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Title: A Partisan's Daughter

Author: Louis de Bernières

Narrator: Sian Thomas, Jeff Rawle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-08

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The new audiobook from the acclaimed author of Birds Without Wings and Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a love story at once raw and sweetly funny, wry and heartbreakingly sad.

Chris is bored, lonely, trapped in a loveless, sexless marriage. In his forties, he's a stranger to the 1970s youth culture of London, a stranger to himself on the night he invites a hooker into his car.

Roza is Yugoslavian, recently moved to London, the daughter of one of Tito's partisans. She's in her twenties, but has already lived a life filled with danger, misadventure, romance, and tragedy. And though she's not a hooker, when she's propositioned by Chris, she gets into his car anyway.

Over the next few months Roza tells Chris the stories of her past. She's a fast-talking Scheherazade, saving her own life by telling it to Chris. And he takes in her tales as if they were oxygen in an otherwise airless world. But is Roza telling the truth? Does Chris hear the stories through the filter of his own need? Does it even matter?

The deeply moving story of their unlikely love - narrated in the moment and through recollection, each of their voices deftly realized - is also a brilliantly subtle commentary on storytelling: its seductions and powers, and its ultimately unavoidable dangers.

Members Reviews:

The Partisan's Daughter

Although well read in this audio version, this is overall a disappointing novel. The rich background detail - historical, cultural and biographical - which punctuates de Berniere's earlier works, particularly Corelli's Mandolin and Birds without Wings, is sadly lacking. The narrative is narrowly focussed on an obsession which is too prurient and manipulative to merit any association with love. Roza's biography and its relating become increasingly far-fetched and the denouement, such as it is, is predictable and cliched.

Neither of the main characters engages our sympathy or interest and they both remain superficially drawn. If they are two-dimensional, the other figures, with the exception of Dylan Upstairs, are ghostlike in their portrayal.

Overall a dramatic lapse in form.

Good but a bit dull really..

I bought this on the basis of listening to the preview chapter on the Audible podcast. The first chapter is superb and the last is pretty good too. Unfortunately the middle drags a bit and the author uses up all his good jokes and surpises early on. It is very well read though and has a nice gentle pace. It reminded me of Julian Barnes' Metroland, which is not altogether a bad thing. I think the problem with it is that the initial chapter promises one thing and the rest of the book gives something else entirely.

Surprising story for this author

I had heard the interview with the author on the Audible newsletter so knew that this book was quite different in style from Captain Corelli's Mandolin. The use of two different narrators to tell the story of a relationship alternating between the man's and the woman's perspective works well. It's an intriguing tale with twists and turns that reminds one a little of Sherazad in 1001 Nights.

A Walter Mitty tale?

I did enjoy this title, well narrated and it moved along at an enjoyable pace. Also told me new things about the breakup of former Yugoslavia. And it was amusing, with some laugh, and cringe, out loud moments.

But I felt it a little thin in story.

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Title: The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce

Author: Paul Torday

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-08

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Through Francis, the eccentric and enigmatic owner of Caerlyon, Wilberforce is initiated into a rich life he could never have imagined, becomes a willing pupil to Francis' master, and in the cellars of Caerlyon he nurtures a new-found passion for fine wine. But even the finest wine can leave a bitter aftertaste, and Wilberforce will learn that the undercroft holds some unpalatable secrets, and that passion comes at a price.

Members Reviews:

Excellent

Paul Torday writes such intriguing stories. I love them. Sadly I don't like the stories to finish. I could just read on and on but all good things must come to an end. Highly recommended this book. Now I'm off to buy another of his stories.

Slow read

Intriguing but not too exiting and leaves a couple of things unanswered

Gripping first

I enjoyed this portrait of a life gone wrong. I found the portrayal of the characters gripping at first and the book kept me interested, but the "backwards" style of story telling means there is few surprises towards the end of the book, but a sense of sadness for what could have been a more positive life.

Touching, enjoyable

A beautifully told story of Wilberforce's inheritance of an extensive wine cellar, and his growing obsession with the wine in it. A bittersweet tale of loneliness, self-delusion, addiction and friendship. Well worth a read.

The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce.

As a wine connoisseur, I was very interested to read this well-researched account of how Wilberforce became obsessed with the subject until it dominated his life. I look forward to reading another of Paul Tordy's books, having enjoyed 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen', the first of his books which I read.

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Title: Sepulchre

Author: Kate Mosse

Narrator: Lorelei King

Format: Abridged

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-07

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

October 1891: A young girl, Léonie Verniern, and her brother, Anatole, abandon the gas-lit streets of Paris for the sanctuary of the Domaine de la Cade, some miles south of the medieval city of Carcassone. But, in the ancient woods that surround the isolated country house, Léonie stumbles across a ruined Visigoth sepulcher - and a timeless mystery whose traces are written in blood. As she peels back the layers of the past, she uncovers the existence of a unique deck of tarot cards that are rumoured to hold the power of life and death.

October 2007: Researching a biography of the composer Claude Debussy in the apparent tranquility of the Pyrenean foothills, Meredith Marin also seeks the key to her own complex legacy. Armed with a haunting piece of piano music and a sepia photograph, she soon becomes immersed in the story of a tragic love, a missing girl, an unquiet soul, and the strange events of one cataclysmic night more than a century ago.

As the Feast of All Saints approaches, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, Meredith is drawn inexorably to a secluded forest glade where the secrets of the past are far from buried.

Members Reviews:

Disappointing!

Liked Labyrinth. Gave up on this 1/2 way through, which I hate doing. But it is SO dull, and has hackneyed phrases such as " She felt as if the [taro reader] was looking into her soul". Yuck. Plot is slow, characters not interesting. Waste of my money and my time

Poor Narration

I agree totally with the other reviewer.... I so wanted to listen to this book, after reading Labyrinth and actually waiting for this to appear on audible. But it is a huge dissapointment due to the narration. Why choose an american? This woman is so so wrong for the part? And the musical interludes? WHY???? Oh what a shame.... I couldn't manage more than ten or fifteen minutes of listening time and I have abandoned my brand new i touch and gone back to the BOOK for this one. Sad waste of an audio credit....

Listen carefully!

In my haste to enjoy the book, I made the mistake of opting for purchasing without listening to the sample. A fine narrator is the key to an audiobook and this one falls at the first hurdle. I admit this is my own mistake bit I will not be opting for anything narrated by Lorelei King again: I'm scratchy about her pronunciation and in this case her accent does not suit the story. Add to this an opening with mock-'The Exorcist' music and it all seems rather down-market. I suppose you get what you pay for.

To be entirely upfront this review is based on only a couple of minutes listening. I may manage to listen to it all, as it is a mere 7 hours. Be warned - always listen to the sample first.

Impelling

Not as good as Labrinth but not bad, piano playing got on my nerves but I got used to it. Not sure about connections either, but you do feel like you need to Cary on.

The narrator's syrupy, girlish tone ruined this

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

The narrator affected a girlish voice which grated with me -- does she know the audience that Kate Mosse writes for?

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Lorelei King?

Lorelei King is capable of a different voice -- I've heard her in radio plays.

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Title: Blind Faith

Author: Ben Elton

Narrator: Michael Maloney

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-07

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

On a hot Sagittarian morning in the year 56 ATF, Trafford Sewell struggles to work through the usual crowds of near-naked commuters. He is confronted by the intimidating figure of his Parish Confessor. Why has Trafford not been streaming his every moment of sexual intimacy onto the community website like everybody else? Does he think he's different or special in some way? Better than his fellow man and woman? Does he have something to hide?

Ben Elton's dark, savagely comic novel imagines a post-apocalyptic society where religious intolerance combines with a confessional, sex obsessed, self-centric culture to create a world where nakedness is modesty, ignorance is wisdom, and privacy is a dangerous perversion. A chilling vision of what's to come? Or something rather closer to what we call reality?

Members Reviews:

Wonderfull - wished it was longer

This is a great story, a projection into our possible near future if things carry on the way that they are going. The internet has become ingrained in the lives of the characters and there is a possibility that things are not what they seem. The writing is wonderful, the narration is exceptional. You really feal for the characters and pick up the story and subtle plot - its a great ride.

Oh Dear...This was awful

I have read Ben Elton a few times before and really liked the books. This one however was absolutely awful. A bit like 1984 (which I loved) but not nearly as enjoyable, or believable for that matter, certainly not in the league of George Orwell. The narration was also terrible and this probably added to the misery I endured, his voice was so loud and booming that no matter how low I turned the volume my ears were still ringing...to emphasise what he was saying his voice seemed to boom out across the speakers. I have to say I feel this was a complete waste of my money.

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Title: Still Summer

Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard

Narrator: Susan Ericksen

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-02-07

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

But then the smallest mistake triggers a series of devastating events. Suddenly, in a desperate fight for survival, the women battle the elements, the threat of modern-day piracy, and their own frailties. Still Summer is at once a spellbinding adventure and a story about the bonds that hold friend to friend and mothers to daughters, and how facing our own mortality tests the truth of everything we think we know.

Critic Reviews:

"Fans will enjoy this mix of seafaring adventure and romantic suspense." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Mitchard never disappoints

I have read all of Mitchard's books. I read a books in most every genre, as I am an avid reader with a wide array of interests, yet I am rather choosy. There are so many good books to be read, I do not want to waste time ( or money) on badly written books.

I no longer bother to read the book description, or review of a book by Mitchard. They can never do her justice in any case. Somehow they all come out making the story sound less than it is.

The characters in Still Summer ( as in all of Mitchard's novels) are so rich, the story captivating, that you will find it hard to put this book down. A cruise that is meant to be a little bit of paradise for the four women in the story ends up being anything but.

The storm at sea, and the personal storms within the lives of these women combine to make a story that is compelling and extraordinary.

read it.

Then pick up another of her books and read it too!

Stick with the original

Interestibg adventure of former high school women friends who decide to rent a sailing ship for a cruise in the Carribean. They are challenged by memories of their past; attacked by pirates; & surviving a danagerous storm

A Book You Can't Put Down

Looking for a really fascinating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat? This is it! As usual, Jacqueline Mitchard has come up with with a wonderful cast of characters that she describes in such detail that you feel you know them. Four 40-ish women who were the best of friends in high school (calling themselves "The Godmothers") decide to have a little reunion after one of them is widowed. They charter a yacht in the Caribbean, complete with a crew of two, for a week to just relax, get some sun, and talk--perhaps shop a little on an island or two. It turns out to be more than any of them bargained for, with pirates, murder, starvation, deception--you name it! Each one's character is tested to the nth degree with some surprising plot twists. This is not great literature, but it is more than just "chick lit." I loved this book.

Ocean voyage turns deadly

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. First, I know some things about sailing and was able to follow the descriptions of the boat, her sailing, lines in the rudder (who hasn't had this?)and got caught up in the excitement of being on the open water. Secondly, I enjoyed the different characters and their personality developments along the way. And thirdly, I enjoyed the suspense of the action at sea.

This book isn't perfect but it's a fun read. I didn't want to put it down once I got into the actual story on the boat and the happenings started happening quickly.

I recommend it for those who enjoy a quick paced story and are willing to overlook the technical flaws.

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Title: Whitethorn Woods

Author: Maeve Binchy

Narrator: Kate Binchy

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-25-07

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

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

Critic Reviews:

"Stories of greed, infidelity, mental illness, incest, the joys of being single, the struggles of modern career women, alcoholism, and the heartbreak of parenting span generations, simply and poignantly. Binchy takes it all in and orchestrates the whole masterfully." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Dissappointing

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I have listened to nearly every Maeve Bincy Book available. This would be the most boring, I have listed to an hour and give up.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Don't know yet

What about Kate Binchys performance did you like?

A massive fan

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Whitethorn Woods?

All of it

Any additional comments?

Did not like it at all. No consistency in the story.

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Title: The Lottery

Author: Jonathan Tulloch

Narrator: Tim Bruce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-12-07

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When Audrey and Ronny win the National Lottery, their troubles seem to be over. Bills can be met, the loan sharks paid off, and their cleaning and cowboy-builder jobs gleefully ditched off. But for Audrey, the matriarch of the Gateshead tower blocks and Ronny, the flamboyant dreamer, the winning ticket brings with it many other unforeseen changes.

©2003 Jonathan Tulloch; (P)2006 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Critic Reviews:

"Tulloch is skilful in his delineation of exhausted people living on nothing but hope." (Ali Smith, Times Literary Supplement)

"Like an English Roddy Doyle, Tulloch's dialect and characterisation of a community down but not out is at once hilarious and heartbreaking...Tulloch's Gateshead may become as memorable as Doyle's Dublin." (GQ)

Members Reviews:

Good in parts but hard to understand!

I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. There were some parts that really grabbed my interest and then it tended to dip in other parts of the book. This was partly due to the narration. Whilst I understand the need for authenticity of the book and the fact the characters are set in Tyneside, the accents used in the book were really strong and I found it hard at times to understand what was being read. Another gripe was the chaptering in the book was a bit bizarre and somewhat difficult to follow. That said, I did wade through it but I have to say that I didn't love it.

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Title: Two Caravans

Author: Marina Lewycka

Narrator: Sian Thomas

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-06-07

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The pickers include Irina, just off the coach from Kiev and eager to improve her excellent English and find true love with a romantic Englishman; Andriy, the miner's son from the other Ukraine; and the Poles, including Bob Dylan fan Tomasz and Yola, the petite, voluptuous gang mistress and her religious niece, Marta. And then there is Vitaly, king of the new "mobilfon" world of the shiny new Eastern Europe; two Chinese girls; and Emanuel, the round eyed 18-year-old from Malawi, come to England to look for his sister.

This is a group leading dangerous lives, coping with exploitative employers, British regulations, and gang masters with guns, all threatening their existence as they take to the caravan road, until each of them peels off to find his or her destiny.

Members Reviews:

A book that makes you want to write to your MP

Forget Wainwright's Walks - What has really happened to the social landscape of modern Britain? What is going on under the radar of the society we inhabit and the things we take for granted (cheap labour, cheap supermarket chicken)? This story is gripping, incredible, harrowing, and the labour/chicken metaphor tells the exploitation story brilliantly. Is this what Britain is really like for our foreign workers and immigrants?

The narrator's voices, range, delivery and style were excellent.

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Title: Cause Celeb

Author: Helen Fielding

Narrator: Morwenna Banks

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-20-07

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Disillusioned by her glitzy life in London and her desirable but cruel TV-presenter boyfriend, Rosie Richardson chucks it all in and spends four years running a refugee camp in Africa. Then famine strikes in a nearby province and an influx of starving refugees threatens to overwhelm the camp. Frustrated by the cautious response of the aid agencies, Rosie decides on a drastic short-term solution. She returns to London, breaks back into the celebrity circuit, and brings the celebs out to Africa for a star-studded TV emergency appeal.

© Helen Fielding; (P) Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Critic Reviews:

"Sharp, gutsy, and refreshing." (Independent)

"A terrific achievement...The camp scenes are as moving and funny as the original M*A*S*H; she sends up the self-important 'mediacracy' with an insider's wit, and it's written at a romping pace with a cliff-hanger finish." (Cosmopolitan)

Members Reviews:

Combines Humurous Chicklit Style With Exploration of Causes of World Hunger - And Pulls It Off!

I was completely caught off guard by this book, and absolutely loved it. Because Fielding is also the author of the Bridget Jones books, I was expecting more of the same light, humorous, relationship-chicklit kind of read. However, only about 1/3 of the book could be said to be that - through a series of flashbacks, we follow the life of Rosie, a young London PR admin in her relationship ups and downs with Oliver, a TV celebrity. This is in flashbacks, because Rosie now works in an African refugee camp where she works tirelessly to prevent a repeat of the 1984 famine that killed thousands. As locusts threaten to destroy the area's crops, Rosie decides the only hope is for her to return to London and try and convince celebrities from her 'former life', including Oliver, to help her raise money.

The London celebrity scenes are funny, and on target in their gentle skewering of celebrity life. However, what really got me in this book was the African story, particularly the characters, both relief workers and refugees, that Fielding has created and humanized here. I also learned a lot about the NGO (non-governmental organizations) culture and the problems that have led to repeated crises in Africa, and from what I have read in other places about this book, Fielding does a great job presenting them here within a fictional context.

So if you are looking for a book that combines some chicklit type scenes, good characters, and the solid depth of exploring the roots of world hunger, this is a great book for you.

My Favorite Women's Fiction Book Ever

I love this book so much - I can't quite put it into words. The first time I read it, years ago, I instantly identified with the main character Rosie, and her desire to run from a complicated and tainted past. What she found, and what I found after reading the book, was that there's a great big world out there and a place for everyone in it. Even if it's not quite the place we thought we'd end up. This book makes me feel adventurous and hopeful, and that's the best praise I can give any experience. Read it, you'll be the better for it!

Read and weep.

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Title: Johnny Come Home

Author: Jake Arnott

Narrator: Andrew Wincott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-07

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

London, 1972: O'Connell, a charismatic anarchist, dies of an overdose, leaving his artist boyfriend, Pearson, and fellow activist Nina in shock. It also leaves a spare room in their squat, so Pearson moves in Sweet Thing, a streetwise yet vulnerable young boy he initially picks up but then tries to help. Pearson isn't the only one who's interested though: glam rock star Johnny Chrome is on the brink of a breakdown and is convinced that Sweet Thing is the only one who can bring him back. As Sweet Thing gets drawn further into Johnny Chrome's dangerous orbit, Pearson and Nina discover that O'Connell was not all he seemed.

© Jake Arnott; (P) Clipper Audio

Critic Reviews:

"Exposes the grot beneath the glitter." (London Express Standard)

"Hypnotic, feverish, and altogether wonderful." (Guardian)

"Beautifully observed and brilliantly paced." (Independent)

Members Reviews:

Good listen, but abrupt ending..

I liked the story and the way the author & narrator brought us through the journey of early eighties London life from (mostly), the viewpoint of the working class and police. I enjoyed the flow and storyline but really, the end came so fast and ended so abruptly that I actually checked for a missing part. I had to listen again to the last fifteen minutes to make sure I had the ending, and on a second listening the author had completed what had been set out. It just seemed to me that when they got to the last chapter, it was hurried. A good story though, and well done in the telling. I would recommend it for the 1980's scene and historical events of that time.