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Title: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Author: Natasha Pulley

Narrator: Thomas Judd

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-02-15

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 732 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the listener on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles longstanding traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

Members Reviews:

Beautiful Story

There is so much going on in this book that its hard to isolate just a few things I liked. Ill talk about a couple here, but there are so many great parts in this book.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street sets a touching love story against a historic time of social and political unrest Irish terrorists are bombing London in protest of British rule; women in England and other parts of the world are dissatisfied with their inability to vote and restricted independence; and Japans feudal and agrarian society is fighting a losing battle against the influence of Western culture and technology. After doing a little web surfing, I discovered that a lot of the history relayed in the book is accurate, including the bombings that are central to the story. I find historical fiction much more impressive when it can deliver a mostly-accurate history lesson at the same time its entertaining.

Another part of this story I appreciated was the subtle descriptions of what true love really looks like. In one part of the story, Mori encourages Thaniel, who has synesthesia, to draw and paint when he sees when he listens to music. Mori insists on hanging the drawings on the wall, even though Thaniel believes they are worthless. Mori describes Thaniels drawings as much more interesting than the paintings he just bought by that depressed Dutchmen (referring to, Im assuming, Van Gogh).

In another part of the book, when Mori visits Grace and Thaniels new home, he is obviously unhappy that the music room is unfinished and there is no piano, though Graces laboratory in the basement is completely finished. Later, the reader learns that Mori sees Thaniel as a pianist while Grace sees him as an ordinary man who occasionally plays the piano. This makes a difference to Thaniel and affects his future choices. These are subtle parts of the story, but they say quite a lot about the relationships between the characters.

The narrator, Thomas Judd, did a great job with the voices. As I was listening, I didnt think there was a lot of obvious variations in voice; but in hindsight, I never had any trouble distinguishing between characters. In particular, Thaniels, Moris, and Graces voices were perfect for their characters.

There is also the sock-stealing clockwork octopus, the cheeky workhouse orphan, the way clairvoyance is imagined, the wide range of diversity in the story, and the scientific cleverness displayed at the end. I cant say more without giving too much away, but youll know what I mean when you read it.

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Title: The Rumor

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Narrator: Kathleen McInerney

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-16-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1227 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A friendship is tested in this irresistible pause resister from New York Times best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand.

Nantucket writer Madeline King couldn't have picked a worse time to have writer's block. Her deadline is looming, her bills are piling up, and inspiration is in short supply. Madeline's best friend, Grace, is hard at work transforming her garden into the envy of the island with the help of a ruggedly handsome landscape architect. Before she realizes it, Grace is on the verge of a decision that will irrevocably change her life. Could Grace's crisis be Madeline's salvation?

As the gossip escalates and the summer's explosive events come to a head, Grace and Madeline try desperately to set the record straight - but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it.

Members Reviews:

Could not put it down

I listened to this audio book every chance I had. Work breaks, in the car and working in the garden. A great read/listen. Waiting for the ending but never wanting it to end. Colorful characters and surprises around every corner. Not my typical book, but it was really good. I hope to see a sequel.

Ehhhh

Boring characters (many with idiotic names) and a predictable story. The voice actors do a good job but the characters were all so 2 dimensional and dumb (literally) it was still a very long book to listen to.

Great listen

great story about how even people who are good can make poor decisions and life does go on

Cute, entertaining, and easy listen.

What made the experience of listening to The Rumor the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the charaters in this book. Liked listening to the different lives of each yet the lives and story was interwoven in a very believale way. I live in a small town and it is so true the different rumors that can start because of the different preception people conclude.

What did you like best about this story?

Cute, real to life and very easy flowing and good fun listen.

Which character as performed by Kathleen McInerney was your favorite?

I think she did a wonderful job and could ,listen to her on and on.

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

I liked Grace and Eddie. The story between them was very believable.

Any additional comments?

Nice summer listen.

Enjoyable

My first book with this author, but I enjoyed this so much I will listen to her other books. Good evocative descriptions of Nantucket.

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Title: Tucker's Way

Subtitle: The Tucker Series, Book 1

Author: David Johnson

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-02-15

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2726 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After enduring a childhood of horrific abuse and crushing poverty, Tucker seeks refuge in her rural Tennessee home. The three grandchildren she is raising are her only connection to the outside, and her demeanor is purposefully rough. But her world is turned upside down when a new neighbor, Ella, moves into the old McDaniel place next door.

Ella seeks solace on the same country road after overcoming cancer. Although she is Tucker's peer agewise, she was raised in a world of privilege and opportunity. Still, Ella shares a tragic part of Tucker's experience - she also suffered abuse. Hers was at the hands of her husband, a prominent judge in the community and Tucker's sworn enemy.

When Tucker finds herself at risk of losing custody of her beloved youngest grandchild and worse, the child's mother is murdered, she draws support and strength from her new friendship with Ella. These two women from disparate backgrounds form a fierce bond, and they weather life's storms together with faith, love, and determination.

Members Reviews:

Best novel I have read in a long time; anxious to listen to sequels!!!!

Great story. Fantastic narrator. Well developed characters. Being familiar with family codependent dynamics it is rich in every way. Once you start listening/reading you will not want to put it down. PLEASE OFFER SEQUELS WITH WHISPERSYNC!!! Thank you.

Okay

While the book isn't particularly well written, it was a story that drew me in and made me keep reading to find out what happened to the characters. There were many times I rolled my eyes at how it was a bit like an after-school special- though seriously- some of the scenes were NOT appropriate at all for that age group! It deals with child molestation and murder- in uncomfortable detail. That said, in spite of the predictability of it, it had an all too human aspect of there being characters that couldn't be characterized as good or bad, but complex, real, abrasive, but true, honest, and often principled. I liked that bit. I have to admit, I regret buying the second book prior to reading the first, but it was a bargain, so maybe I will read the next one. I would not recommend the book, as I think the same themes are dealt with in other books with more subtlety, and without the sappy unrealistic scenes that undermine the trauma of everything that was going on in that family.

Just when you think it's over...

Tuckers way had some difficult parts about child abuse and domestic violence. However, also great friendship and morality issues came up. well worth the read and just when you think it's over there are more surprises!

Spellbinding!

Seldom have I read such a well written book. Everything in this story is intertwined together to form a tale of down to earth characters with all the best and worst of mankind. Both the horrors and shortcomings of humanity and the love and loyalty are here. The author drew such vivid characters that listening to this book created visions in my mind of a movie.

Almost turned it off, so happy I didn't!

Who was the most memorable character of Tucker's Way and why?

Any additional comments?

When I first started listening to this book I just hated Tucker. A women that chews tobacco and is hateful to her dog is no character I want to read about, or so I thought. I meant to return the book but never got around to it.

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Title: Moth to a Flame

Author: Ashley Antoinette

Narrator: Nicole Small

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-15

Publisher: Buck 50 Productions

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 502 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the little city of Flint, Michigan, the good die young, and the people left standing are the grimiest of characters. With reign over the city's drug trade, Benjamin Atkins made sure that his precious daughter, Raven, was secluded from the grit that the city had to offer. But when Raven's young heart gets claimed by Mizan, a stick-up kid in search of a come-up, there's nothing Benjamin can do about losing her to the streets. She chooses love over loyalty and runs off with Mizan, but her new role as wifey soon proves to be more than she can handle.

Puppy love always feels right, but things turn stale, and Raven soon finds that everyone she loves has disappeared. All she has is Mizan, but when hugs and kisses turn to bloody lips and black eyes, she realizes that Mizan is not who she thought he was.

Raven becomes desperate for a way out, but this time Daddy can't save her. Every time she finds the courage to leave, fear convinces her to stay. Like a moth to a flame, Raven is drawn to Mizan even though she knows he'll be the death of her.

When the hood life she chose becomes unbearable, and the only way out is in a coffin, what will she do?

Members Reviews:

Excellent....Excellent....Excellent

If you could sum up Moth to a Flame in three words, what would they be?

Pure.....Satisfying......Greatness!!!

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the fact that this book wasn't predictable.

Which character as performed by Nicole Small was your favorite?

I loved Ethic

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

The end when Raven was almost at Ethics location

Any additional comments?

Great Job....Great narration!!! Keep them coming...

Great Listen!!!!!!

Have you listened to any of Nicole Smalls other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have listened to the title "The Prada Plan" and both books are great.

Any additional comments?

The storyline is great. However, if Raven was near me I would definitely give her a beating after all the things that happened to her she kept faithful to the guy which did not desire her. Overall great book.

Book was a little difficult to listen to.

As always Ashely Antoinette is an awesome writer and Nicole Small is an excellent narrator but I struggled through this book. The repeated bad decisions of Raven the going back and forth to an abusive, disrespectful, manipulating, and murdering man....WTF!!!! The first couple of times I could chop Ravens bad decisions to being inexperienced and young minded, but you would think after Raven found out that Mizan was behind all of the madness and disarray in her life (her parents, etc) she would be stronger than ever and not let a grimy man (or anyone) negatively influence her. I would have rather read that Raven went after revenge and put a cold barrel to Mizan temple in the end. I don't usually write this long of a review and I apologize if I sound a little stiff but this book was more personal for me because my own mother was very much like Ravenfrail minded until her death. There's a lesson in this book....please take heed to it!!!!!

great book

I liked this book. Very unpredictable from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend this book

I couldn't put it down.

the narrator did a really get job. I loved every second of this book can't wait to read another.

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Title: The Bookseller

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Cynthia Swanson

Narrator: Kathe Mazur

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 411 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams.

Nothing is as permanent as it appears....

Denver, 1962. Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She loves the bookshop she runs with her best friend, Frieda, and enjoys complete control over her day-to-day existence. She can come and go as she pleases, answering to no one. There was a man once, a doctor named Kevin, but it didn't quite work out the way Kitty had hoped.

Then the dreams begin.

Denver, 1963. Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It's everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted - but it exists only when she sleeps.

Convinced that these dreams are simply due to her overactive imagination, Kitty enjoys her nighttime forays into this alternate world. But with each visit, the more irresistibly real Katharyn's life becomes. Can she choose which life she wants? If so what is the cost of becoming Katharyn? As the line between her worlds begins to blur, Kitty must figure out what is real and what is imagined.

Members Reviews:

Meh

Interesting premise. Too bad that it's stretched out to a point it's very anticlimactic.

The narrator is pretty good, the story is not bad. It just lacks luster I guess.

mixed feelings

The idea was wonderful but the narrators voice grew old quickly and the plot lost steam. Wasn't too hard to figure out where she was going with the story and if I had been literally reading the book I would have skimmed. Description of Denver in the 1960s was enjoyable as was the relationships between "sisters" and mother/father/daughter. Relationship with children felt too Norman Rockwell on one hand and too uncomfortable on the other. Very disturbing emotional reaction to special needs.

Unexpectedly Intriguing - I couldn't stop listening!

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

Intriguing, complex, relatable

Who was your favorite character and why?

Katherine/Kitty I loved the contrast of the same character struggling to find reality in two very different lives. She was able to see herself from two perspectives and specifically how other key people in each life shaped the woman she had become.I related to her in many ways but particularly how she deeply cared for her loved ones and their happiness. Furthermore, I think any wife/mother/career woman can relate to how she had to prioritize and shift her time, effort, and interest as her life evolved as Katherine.

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

I did not have an emotional reaction but I had an extreme need to keep listening to this book. It captured my attention from the beginning (which doesn't happen often). I found myself listening every free minute I could find and increasing the reading speed to get to the end within 3 days.

Any additional comments?

This book really made me think not only about the interesting storyline of two parallel lives; but about being a woman--wife, mother, friend, and daughter--in the 1960s. I don't often take the time to write a review as soon as I finish a book but this one inspired me to encourage others to listen to this intriguing book!

No no no

Yuck.

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Title: Where We Belong

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrator: Vanessa Johansson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1296 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Angie and her mom are poised at the edge of homelessness...again. The problem is her little sister, Sophie. Sophie has an autism-like disorder and a tendency to shriek. No matter where they live, home never seems to last long. Until they move in with Aunt Vi, across the fence from a huge, black Great Dane who changes everything.

Sophie falls in love immediately and begins to imitate the "inside of the dog", which, fortunately, is a calm place. The shrieking stops. Everybody begins to breathe again. Until Paul Inverness, the dog's grumpy, socially isolated owner, moves to the mountains, and it all begins again. Much to Angie's humiliation, when they're thrown out of Aunt Vi's house, Angie's mom moves the family to the mountains after Paul and his dog. There, despite a 50-year difference in their ages, Angie and Paul form a deep friendship - the only close friendship either has known. Angie is able to talk to him about growing up gay, and Paul trusts Angie with his greatest secret, his one dream.

When the opportunity arrives, Angie decides to risk everything to help Paul's dream come true, even their friendship and her one chance at a real home - the only thing she's dreamed of since her father was killed. A place she can never be thrown out of. A place where she can feel she belongs. By the best-selling author of Don't Let Me Go, When I Found You, and Walk Me Home, Where We Belong is a poignant, heartfelt, and uplifting story about finding your place in the world no matter how impossible it seems.

Critic Reviews:

"Hyde has a sure touch with affairs of the heart." (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:

Another Great Book By This Author

After reading a couple of okay to pretty good books by this author I enjoyed her return to a great book immensely. Once again it's about finding family in the the world, when the family you have isn't up to the job. It's the story of a child that stumbles upon and then chooses to act in loco parentis for someone they happen to meet in their life. The actual parent is not so much a bad person as they are a poor parent and thus the child is in need of a real adult in their lives. The author's ability to create a few very likable characters and relationships is good enough that I've listened to six of her audiobooks ranging from good to really good or great and mostly enjoyed listening to very similar stories six times. This one might be the best of the six and at worst is third best. A full five stars for the story of a child who is forced to become an adult far too soon; and the adult who chooses to take on something very close to a parental role. I recommend both this author and this book heartily.

Interesting book

I have read several of Ms. Hyde's books now. I find a recurring theme of poor or absent parenting skills runs through them. I find her topics thought provoking, but am disappointed in her recurring view that poor parenting builds character.

I really enjoyed the relationship in this book between the main character and the "lonely neighbor. Overall I would recommend this book.

Good one view point

This book portrayed a very stable intelligent resourceful teenager that didn't have trust issues, amazingly.

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Title: Lunch with Buddha

Author: Roland Merullo

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 686 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A novel about family, open-minded spirituality, and the American road, Lunch with Buddha accompanies the characters from Breakfast with Buddha as they move further along the path toward lasting peace of mind. Facing one of life's greatest emotional challenges, Otto Ringling takes comfort in a loving family and offbeat lessons from eccentric spiritual teacher Volya Rinpoche.

Funny at times, heartbreaking at others, Lunch with Buddha offers a fresh and engaging perspective on the life we live now.

Critic Reviews:

"Merullo's is a beautifully written and compelling story about a man's search for meaning that earnestly and accessibly tackles some well-trodden but universal questions." (Kirkus starred review)

Members Reviews:

Better than Breakfast!

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

I love the soothing and calm demeanor of this book in audio format. I find myself drifting off and imagining the landscape, the people, the essence of where they are, what they are doing and what is being said or felt at that moment in time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lunch with Buddha?

This books comes with a sense of sadness, a edge of your seat profoundness. I appreciate the experience of letting a loved one go in this book, different from Breakfast, and I love the break in sadness with a tough of the Rinpoche's unassuming humor.

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

Every moment of this book brings me close to emotions felt in my own life. I've laughed and cried at many moments throughout. A book I can relate to and yet it still takes me away from my day to day.

Any additional comments?

Roland Merullo is a genius! His books are relatable, profound, and intense. No matter what religion you are or what level of spiritual awakening you've had, his Buddha books are written in a way that opens a window or a door, they hint at questions that have always lurked in the depths of your mind. I'm in love with this serious and look forward to others written by Roland!

Learn through fiction

I appreciate the self-improvement ideas about calmness and acceptance bundled inside an enjoyable piece of fiction.

A Must Read Triology

Shocking beginning to Lunch but I still love the spiritual aspect, the journey to enlightenment Otto is taking and the beautiful way the author allows us to get to know each character. If you haven't read Breakfast, it's a must! Off to listen to Dinner now--I so love this trilogy!

Absolutely brilliant

The narrator should get an Oscar for his performance. I laughed out loud and had tears rolling down my cheeks at other times. I loved breakfast and could not imagine a sequel that could be at least as good. It is. I pre-ordered dinner with Buddha, in the meantime I am going to listen to breakfast and lunch again. I have never listened to a bookagain because there is too much good stuff out there. This time I am. Amazing, down to earth, emotional, beautiful and absolutely totally utterly brilliant.

This is for everyone, blue collar, white collar, religious, atheist, computer geek, farmer, house wife or bank clerk. These are feel good books that make you think and think a bit more.

Delicious

A tale of travel. Inner and outer. Fed me in ways that tasted fresh and fulfilling yet made me long for more. Looking foward to "Dinner" and "Dessert".

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Title: A History of Loneliness

Author: John Boyne

Narrator: Gerard Doyle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-03-15

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 146 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The riveting narrative of an honorable Irish priest who finds the church collapsing around him at a pivotal moment in its history.

Propelled into the priesthood by a family tragedy, Odran Yates is full of hope and ambition. When he arrives at Clonliffe Seminary in the 1970s, it is a time in Ireland when priests are highly respected, and Odran believes that he is pledging his life to "the good."

Forty years later, Odran's devotion is caught in revelations that shatter the Irish people's faith in the Catholic Church. He sees his friends stand trial, colleagues jailed, the lives of young parishioners destroyed, and he grows wary of venturing out in public for fear of disapproving stares and insults. At one point, he is even arrested when he takes the hand of a young boy and leads him out of a department store while looking for the boy's mother.

But when a family event opens wounds from his past, he is forced to confront the demons that have raged within the church and to recognize his own complicity in their propagation, within both the institution and his own family.

A novel as intimate as it is universal, A History of Loneliness is about the stories we tell ourselves to make peace with our lives. It confirms John Boyne as one of the most searching storytellers of his generation.

Members Reviews:

Emotional and Powerful

Wow, what a compelling book ! I was completely pulled into the story, empathizing with the characters, especially Odran, the first person narrator. This is a tough topic to write about. John Boyne is a fabulous writer, and listening to this book was a very emotional experience. Excellent narration by Gerard Doyle. He really personified the character of Odran.

History of Loneliness - Excellent.

Yes. The book met my expectations. The narrator did a fine job of telling the story. The story itself gave voice to s lot of half understandings on sex, religion and being of Irish descent. Riveting and well told.

Elephant in the living room

exceptional story. exceptional writing. He somehow spends most the prose talking around the issue. The expertly and tastefully lays it all out.

Thoughtful Piece with Little Plot

My current fascination with the narrator Gerard Doyle is sending me off in some unexpected directions. I doubt if I would ever have noticed this book if it were not for the narrator.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Because in spite of the fact that this book, has no discernable plot, I found the author's style and prose very appealing. I will likely read other books by Boyne. So for that reason alone, reading this was worth it.

This tells the story of a Catholic priest in Ireland who entered the priesthood in the 1970s, a couple of decades before all hell broke loose within the Catholic church due to the sexual abuse and pedophile scandal that shook the church in Ireland even more than it did in the US. The narrator was not a pedophile and did not participate in any illegal or immoral activity. But he implicitly endorsed the behavior by choosing to ignore it and by failing to recognize the obvious activity going on right before his eyes, even when it involves a member of his own family.

Father Yates, the narrator is essentially a "good" man at least as respects his personal behavior. He is also genuinely likeable but not a sympathetic man, because no one as gullible and intentionally ignorant as he is can be sympathetic.

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Title: Christopher's Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger

Author: V.C. Andrews

Narrator: Rebekkah Ross, Kirby Heyborne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-15

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 103 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Picking up where Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth leaves off, Kristin Masterwood and her boyfriend up the ante - by going into her attic to re-enact scenes described in Christopher Dollanganger's journal.

Jealousy, tragedy, survival, and revenge - the discovery of Christopher's diary in the ruins of Foxworth Hall brings new secrets of the Dollanganger family to light and obsesses a new generation. With Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind both now major Lifetime TV events, the first new Dollanganger stories in nearly 30 years is a timely look at the events in the attic - from teenage Christopher's point of view.

Christopher Dollanganger was 14 when he and his younger siblings - Cathy and the twins, Cory and Carrie - were locked away in the attic of Foxworth Hall, prisoners of their mother's greedy inheritance scheme. For three long years he kept hope alive for the sake of the others. But the shocking truth about how their ordeal affected him was always kept hidden - until now.

Seventeen-year-old Kristin Masterwood is thrilled when her father's construction company is hired to inspect the Foxworth property for a prospective buyer. The once grand Southern mansion still sparks legends and half-truths about the four innocent Dollanganger children, even all these decades later. Foxworth holds a special fascination for Kristin, who was too young when her mother died to learn much about her distant blood tie to the notorious family.

Accompanying her dad to the "forbidden territory", they find a leather-bound book, its yellowed pages filled with the neat script of Christopher Dollanganger himself. Her father grows increasingly uneasy about her reading it, but as she devours the teen's story page by page, his shattering account of temptation, heartache, courage, and betrayal overtakes Kristin's every thought. And soon her obsession with the doomed boy crosses a dangerous line....

Members Reviews:

Stupefyingly Bad

A particularly humorous reviewer gave this book negative infinity stars and I must agree!!!!

I dont know whats more amazing: just how BAD the story was, or the fact that I read it on purpose knowing it was probably not going to be good still I underestimated to what level of bad a story could sink.

Book 1 essentially sucked, but what kept me going and tempted me to read Book 2 was the idea that there would be another side to the original story and there is!!... but it seems Ill have to slog through Book 3 to read it.

This story was so preposterous!!! Basically, a girl stumbles upon Chris diary and she and her boyfriend decide to not only read it together but re-enact it! WHY!!!!! They run up to the attic together in secret and set up furniture and costumes and read aloud Dear Lord, its so stupid.

Not only this that idea laughable, but the fervour the boyfriend has for the re-enactment is not only totally absurd and insane its restraining order worthy! He gets SO into it that he even has a wig custom made to make him look/feel more like Chris while reading. I dont know about you, but if I stumbled up that Id run for the hills; thats sicko behaviour!

Its so stupefyingly bad, I dont care to waste more time knocking it down.

V.C. Andrews is rolling over in her grave.

What disappointed you about Christopher's Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger?

Im so scared for our lives.

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Title: The Language of Hoofbeats

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrator: Kate Rudd, Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-14

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 820 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a story of the heartbreak and healing power of family. New to a small town, Jackie and Paula envision a quiet life for their kids: a young adopted son and two teenage foster children, including the troubled Star. However, they quickly butt heads with their neighbor, Clementine, who disapproves of their lifestyle and is incensed when Star befriends her spirited horse, Comet. Haunted by past tragedy and unable to properly care for Comet, Clem nevertheless resents the bond Star soon shares with the horse. When Star disappears with Comet, the neighbors are thrown together - far too close together. But as the search for the pair wears on, both families must learn to put aside their animosity and confront the choices they've made and the scars they carry. Plumbing the depths of regret and forgiveness, The Language of Hoofbeats explores the strange alchemy that transforms a group of people into a family.

Members Reviews:

Simple yet captivating story

I almost passed over this book because the premise seemed so simple. However from the first 5 minutes I could barely turn it off. The performance was excellent and the story had just enough unpredictable turns to keep my attention at a time when I was highly distractable. I expect I will remember it better than most of the 35-40 books I read and listen to each year.

Well written story, narration falls short

The story itself is enjoyable, touching, and well paced. The narrators do an okay job with the adult voices, but the children's voices are difficult to listen to. The youngest child's voice is monotone and always shouting. The voice of the 13 year old boy sounds more like a middle aged man. A better narrator would have made this book a 5.

A Girl and Her Horse

Star is a new girl in a new town where there is nothing for the town's teens to do and she has two moms. What's a girl to do? Why in the great tradition of girls and horses she gets tight with her new neighbors horse. The only trouble with the plan is the horse's owner Clementine; a woman seemingly angry with the world and everyone in it. Throw in the fact that Star does have two moms and a test of wills between the two of them begins. Though the two of them eventually begin to wear each other down an event occurs that will tear them even further apart.

This is the type of selection that makes any audiobook by Catherine Ryan Hyde worthy of some consideration. The relationships formed between people are the strength of this author's work and the ones between Star and Comet, (the horse) Star and Clementine are classic Ryan. The roles played by the mothers is understated as is the Sheriff's until the last quarter of the book. This is one of the better works of an excellent writer.

Great performers and strong story

The book is about family with two mums and three foster kids moving to a new town and the ensuing turmoil when Star, a troubled teenager, steals their new and very difficult neighbour's horse. The story is told from the perpective of Clementine, the mean and abrasive neighbour and Jackie, one of the Forster parents. The story is beautifully written and read. The characters start to feel like friends and family as you get to know them. Highly recommend this book to all

Happily ever after . . . .

This story was not as good as the two previous Ryan Hyde books I read/listened to.