the young and old alike. A truly lovely book.

Worth reading!

This is a heartbreaker if you've ever loved someone and they left YOU! It's a book filled with knowledge of earthquakes and love of family. Definitely worth a read for anyone who loves southern writers!

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Title: Up Island

Author: Anne Rivers Siddons

Narrator: Dana Ivey

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Molly Bell Redwine was raised to believe that nothing is more important than "The Family". But everything Molly values is challenged when her domineering mother dies, her husband leaves her for a younger woman, and her Atlanta family scatters to the four winds. She takes refuge by visiting friends in Martha's Vineyard, a very different world that hastens her changing identity. She decides to stay on after the season, living in a small cottage where she cares for her bitter, aging landlady and the woman's ill and estranged son, Dennis. As she watches over Dennis, her landlady, and her newly-widowed father, Molly lets go of her tired notions of family and begins to form a strange, but very real, new one.

©1997 Anne River Siddons; (P)1997 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"One doesn't read Siddons's books; one dwells in them....[Hers] are not characters in a novel, but people living and dying, loving and hating, hungering and scheming in a world made real." (Chicago Tribune)

Members Reviews:

Music was not necessary

I love the stories by Anna Rivers Siddons. I feel as if I know her

Characters She breathes life into them and the narrator is excellent. The only negative about the Audible version is the music between chapters - not only not necessary but ruins the flow of the story.

Shorty but very entertaining

I liked the story. Sometimes made me wish I could escape to a totally different life. I would recommend this to other older women who have had be upended at one time in their life or another. I laughed, shed a few tears and reflected on my own life now and again. A quick 'read', loved the narrator . What I did not care for was the loud harsh music blared at the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Very annoying

Wonderful story and narrator!

I love Anne Rivers Siddons novels as a rule and this one was no exception. I laughed, I cried and was totally invested in these characters.

The narrator was wonderful and captured all the voices and personalities extremely well.

The only pet peeve I have with the recording is the music, it became a little annoying, but otherwise I absolutely enjoyed this book,

I highly recommend it to everyone! Enjoy!

I love this book!

I have heard this book before and loved it just as much the second time. The characters are believable and loveable and I shall miss them. I only wish there was a sequel. It is a story of a woman whose life is suddenly devastated, her journey for fulfillment, and those relationships she acquired along the way. The reader does a great job and adds to the personality of the characters.

Great story and narration but awful music

Any additional comments?

The transition music between chapters does not fit and is very distracting when you are getting into the book.

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Title: God Don't Like Ugly

Author: Mary Monroe

Narrator: Denise Burse

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 249 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Reminiscent of best-selling writers Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, critically acclaimed author Mary Monroe is a fresh voice in contemporary literature. In God Don't Like Ugly, she weaves a powerful tale of devastating abuse, the strength of friendship, and the burden of terrible secrets. Shy, overweight Annette Goode is only seven years old when Mr. Boatwright, a boarder in her house, begins sexually abusing her. She keeps this information to herself for years, until gorgeous, self-assured Rhoda Nelson becomes her new friend. Annette confides in Rhoda and finds the strength and courage to survive to adulthood. But Rhoda has skeletons in her closet that could doom them both.

©2000 Mary Monroe; (P)2001 Recorded Books,LLC

Members Reviews:

I finished it, but it was a struggle

Would you ever listen to anything by Mary Monroe again?

Probably not

How could the performance have been better?

The voices were whiny and began to grate on me after a while.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure if it was the narration, the story, the characters, or the fact that my lack of sympathy for the main character makes me feel like a horrible human, but something about this book really turned me off. I finished listening to it, but it was painful. I am horrified at my lack of sympathy for the young girl in this story, but honestly, I just didn't find her situation realistic. Maybe if the author had done more to help me believe in her, or the narrator hadn't made me want to scream "JUST TELL YOUR DAM**D MOM, ALREADY, SO I CAN STOP LISTENING TO THIS BOOK!!" I may have been more on her side.

A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE

This is a story that was hard for me to pause and continue, later. Best of all, was the excellent job of the narrator. Her voice, with the Southern accent, and inflections, made me subconsciencely, nod my head in recognition. The actual story, was mind-boggling. And, until the story was nearly finished, I very frustrated with the lead chacerter. What happened to her at an early age; was sad. But, there was no justification for her to keep that terrible relationsip going when she was old enough to know better. I also loved the fact that the author did not stoop to allowing Annette to slim down to what most folks in this country, believes to be the ideal' size 6. Instead, as she grew up, she developed the self-confidence in herself that enbabled her to accept herself for who and what she was. It was a very enjoyable book and I look forward to Part 2.

Wonderful series

I really love this series. While the abuse written in the story is not a happy story, the character is a wonderful strong black woman. I will be sad when the series ends. (At the time of this review, I'm on book four). Worth the chip! I also love the friendship she has with her BFF. Just a nice series overall.

A great listen

Would you listen to God Don't Like Ugly again? Why?

Yes, there were several parts that were terrible to listen through but it's a story that many little girls have and are going through.

What did you like best about this story?

I like when Annette and her mom finally move away from Florida.

What about Denise Burses performance did you like?

Her voice was very good. Serious and sad when her voice needed to be and comical when needed.

Excellent BOOK!!! Definitely one of my FAVS yet!!

I LOVED this book! Very entertaining. I couldnt stop listening to it! Very Dramatic with LOTS of supprises.

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Title: Abiding Darkness

Subtitle: Book One of The Black or White Chronicles

Author: John Aubrey Anderson

Narrator: Lillian Thayer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Against the background of the dynamic relationships between these rich characters, an enthralling struggle between good and evil emerges when a demon targets Missy and creates havoc throughout her family and community. This first book in The Black or White Chronicles relates the sweeping saga of a young girl's battle with one of hell's minions determined to destroy her and those closest to her.

Critic Reviews:

"Anderson is adept at leaving the reader hanging at the end of each chapter with intriguing portents of the next plot twist¿" (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Satisfying Story

I found the narration to be wonderful, and the story emotionally gripped me immediately. The mastery of the writing in what is not a religious book, depicted people with good hearts and souls and their struggles to stave off the devil's influence through the strength of their Christian faith. The personality development left me feeling as though I knew the characters and cared about them, and the beauty of the relationship of black and white folks in the south was a depiction that is not easy to forget. It is the story of teaching, love, and life that was a natural outgrowth of their actions. There is a little mystery, a little suspense, and many powerful moments. The everyday struggles between good and evil resonate throughout the story and culminate in an unforgetable and captivating account of the ability of people to live in harmony, and to love and take care of one another as we were created and expected to do. I will proably listen to it again and look forward to the author's next story.

good story, but preachy

Over all this is a good story and the characters were developed well, however, the last half of the book becomes very preachy and in parts I felt like I was listening to an evangelical preacher scream from his pulpit. If you can get past that it is an enjoyable listen.

Excellent!

I really enjoyed this book. Of course Missy and Moses were my favorite characters. As a Christian, I thought fiction and nonfiction were woven together beautifully. This story has brought me peace and a renewed determination to share the gospel with all. Thank you Mr. Anderson.

marypeet

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It wasn't especially well written but the narrator and the storyline made it a very worthwhile book to pass the time while I walked each day. I think the narrator was one of the best I've heard.

Terrible

Parts of the story are not bad however; the reader is treated like a heathen and an idiot. In my opinion, the author could have gotten his point across the first time and did not need the endless references. Put down your stick cave dweller, we got it.

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Title: Disobedience

Author: Naomi Alderman

Narrator: Rachel Atkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-21-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In a cramped synagogue in north-west London, the eminent elderly rabbi passes away. On the other side of the Atlantic, his estranged daughter, Ronit, hears of her father's death and returns to London for the funeral. She has not returned home in 15 years.

Ronit looks forward to a week or two of revisiting old friends, perhaps settling old scores. But she finds the community she grew up in a more confusing place than she'd anticipated. Particularly when she is unexpectedly reunited with Esti, her childhood sweetheart, who has taken a very different path in life....

Disobedience is a hugely enjoyable and warm-hearted portrayal of characters caught between two worlds, and a wise exploration of sexuality, tolerance and faith.

Critic Reviews:

"A bold comic touch.... Like Brick Lane, offering a glimpse of a closeted and surprisingly English nook of British society." (Observer)

"A fresh, feisty peek at the hidden world of Londons Orthodox Jewish Community." (The Independent)

Members Reviews:

Orthodox Jewish Women

Would you listen to Disobedience again? Why?

Yes, need to understand what the author is going through as a modern Jewish Women.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I liked the end. It reflected how I felt as a Jewish Women in America in the 20th Century.

Have you listened to any of Rachel Atkinss other performances before? How does this one compare?

The Hebrew pronunciation of many words was incorrect and that bothered me. If you dont know Hebrew you would enjoy her British accent. The author is British make it more meaningful to use this narrator.

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

I was moved by her decision about being a Jew and/or a lesbian. She is bi-sexual but explains that unlike African Americans, Jews and Lesbians can choose to ignore their differences and keep others from knowing they are different. This may cause some from feeling isolated but know one questions their behavior. One must admit to being different.

Any additional comments?

It is important to know where you come from and where you are going in America. This seems to be the message the author is communicating to all readers. Be yourself!

Loved this book!

Good story with great character development. One of the best narrations I have ever heard!

Interesting but misguided

I found the ruminations on Orthodox Judaism insightful but I feel like the author was trying to write two books in one and the ruminating took me out of the story. Also, using homosexuality as a tool for this rumination is misguided, I understand what the author was trying to say but her attempt leads me to believe that she has no idea of how being gay actually works. It's borderline offensive.

For anyone who struggles with formal religion

3 main characters struggle with identity and desire in a close knit orthodox community. They each transition to different and yet reasonable places . The triggering event is the death of someone who was a nurturing father figure to all three. I thought the book meaningful and enjoyable

Overall it was ok, I guess... Not really.

This story had so much potential, but unfortunately the narrative went, in my opinion as a gay woman, in a homophobic direction. That whole speech about desiring someone of the same gender is ok as as long as you don't act on it is harmful.

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Title: The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

Author: Melissa Bank

Narrator: Melissa Bank

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 37 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Generous-hearted, smartly comic, and wickedly insightful, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships, and the treacherous waters of the workplace. When Jane has gone in all the wrong directions (but for all the right reasons), she learns not only when to fish and when to cut bait, but who really makes the rules.

©1999 Melissa Bank; © and (P)1999 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic Reviews:

"Bank's gifts of distanced objectivity - as author and reader - dovetail here with stylish panache." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

The aubible was out of chapter sequence.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I read this book for my book club. We would not recommend this book to other friends.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She didn't.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe

Chapters downloaded in wrong order

What didnt you like about Melissa Banks performance?

Quite dull. At least the humor still came through. My major problem with "performance" didn't come from Melissa though. It came from Audible. The chapters were in the wrong order. With short stories it can be hard to tell but I found this out while discussing with my book club group.

Was The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing worth the listening time?

It's very quick, had some funny as well as insightful moments but overall I was left frustrated by the download, by the main character's interactions with the men in the stories and by the incredibly dull reading by Melissa.

Hard to follow

I guess the disjointed nature of this book was meant to be artistic and interesting, where I thought it was just plain confusing. Too many story lines are unfinished...you are left with an unsatisfied feeling when all is said and done. If I wanted dazed and confused, I'd go rent the movie.

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Title: The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything

Author: John D. MacDonald

Narrator: Stephen Hoye

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 118 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A classic novel by John D. MacDonald with an exclusive introduction written and read by Dean Koontz.

Once an ordinary math teacher, Omar Krepps developed a knack for gambling, amassed a fabulous fortune, and spent the rest of his life traveling the world and giving away his millions. Upon his death, however, Krepps bequeaths nothing to his nephew and only living blood relative, Kirby Winter - nothing, that is, except an antique watch and a sealed letter to be opened after one year. But Kirby has much more in his possession than he realizes. The watch has the power to manipulate time. Not only does this revelation shed light on the mystery of his uncles life, it puts Kirby on the path to unimaginable wealth and a new lease on love - as well as a whole host of deadly troubles. Even in a universe where time is no issue, Kirby must tread carefully to stay one step ahead of danger.

Members Reviews:

NOT Unabridged!

A word of warning to the uninitiated -- this is NOT an unabridged reading of The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything. The novel begins in epistolary fashion, with a letter written by one Sam Giotti, to his superior, a man named Fred. It is completely omitted from the Audible version. The letter runs a full four pages in my paperback edition,and lays much of the groundwork for what comes ahead, especially in alerting the reader to how the book will end. It's absence in inexplicable.

Otherwise, this is a fine reading, done in a nice, somewhat laconic fashion, by Stephen Hoye, with one major exception: his take on Bonny Lee Beaumont. A "hillbilly" from the South, Bonny Lee speaks with a strong accent, and it reads wonderfully on the printed page but comes across as stilted and mannered when acted by Hoye. He seems to be using a standard "southern" accent for Bonny, and in never really works. I live in the South and I don't know anyone who sounds like this.

A Touch of Sci-Fi and Romance

This is one of the two works of Science Fiction written by the author in his long prolific career. It also contains elements of Romance and Fantasy genres. Toby Kwimper awakens to the loss of his Uncle Omar and the knowledge that his inheritance consists of a warehouse full of junk and an Uncle Omar's stopwatch. As he stumbles through the next few days trying to figure out life until he meets the 'Hillbilly Girl' Bonnie Sue Beaumont. Bonnie Sue who has lived the opposite lifestyle from the protected, directed Toby. A teenage runaway she's had to make her own since she was a young teen and isn't about to be bamboozled by this city slicker Yankee. Thus their adventure began.

This book isn't just about a magic watch; it's about finding friends and people you can depend on in tough times. More than fifty years later there is still a message of value in this book.

A classic

A fabulous tale that still works in spite of being 50 years old. I've loved it since I first read it in the 60s. A great complement to the Travis McGee series.

Narrator was not quite up to snuff, but didn't ruin the story either, thus the 3 star rating.

Pure Joy

I had never read any John D MacDonald books before Audible introduced me to Travis McGee. After devouring the Travis McGee series, I have set out to read everything that I can that was written by MacDonald.