Simply The Best Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary to Download

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Titre: La nostalgie heureuse

Auteur: Amélie Nothomb

Narrateur: Cathy Min Jung

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 09-05-13

Éditeur: Audiolib

Evaluation: 3 sur 5 sur 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Résumé de l'éditeur:

"Tout ce que l'on aime devient une fiction."

Amélie Nothomb

Ce que l'on a vécu laisse dans la poitrine une musique : c'est elle qu'on s'efforce d'entendre à travers le récit. Il s'agit d'écrire ce son avec les moyens du langage déclare Amélie Nothomb au tout début de son nouveau roman. Une musique intérieure traduite en langage. Et ce langage redevenu son et mélodie grâce à la parole.

C'est à cet "exercice de fidélité" que se livre avec succès Cathy Min Jung dans son interprétation de La Nostalgie heureuse.

L'auteure

Née au Japon, de parents belges,

vit entre Bruxelles et Paris. Dès son premier roman,

(1992), elle a conquis un large public.

Mais c'est

(1999), vendu à plusieurs centaines de milliers d'exemplaires et couronné par le Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie Française, qui l'a définitivement consacrée comme un écrivain majeur. Ses livres sont aujourd'hui traduits dans plus de 30 langues.

Mais c'est

(1999), vendu à plusieurs centaines de milliers d'exemplaires et couronné par le Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie Française, qui l'a définitivement consacrée comme un écrivain majeur. Ses livres sont aujourd'hui traduits dans plus de 30 langues.

©2013 Editions Albin Michel (P)2013 Audiolib

Avis des membres:

j'ai beaucoup aime

j'ai apprecie la description d'un pays peu connu, ses differences, son ambiance, son originalite. l

Les sentiments de l'actrice a la decouverte de son enfance perdue, emouvant. Ces passages litteraires a retenir tellement veridiques et superbement bien ecrits.

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Title: The Silent Wife

Author: A. S. A. Harrison

Narrator: Emily Pennant-Rea

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-22-13

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A chilling psychological thriller portraying the disintegration of a relationship down to the deadliest point when murdering your husband suddenly makes perfect sense. A novel perfect for readers of Sophe Hannah, Nicci French, and Barbara Vine.

Todd Gilbert and Jodie Brett are in a bad place in their relationship. They've been together for 28 years, and with no children to worry about there has been little to disrupt their affluent Chicago lifestyle. But there has also been little to hold it together, and beneath the surface lie ever-widening cracks.

He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. When it becomes clear that their precarious world could disintegrate at any moment, Jodie knows she stands to lose everything. It's only now she will discover just how much she's truly capable of....

Members Reviews:

Smart and Entertaining

Good novel. Well written and very cerebral, in terms of the psychological issues that are explored regarding infidelity, personality and the experiences in our pasts that invariably condition us to act out and make the sometimes dysfunctional decisions that we do as humans trying to find our way in life. You can't help but feel empathy for Jodi, and even Todd and the young immature homewrecker, Natasha. My attention was riveted the whole time. Well done A.S.A. Harrison. Kudos also to the narrator. Her voice and expressiveness helped the story to really come alive.

Gone Girl it ain't

Would you try another book from A. S. A. Harrison and/or Emily Pennant-Rea?

No

Has The Silent Wife turned you off from other books in this genre?

Hard to tell what genre it is.... It's not Crime or Chick Lit. What genre is it?

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Emily Pennant-Rea?

An American

Any additional comments?

It's a very boring book and I couldn't finish it. Kept waiting for something to HAPPEN! Maybe an American narrator would have brought it to life a bit more. It was so the wrong narrator for the job.

Best narration ever ... and a fascinating story

I really enjoyed this book. The narration was perfect - inflections, accents, pronunciation, etc. The concept is that the main characters do not relate to each other in the usual way of a long term couple. It was intriguing and puzzling, and switched between the couple and the husband and mistress smoothly. It flowed well and the language created atmospheres very well.

Smooth

Would you consider the audio edition of The Silent Wife to be better than the print version?

I usually stick to one format only - with so many titles waiting to be read/heard and the paucity of time - audio is a best bet.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist - she is cool and self-composed - with strength of feeling which she manages to conceal almost stoically

A real find!

This is the first book I have listened to by this author. It was a real find. Very accomplished writing; believable characters and a very big surprise at the end. Who could ask for more? Having been, quite frankly, disappointed with the offerings from some of the more well known authors, this was a real treat. I am a fan!

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Title: Wings of Glass

Author: Gina Holmes

Narrator: Susan Bennett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-21-13

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the best-selling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heartrending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption.

On the cusp of adulthood, 18-year-old Penny Carson is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign town, Penny's happily-ever-after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn't the last, yet the bruises that can't be seen are the most painful of all. When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend her their backbones just long enough for her to find her own.

Members Reviews:

cec

Very moving and relevant story. Was very hard to put down. The telling was amazing.

WOW!!!

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

Yes, everyone needs to hear what it's like to have an abusive husband.

What did you like best about this story?

The support her friends gave her.

What about Susan Bennetts performance did you like?

Susan is a winner. She ranged from a soft meek voice to a woman of rage.

Any additional comments?

I am the child of an alcoholic father who also abused my mother even more than this book expresses.

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Title: The Virgin and the Gypsy

Author: D H Lawrence

Narrator: Peter Joyce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-16-13

Publisher: Assembled Stories

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Written in 1926...and published posthumously [without the authors customary revision] in 1930, The Virgin and the Gypsy is a minor masterpiece in short story writing. It provides an excellent introduction to Lawrences work, being a succinct distillation of his ideas about sexuality and its ability to transcend class barriers.

Yvette and her sister Lucille come back from finishing school in Lausanne with a much broader outlook on life than the inhabitants of the cloistered world to which they return. Their mother left their father for another man leaving a pall of sterility in his newly gathered family: Uncle Fred, Aunt Cissie and Granny the Mater Stifled by the rigidity of life in the rectory in this small village in the East Midlands-a microcosm of established Christian belief the type of which Lawrence despised-Yvette finds herself drawn to a passing gypsy and her budding flower is awakened by his interest.

In a torrential climax which symbolically sweeps away her old life she comes to fully realise and accept her sexual identity.

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Titre: Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire

Auteur: Jonas Jonasson

Narrateur: Philippe Résimont

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 07-16-13

Éditeur: Audiolib

Evaluation: 4.5 sur 5 sur 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Résumé de l'éditeur:

"Quand la vie joue les prolongations, il faut bien s'autoriser quelques caprices."

Alors que tous dans la maison de retraite s'apprêtent à célébrer dignement son centième anniversaire, Allan Karlsson, qui déteste ce genre de pince-fesses, décide de fuguer. Chaussé de ses plus belles charentaises, il saute par la fenêtre de sa chambre et prend ses jambes à son cou. Débutent alors une improbable cavale à travers la Suède et un voyage décoiffant au cœur de l'histoire du XXe siècle. Car méfiez-vous des apparences ! Derrière ce frêle vieillard en pantoufles se cache un artificier de génie qui a eu la bonne idée de naître au début d'un siècle sanguinaire. Grâce à son talent pour les explosifs, et avec l'aide du destin, Allan Karlsson, individu lambda, apolitique et inculte, s'est ainsi retrouvé mêlé à presque cent ans d'événements majeurs aux côtés des grands de ce monde, de Franco à Staline en passant par Truman et Mao...

Une interprétation étincelante qui met en valeur l'humour de cette histoire à la fois loufoque et profondément humaine.

L'auteur

Véritable phénomène d'édition en Suède,

est le premier roman du journaliste

. Ce livre, dont l'univers déjanté rappelle celui de John Irving et des Monty Python, est en cours de traduction dans plus de trente pays, et va être adapté au cinéma.

Le narrateur

brûle les planches belges depuis plus de 20 ans dans des registres très différents (Cyrano de Bergerac, Le Misanthrope, Ladies Night, Littoral). Il participe également à quelques aventures cinématographiques (Les convoyeurs attendent, Maternelle, Une nuit) et prête sa voix à de nombreux personnages en doublage.

©2009 Jonas Jonasson - Edition originale : Piratförlaget, Sweden. Publié avec l'accord de Pontas Literary & Film Agency, Spain; 2011 Presses de la Cité, un département de Place des Editeurs, pour la traduction française. Traduit du suédois par Caroline Berg (P)2013 Audiolib

Revues par les critiques:

La presse en parle

"Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire devrait définitivement enterrer les clichés tenaces d'une prétendue mélancolie nordique."

Le Figaro

Avis des membres:

Humour, aventures, suspense...

Je déteste la politique, Allan aussi. Et pourtant, c'est avec un réel plaisir que j'ai écouté mon deuxième roman de Jonasson qui aurait pu s'intituler "Les incroyables aventures d'Allan Emmanuel Carlsen, l'expert en dynamite".

Jonasson m'épate à chaque fois. Et c'est tjrs aussi pénible de se séparer de ses personnages !

C'est parti pour le troisième...

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Title: Little Known Facts

Author: Christine Sneed

Narrator: Steven Menasche

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-02-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The people who orbit around Renn Ivins, an actor of Harrison Ford-like stature - his girlfriends, his children, his ex-wives, those on the periphery - long to experience the glow of his fame. Anna and Will are Renn's grown children, struggling to be authentic versions of themselves in a world where they are seen as less important extensions of their father. They are both drawn to and repelled by the man who overshadows every part of them.

Most of us can imagine the perks of celebrity, but Little Known Facts offers a clear-eyed story of its effects - the fallout of fame and fortune on family members and others who can neither fully embrace nor ignore the superstar in their midst. With Little Known Facts, Christine Sneed emerges as one of the most insightful chroniclers of our celebrity-obsessed age, telling a story of influence and affluence, of forging identity and happiness and a moral compass; the question being, if we could have anything on Earth, would we choose correctly?

Members Reviews:

Can't believe I finished listening to this

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It took up time, while mildly entertainng during the time I was busy working

What was one of the most memorable moments of Little Known Facts?

I identified mostly with the first wife.......Renn seemed like a fairly nice person, but a bit shallow. The reviews said he compared to Harrison Ford....however George Clooneys face was the one that I saw..............

How could the performance have been better?

If this narrator has aspirations of being an actor.....he needs to look for another job. The narration was extremely annoying.....took away from the story. the narrator doesn't read the story, he tries to act the parts and is very bad at it.

Did Little Known Facts inspire you to do anything?

no

Any additional comments?

Audible has some very good narrators, however so far I have come across two that were so bad that I couldn't finish the book with the narration running.

Pathetic lifes in a sad sad world

Would you listen to Little Known Facts again? Why?

Maybe... the story is a bit out of my interest but some of the development of said characters I did find interesting

If youve listened to books by Christine Sneed before, how does this one compare?

I haven't

What does Steven Menasche bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Really, really nice voice that makes listening to such a tale bearable. I would listen to more of his work.

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

Not really.

Any additional comments?

Spoiler alter:

The relationship between the son and daughter (and their shared love) was upsetting.

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Title: The Favor

Author: Megan Hart

Narrator: Suzy Lexington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 07-01-13

Publisher: Harlequin Books S.A.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

With characteristic compassion and searing honesty, Megan Hart weaves a shattering small-town story about what can turn brother against brother, and the kinds of secrets that cannot remain untold.

Janelle Decker has happy childhood memories of her grandma's house, and even lived there through high school. Now she's back with her 12-year-old son to look after her ailing Nan, and hardly anything seems to have changed, not even the Tierney boys next door.

Gabriel Tierney, local bad boy. The twins, Michael and Andrew. After everything that happened between the four of them, Janelle is shocked that Gabe still lives in St. Mary's. And he isn't trying very hard to convince Janelle he's changed from the moody teenage boy she once knew. If anything, he seems bent on making sure she has no intentions of rekindling their past. To this day, though there might've been a lot of speculation about her relationship with Gabe, nobody else knows she was there in the woods "that" day...the day a devastating accident tore the Tierney brothers apart and drove Janelle away. But there are things that even Janelle doesn't know, and as she and Gabe revisit their interrupted romance, she begins to uncover the truth denied to her when she ran away all those years ago.

Members Reviews:

Not your typical Megan Hart...

Ever since my first Megan Hart book (Broken), I have become obsessed with her heartbreaking love stories. I have been debating this book since before it came out, but once it did, there was no question about if I would or would not purchase it.

I do not "regret" the purchase, but this story just felt so.....tame. When comparing to the rest of Megan's books, this one is minimally sexual. It's not steamy in the least, and the sexual encounters are barely there, and not erotic at all. I do love the story line, and the history between the two main characters, but it never made me shed a tear, like I usually do with Megan's books when she gives you something good, breaks it, then gives it back. I do love the fact that these aren't some young 20 somethings that fall in love with each other a week after meeting.

The flashbacks and flashforwards are kind of confusing, and you really have to be paying attention when they come. She says "then" when there is about to be a flashback, but there is no warning when coming back to current time. I had to rewind a few times to understand what happened when.

The relationship with the twins was confusing at times, and I was disappointed that one of them only appeared in the story, in the flashbacks. It would have been interesting to see him interact with his family in current times.

Lastly, the narrator was not horrible, but she does not do a male voice very well. When you have to range between a 12yo boy up to an 80+yo woman, you should have a bit of a better range. It almost always sounded like a whiny girl making voices. Not to say I would never listen to another book narrated by Suzy Lexington again, but I just don't think that she did as well with this one, as she could have.

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Title: The Vintner's Luck

Author: Elizabeth Knox

Narrator: Adrian Mulraney

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-01-13

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

One summer night in 1808, Sobran Jodeau sets out to drown his love sorrows in his family's vineyard when he stumbles on an angel. Once he gets over his shock, Sobran decides that Xas, the male angel, is his guardian sent to counsel him on everything from marriage to wine production.

But Xas turns out to be a far more mysterious character. Compelling and erotic, The Vintner's Luck explores a decidedly unorthodox love story as Sobran eventually comes to love and be loved by both Xas and the young Countess de Valday, his friend and employer at the neighboring chateau.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a gorgeous novel: as fine, rich, satiny and unpredictable as the vintages that it describes." (The Times of London)

"Ms. Knox's philosophical scheme defies brief summary: like a witty, post-modern Milton, she rewrites the Christian myth and the whole cosmology of 'Paradise Lost.'" (The Economist)

"A beautifully written exploration of the inexplicable, into which is woven an all-too-human chronicle of burning desire, violence, murderousness, bitter jealousy, curiosity, sexual deviations, shame and a fidelity of a sort." (The Times of London)

Members Reviews:

Loved the book, audio didn't disappoint.

If you could sum up The Vintner's Luck in three words, what would they be?

Pure escapism.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Xas, just so deep yet simply put.

Have you listened to any of Adrian Mulraneys other performances? How does this one compare?

No, so no chance to compare. However, I found his narration clear and easy to listen to.

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

I always like the start when Xas shows his wings for the first time.

Any additional comments?

I loved the book after a friend in New Zealand sent me a copy to read. And because I also love audio books I was thrilled when this arrived as an audio edition. It didn't disappoint.

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Title: The Postmaster General

Author: Hilaire Belloc

Narrator: Maxwell Caulfield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-06-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This novel tells of that simple person Wilfrid Halterton, Postmaster-General in Mrs. Boulanger's second administration, that of 1960.The placing of the big Television Contract comes within the domain of the Post Office, and Halterton is soon deeply involved in a tangle of intrigue where his simplicity makes him an easy victim to clever financiers and politicians. Belloc enthusiasts and others alike will welcome such characters as Honest Jack Williams, the Home Secretary - Lord Papworthy, Permanent Minister for Fine Arts - James Haggismuir McAuley, financier, and many others. Arthur Lawson and his brother Jacob, and their relations with Halterton, introduce a markedly original note and give this book a distinction above its predecessors.

Members Reviews:

A witty tale, but an irritating reader

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This is witty story which takes us into the world of British politics in 1960, as imagined from the time of its writing in the 1930s. It combines a satirical and rather cynical view of political morality and has its fair share of descriptive longeurs in which the thrust of the storyline becomes secondary. However it is well worth listening to, spoilt only by the rather robotic and affected style of the narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Postmaster General?

The clever denouement in which the devious politician and his business sidekick are outwitted.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Robotic and affected manner, who often puts incorrect emphasis on syllables and can slow the pace down too much.

Do you think The Postmaster General needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No.

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Title: The Widow's Children

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Paula Fox

Narrator: Jenna Berk

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 06-04-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

On the eve of their trip to Africa, Laura Maldonada Clapper and her husband, Desmond, sit in a New York City hotel room, drinking scotch-and-sodas and awaiting the arrival of three guests: Clara, Laura's timid daughter from a previous marriage; Carlos, Laura's flamboyant brother; and Peter, a melancholy editor whom Laura hasn't seen for over a year. But what begins as a bon voyage party soon becomes a bitter, claustrophobic clash of family resentment. From the hotel room to the tiny restaurant to which the five embark, Laura presides over the escalating innuendo and hostility with imperial cruelty, for she is hiding the knowledge that her mother, the family matriarch, has died of a heart attack that morning. Intense and unerringly observed, The Widow's Children is a tour de force from the incomparable Paula Fox.

Critic Reviews:

A classic American novel from the author of Borrowed Finery -- 'Chekhovian...Every line of Fox's story, every gesture of her characters, is alive and surprising. (New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Paula Fox is certainly a very good writer, but this is a painful read

Paula Fox is certainly a very good writer, but this is a painful read. The characters are all unpleasant; no one you would want to get to know in real life. Clara is somewhat sympathetic, but the others are almost entirely repellent. The entire plot is one family dinner from hell .

I think her children's books are better, personally. They actually better reveal her dimensions as a writer, in my opinion, and they aren't uniformly psychologically masochistic.

Still, the character of Laura Maldanado is a convincing portrait of a borderline personality.

As recommended in the Wall St Journal a few weeks ago

As recommended in the Wall St Journal a few weeks ago. A short novel with a few long "salon" scenes in a hotel room with some unlovable but three dimensional characters. Great for a two night or long airplane read.

Four Stars

It's written well, but the characters are awful people. It's hard to read about them.

Four Stars

Beautiful writing!

Good literary reviews - but not fun to read

I read this for a book club and that is the only reason I was able to finish it. The characters are not likeable.