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Title: Ordinary Thunderstorms

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: William Boyd

Narrator: Gideon Emery

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-10

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 185 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

One May evening in London, Adam Kindred, a young climatologist in town for a job interview, is feeling good about the future as he sits down for a meal at a little Italian bistro. He strikes up a conversation with a solitary diner at the next table, who leaves soon afterward. With horrifying speed, this chance encounter leads to a series of malign accidents, through which Adam loses everythinghome, family, friends, job, reputation, passport, credit cards, cell phonenever to get them back.

The police are searching for him. There is a reward for his capture. A hired killer is stalking him. He is alone and anonymous in a huge, pitiless modern city. Adam has nowhere to go but downunderground. He decides to join that vast army of the disappeared and the missing who throng Londons lowest levels as he tries to figure out what to do with his life and struggles to understand the forces that have made it unravel so spectacularly. Adams quest will take him all along the river Thames, from affluent Chelsea to the gritty East End, and on the way he will encounter all manner of Londons denizensaristocrats, prostitutes, evangelists, and policewomenand version after new version of himself.

Ordinary Thunderstorms, William Boyds electric follow-up to his award-winning Restless, is a profound and gripping novel about the fragility of social identity, the corruption at the heart of big business, and the secrets that lie hidden in the filthy underbelly of every city.

Members Reviews:

Extra-ordinary Exploration of Identity

This was a terrific read, the writing superb. The characters were detailed and defined, with the city of London and the Thames River a primary player. The details were well documented and the nuanced narrative kept me interested at the expense of other tasks and projects, as I have heard said by other audible.com reviewers talking about other audible books. I think it's this kind of development of minutiae that sustains my attention and separates the excellent novels from the mediocre.

The ending is a giant "maybe" however, and makes the reader want to invent alternate endings, like on some DVDs. As a reader I am not that invested in how a book ends, as I am more interested in character development and the individual experiences of the major figures in a novel. I just don't like abrupt stoppage, and this ending has that "cut off" quality, as though the editors thought the original manuscript was too long.

There were a lot of occasions for suspension of disbelief - in order for the protagonist to accomplish his objectives there had to be certain conditions in place, i.e. (and I don't want to spoil) he needed to be pretty seriously unattached. But novels are part literature and part entertainment, amongst other things, and this one certainly achieves both qualities. I really wanted to keep a notebook with me so that I could record some of the author's phrases which were so articulate, mellifluous, and compelling.

Almost as good as "Restless"

I highly recommend this book - it was thrilling and well written. I have listened to at least two hundred audio books. My favorite audio book download ever is "Restless" by William Boyd. The books have different narrators and they're both excellent. I read a previous review of this book and I have to disagree that things were left hanging.

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Title: The Farmers Daughter

Author: Jim Harrison

Narrator: Kirsten Potter, Ray Porter, Lloyd James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The collections title novella, "The Farmers Daughter, opens in the unforgettable voice of a 15-year-old girl living a life of solitude in rural Montana, where she has recently moved. Home-schooled by parents who dont fully understand her, she finds escape in the rapture of playing piano and exploring the gorgeous countryside on her horse. Several important mentors teach her that theres more to life than her fundamentalist mother wants her to knowand then her mother runs off with another man, leaving the girl to deal mostly alone with an unexpected assault that tests her mettle just as she was supposed to begin a normal teenage life.

In the next novella, Harrison picks up the thread of beloved recurring character Brown Dog, who when we last saw him was in Toronto to save his developmentally disabled adopted daughter, Berry, from being locked in an institution. But Toronto has run out of welcome, and Brown Dog and an unexpected benefactor hatch a crazy plan to sneak Berry back into the States on the tour bus of an Indian rock band called Thunderskins.

Harrisons final tale, "Games of Night," is the memoir of a retired lycanthrope in contemporary times. Misdiagnosed with a rare blood disorder brought on by the bite of a Mexican hummingbird, the protagonist attempts to lead a normal life, one that is nevertheless punctuated by hazy, feverish episodes of epic lust, physical appetite, athletic exertions, and outbursts of violence under the full moon.

Critic Reviews:

The Farmers Daughter is a memorable portrait of three decidedly unconventional American lives. With wit, poignancy, and an unbounded love for his characters, Jim Harrison has again reminded us why he is one of the most cherished and important authors at work today.

Harrison (Legends of the Fall) shows he is still at the top of his game with these compressed gems. Taken together, they present another fine accomplishment in a storied career. (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

I don't get the attraction.

I gave it a try. I guess it is proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know lots of people rave about his writing but I found the stripped down style so very dull. Not dry so much as parched. I am glad that there is room for a variety of writing styles in this world, but we don't have to like them all.

I love you!

Jim Harrison RIP...I love you!

"Part wild man...Part cultived literary lion."

Few authors master the art of the Novella with the innate skill and ingenuity of Jim Harrison!

Yes... he is macho!...testosterone driven, dark and lusty...but writes with such clarity...it is shiveringly stunning!

He at once repels and then lures the reader back with jolting language and lucid descriptions.

Reading Harrison is like a jeopardous journey...he takes the reader to places unknown, but that feel uncomfortably and vaguely familiar.

The 'animal within' human nature is prodded out and laid bare with no apology for social conventions.

Hate him or love him...this man is truly a master story-teller!

THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (3 very different novellas) is well worth the journey!

Deja vu...all over again

Jim Harrison's works have always been among my favorites. Legends of the Fall is a novella that stands with Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Dalva one of the finest novels I have ever read. His poetry is masterful, muscular, spiritual, naturalistic.

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Title: Parrot and Olivier in America

Author: Peter Carey

Narrator: Humphrey Bower

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-02-09

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Simultaneous release of a dazzling comic masterpiece that reminds us why Peter Carey is Australia's most internationally acclaimed novelist.

Olivier is a young aristocrat, one of an endangered species born in France just after the Revolution. Parrot, the son of an itinerant English printer, wanted to be an artist but has ended up in middle age as a servant. When Olivier sets sail for the New World - ostensibly to study its prisons, but in reality to avoid yet another revolution - Parrot is sent with him, as spy, protector, foe and foil. Through their adventures with women and money, incarceration and democracy, writing and painting, they make an unlikely pair. But where better for unlikely things to flourish than in the glorious, brand-new experiment, America? A dazzlingly inventive reimagining of Alexis de Tocqueville's famous journey, Parrot and Olivier in America brilliantly evokes the Old World colliding with the New. Above all, it is a wildly funny, tender portrait of two men who come to form an almost impossible friendship, and a completely improbable work of art.

Members Reviews:

A grand story, full of great characters

I loved it so much that when my ipod said that I only had 20 mins left of the story I could not bring myself to finish it, and it took a full week before I could bring myself to have it ended.

The narrator does a terrific job, and it very well produced. It is a rich and dazzling story - highly recommended.

Peter Carey at his Best

This is a marvellous story that flows between the two men seamlessly. The narration is very good and interest in the book maintained. The adventures of the Englishman and Frenchman are believable and goes from tragedy to comedy. This is one of Peter Careys' best.

Engaging and absorbing listening

A fascinating narrative is enhanced by the splendid reading. A range of accents give life to many memorable, and often quite eccentric, characters. An intricate tale with finely developed characters, this is very satisfying in audiobook format.

Nope it does not work for me!

In simple terms it 'drones' and that is certainly NOT down to Humphrey Bower. I gave up in the end for the dialogue moaned on like the horns at the Soccer World Cup.

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Title: Family Album

Author: Penelope Lively

Narrator: Josephine Bailey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

All Alison ever wanted was a blissful childhood for her six children, with summers at the beach and birthday parties on the lawn at their family home. Together with Ingrid, the family au pair, she has worked hard to create a real "old-fashioned family life". But beneath its postcard sheen, the picture is clouded by a distant father, Alison's inexplicable emotional outbursts, and long-repressed secrets that no one dares mention.

For years, Alison's adult children have protected her illusion of domestic perfection - but as each child confronts the effects of past choices on their current adult lives, it becomes evident that each must face the truth.

Penelope Lively's novels of history, memory, and character have earned her a loyal legion of fans. Like Ian McEwan's Atonement, this novel is a measured, thoughtful look at how events of the past, both small and large, seen and unseen, deeply inform character and the present. Quietly provocative and disturbing, Family Album is a highly nuanced work that showcases a master of her craft.

Editorial Reviews:

Set in late-twentieth-century England, this novel will maintain a tight grip on listeners' attention. As the author introduces the family estate of Allersmead and its owners - the Harper family - the story seems straightforward. But quotidian dialogue and description give way to the airing of a family secret and depictions of how it affects each family member. Josephine Bailey makes seemingly effortless switches between characters. In particular, she gives distinct voices to the children and, as the novel progresses, believably changes their voices as they grow up. Bailey also portrays a large number of characters with a variety of accents. Overall, she fully captures the spirit of Lively's novel.

Critic Reviews:

"With its bountiful characters and exhaustive time traveling, Lively's vivisection of a nuclear family displays polished writing and fine character delineation." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

character-driven

IF you're into plot, this probably isn't for you. I kept waiting for some big revelation or plot development that never occured. It's very well-written and mostly a character study of a family and its individual members. It looks at several different events in the life of the family through eyes of various family members. (I kept expecting the events to be revealed to be "bigger" than they actualy were).

Our Family Members We Have Not Known

The book starts slowly and the English setting and English narrator voice initially put me off. As the author visits and revisits the personality of each of the six children, their parents, and the live-in governess, however, each revisitation is more penetrating and revealing. The unhappy children of this large family (by English standards) prove to be strong, independent people who are not as unhappy as they pretend. Their fear of having children seems to be their only shared characteristic. The story ends somewhat abruptly, for my taste, but I think this book is every bit as good as the author's earlier book, The Photograph.

predictable

I listened to half of the book and did not come across a single character I cared about. They were rather unlikeable and predictable, and I did not care to be a part of their dysfunction any longer.

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Title: Further Tales of the City

Author: Armistead Maupin

Narrator: Armistead Maupin

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-09

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The calamity-prone residents of 28 Barbary Lane are at it again in this deliciously dark novel of romance and betrayal. While Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchorwoman in her basement, Michael Tolliver looks for love at the National Gay Rodeo; DeDe Halcyon Day and Mary Ann Singleton track a charismatic psychopath across Alaska; and society columnist Prue Giroux loses her heart to a derelict living in San Francisco Park.

Listen to more

.

©1982 The Chronicle Publishing Company; (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Members Reviews:

SO GOOD!

How did I manage to come this far in life without having discovered Armistead Maupins wonderful city, characters, stories? In.way, however, Iâm sort glad am sort of glad Iâm just now discovering, because I can binge read them all at once, without having to endure the wait time between publications. SO hooked for the next six books!

Armistead maupin has a rare and beautiful gift for creating an entire cast of characters that ...

Armistead maupin has a rare and beautiful gift for creating an entire cast of characters that he allows his audience to know on the most intimate level. This third installment of Maupin's extended love letter to San Francisco is as engaging and hard to put down as the first two. Highly recommended!!

Wonderful story about life in San Francisco in the 1970's.

I lived in the Bay Area and worked in San Francisco for 5 years in the mid 60's. I don't know how I missed this book when it was first written. Too busy having a family I guess. I finally read it recently and the next two books in the series. I just ordered books 4 and 5, so am really into this series now. I loved this book and could not put it down. The characters are vibrant and described in such great detail that I feel like I know them! Which is why I keep ordering the next book. Highly recommend this book and (so far) the rest of the books in the series by Armistead Maupin.

Four Stars

glad to read it finally.

Five Stars

As described.

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Title: The Spire

Author: Richard North Patterson

Narrator: Holter Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-09

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 343 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Mark Darrow grew up in a small Ohio town with no real advantages beyond his intelligence and athletic ability. But thanks to the intervention of Lionel Farr - a professor at Caldwell, the local college - Darrow became an excellent student and, later, a superb trial lawyer. Now Farr asks his still-youthful protégé for a life-altering favor. An embezzlement scandal has threatened Caldwell's very existence - would Darrow consider becoming its new president?

Darrow accepts, but returning to his alma mater opens old wounds. Sixteen years ago, on the night of his greatest triumph as Caldwell's star quarterback, he discovered the body of a black female student named Angela Hall at the base of the Spire, the bell tower that dominates the leafy campus. His best friend, Steve Tillman, was charged with Angela's murder and ultimately sent to prison for life. But now, even as Darrow begins the daunting task of leading Caldwell, he discovers that the case against his friend left crucial questions unanswered. Despite his new obligations - and his deepening attachment to Farr's beautiful though troubled daughter - Darrow begins his own inquiry into the murder. Soon he becomes convinced that Angela's killer is still at large, but only when another mysterious death occurs does he understand that his own life is at risk.

Members Reviews:

Great Book!

I truly enjoyed this book! It was just fast enough to keep me interested. Most times I find myself drifting from the speaker but not this time. The reader's voice was perfect for this book. Very enjoyable!

Enjoyable listen on a road trip

I had not read Richard North Patterson before but enjoyed the suspense of The Spire. Listened to it during a long road-trip and found myself listening to it in the evenings as well.

keep on listening

Even though I guessed the ending, I found myself looking for opportunities to listen to the book right up until the end.

Held my interest

A good mystery; well-developed story.

Mediocre - a disappointment

At this point there are two other reviews. One is 5 stars and the other 1 star. I'll go half way between. This was an OK mystery but certainly not riveting or a page turner. I figured out the who dunit less than half way through the book. It was more of a narrative than a good mystery. If I were stuck on an island, I would read it for something to do. It certainly wasn't up to his (R N Patterson) standards.

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Title: Dead Solid Perfect

Author: Dan Jenkins

Narrator: Jeffrey Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-19-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Popular novelist Dan Jenkins is well known in the golf world for his column in Golf Digest. A modern classic among 20th-century sports novels, Dead Solid Perfect is Jenkins' hilarious send-up of professional golfers and the often ludicrous reality of life on the tour.

©2000 Dan Jenkins; (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews:

"This is vintage Jenkins - profane, outrageous, and sharp-eyed in its parody of the world of big-time golf." (Newsweek)

Members Reviews:

An all time classic!

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

I recommend this book to anyone who likes great characters and a fun story. And golf.

What other book might you compare Dead Solid Perfect to and why?

Comparable to 'A Good Walk Spoiled' as an entertaining book about golf and characters who entertain.

What does Jeffrey Brick bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

The storyteller is easy to listen to and brings the characters to life.

If you could rename Dead Solid Perfect, what would you call it?

Bogey Nights

Any additional comments?

An excellent read for golf enthusiasts, would make a great gift for the golfer who has everything!

I laughed my a** off.

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

yes, if you love the game you will love the stories of Dan Jenkins

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dead Solid Perfect?

I listen to it during this years Open Championship so the time overseas was grrrreaattt.

What about Jeffrey Bricks performance did you like?

He kept my attension and did not detract from the story.

If you could take any character from Dead Solid Perfect out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Beverly, do I need to say anymore?

Any additional comments?

for a book written in the 70's its a great story for 2012. I will buy the book so I can write down the saying.

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Titel: Shopaholic

Autor:: Sophie Kinsella

Erzähler: Maria Koschny

Format: Abridged

Spieldauer: 3 hrs and 21 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 06-24-09

Herausgeber: Der Audio Verlag

Bewertung: 5 von 5 von 2 Stimmen

Kategorien: Fiction, Contemporary

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Rebecca Bloomwood verdient ihren Lebensunterhalt damit, anderen Leuten gute Tipps in Geldfragen zu geben. Ihre Freizeit verbringt sie mit Einkaufen. Kein Wunder, dass sie sich ständig gezwungen sieht, sich durch ausgiebiges Shoppen zu entspannen - ein Teufelskreis. Schließlich droht sie in ihrem selbst geschaffenen Chaos unterzugehen, da sie sich gleichzeitig die Bank vom Leib halten, den attraktiven Luke Brandon beeindrucken und ihrer täglichen Arbeit nachgehen soll...

Der Originaltitel dieses Hörbuches lautet: "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic".

(c)+(p) 2009 Der Audio Verlag

Mitglieder Bewertungen:

German Version

Would you listen to Shopaholic again? Why?

Entertaining to listen to. Good repetition of shopping vocabulary in German.

What does Maria Koschny bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Very nice pronounciation.

Any additional comments?

I sometimes listen to books in German in order to keep up on the language while I'm in the US. I am very pleased that Audible has such a good selection.

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Title: Censoring an Iranian Love Story

Author: Shahriar Mandanipour

Narrator: Sunil Malhotra, Naila Azad

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-09

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The novel entwines two equally powerful narratives. A writer named Shahriar - the author's fictional alter ego - has struggled for years against the all-powerful censor at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Now, on the threshold of 50, tired of writing dark and bitter stories, he has come to realize that the "world around us has enough death and destruction and sorrow." He sets out instead to write a bewitching love story, one set in present-day Iran. It may be his greatest challenge yet.

Beautiful black-haired Sara and fiercely proud Dara fall in love in the dusty stacks of the library, where they pass secret messages to each other encoded in the pages of their favorite books. But Iran's Campaign Against Social Corruption forbids their being alone together. Defying the state and their disapproving parents, they meet in secret amid the bustling streets, Internet cafés, and lush private gardens of Tehran.

Yet writing freely of Sara and Dara's encounters, their desires, would put Shahriar in as much peril as his lovers. Thus we read not just the scenes Shahriar has written but also the sentences and words he's crossed out or merely imagined, knowing they can never be published.

Laced with surprising humor and irony, at once provocative and deeply moving, Censoring an Iranian Love Story takes us unforgettably to the heart of one of the world's most alluring yet least understood cultures. It is an ingenious, wholly original novel - a literary tour de force that is a triumph of art and spirit.

Critic Reviews:

"Kudos to Khalili for a wonderfully fluid translation of an intricately layered text." (Publishers Weekly )

Members Reviews:

One of the most creative books to date!

What made the experience of listening to Censoring an Iranian Love Story the most enjoyable?

This book blew me away! I love the how the writer so skillfully tears the veil between his characters, his own process, and the craft of writing. The text is rich with cultural references and reflections on other iconic writers' contributions.

What other book might you compare Censoring an Iranian Love Story to and why?

I would describe this work as Vonnegutian style with a Persian flair. I love the Persian myths, imagery and poems are woven into the story. It also reminded me a great deal of the oppressive and futile atmosphere of "The Lives of Others."

Which character as performed by Sunil Malhotra and Naila Azad was your favorite?

Sara would have to be the favorite character representing women's struggles. She is the wisest and most grounded and also the most oppressed character for simply being a woman in the Islamic Republic. Women's Rights are well-highlighted in this book. Mr. Petrovich, in charge of censorship, is also quite intriguing in his ideology and omnipresence throughout the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to take my time and listen to this story a little at a time. This is such an unusual and fascinating work and it deserves all your attention, not the type you listen to before bed.

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Titre: L'écume des jours

Auteur: Boris Vian

Narrateur: Arthur H

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 6 hrs and 53 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 04-28-09

Éditeur: Audiolib

Evaluation: 3.5 sur 5 sur 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Un titre léger et lumineux qui annonce une histoire d'amour drôle ou grinçante, tendre ou grave, fascinante et inoubliable, composée par un écrivain de vingt-six ans. C'est un conte de l'époque de la découverte du jazz et de la science-fiction, à la fois comique et tragique, féerique et déchirant. Dans cette oeuvre d'une modernité insolente, livre culte depuis plus de quarante ans, la mort prend la forme d'un nénuphar. Seules deux choses demeurent éternelles et triomphantes: le bonheur ineffable de l'amour absolu et la musique des Noirs américains...

L'auteur

(1920-1959) passa comme un météore au milieu de notre siècle, laissant une trace éblouissante et vivace. Chantre des délires et des merveilles, alchimiste fécond du langage et des formes, messager audacieux de l'imaginaire, il nous offre des pages inspirées par la poésie des extrêmes, témoignant d'une volonté farouche de créer et de partager.

Le narrateur

Depuis 1988, musicien et interprète,

, s'est forgé une place à part dans la chanson française, avec sa voix grave, son répertoire jazz, sur une dizaine d'albums largement récompensés.

© et (P) Audiolib, 2009