j.maw
- 12
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 70
- ratings
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The Best Worst Christmas
- An Audible Original Novella
- By: Kate Forster
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,508
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,049
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,040
Lily is back from Australia for the first time in seven years to spend Christmas at her mum’s house in a small, gossipy English village. To her surprise, she returns to find that her mother is dating the man next door, who also happens to be the father of her ex-boyfriend Tom. Tom, who broke Lily’s heart all those years ago. Tom, the real reason Lily fled to the other side of the world and stayed there. Tom, who is also home for Christmas and right there, next door.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Grouchy
- By Cheryl on 12-12-21
- The Best Worst Christmas
- An Audible Original Novella
- By: Kate Forster
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
Very cute
Reviewed: 12-24-23
A very sweet listen. Solid performance and great differentiation between characters. The story is lovely and romantic, a great listen while prepping for Christmas.
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The Rose Garden
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Emma Fenney
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 182
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 168
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 166
For 12-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting playground to explore. Her family have recently arrived in Hampstead from Durham, under a cloud of scandal that Otty is blissfully unaware of. The only shadow over her days is her mother’s mysterious illness, which keeps her to her room. When young local girl Mabs is offered the chance to become Mrs Finch’s companion, it saves her from a desperate life on the canals. Little does she know that all is not as picture-perfect as it seems.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I loved every minute
- By jack bob on 09-22-21
- The Rose Garden
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Emma Fenney
No diminishing returns with Tracy Rees
Reviewed: 12-31-22
‘Love at first listen’ is how I would characterise any of Tracy’s books. Her stories are never predictable, but enchanting and uplifting. This book is yet another example of her ability to create rich characters with storylines that can stand alone. I love her creative use of words, often combined in unexpected and interesting ways. The narration of this book was outstanding too. Each accent was delivered authentically and could have been an entire cast of different readers. Great story, excellent narration and totally worth the credit.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Good Wife of Bath
- A Novel
- By: Karen Brooks
- Narrated by: Fran Burgoyne
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 508
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 448
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 447
England, 1364: When married off at aged twelve to an elderly farmer, brazen redheaded Eleanor quickly realizes it won’t matter what she says or does, God is not on her side—or any poor woman’s for that matter. But then again, Eleanor was born under the joint signs of Venus and Mars, making her both a lover and a fighter.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting, funny and thought provoking
- By Dawn Umstot on 07-01-22
- The Good Wife of Bath
- A Novel
- By: Karen Brooks
- Narrated by: Fran Burgoyne
An interesting take on an old tale
Reviewed: 11-27-22
The rich characters, sadly predictable plot and beautifully woven story made for an excellent listen. Well differentiated narration that was easy to listen to made it even better.
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500 Miles from You
- A Novel
- By: Jenny Colgan
- Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,287
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,158
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,155
Lissie is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood. Always terribly competent and good at keeping it all together, she’s been suffering quietly with PTSD after helping to save the victim of a shocking crime. Her supervisor quietly arranges for Lissie to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissie will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fun Listen
- By Grace H on 08-31-20
- 500 Miles from You
- A Novel
- By: Jenny Colgan
- Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
This book was a huge problem for me
Reviewed: 04-02-21
.... because now I desperately want to move to a village in Scotland, smell the bluebells and escape city life. Also, don't start listening to this if you have a conversation you are supposed to participate in or something else you should be doing. The story hooked me in from the first tragic chapter to the uplifting last. The narration was absolutely beautiful to listen to and I will be searching for other books narrated by Eilidh Beaton for sure.
This is my first Jenny Colgan book, but definitely will not be my last.
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The Distant Hours
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,271
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,323
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,323
Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Right Mood At The Right Time
- By Simone on 11-13-12
- The Distant Hours
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
Great narration but the story could have been told in far less time
Reviewed: 02-17-21
I almost stopped listening to the story a few times as it dragged on, especially in the beginning. Caroline Lee narrated beautifully, as ever, and the story was eventually worthwhile but it could certainly have been condensed significantly and had a much more engaging effect.
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A Fire Sparkling
- By: Julianne MacLean
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,376
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,656
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,633
After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past..... Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-17-19
- A Fire Sparkling
- By: Julianne MacLean
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sarah Zimmerman
Original and unpredictable
Reviewed: 03-28-20
I enjoyed the characters, storyline and unpredictability of this book. Well done. I have listened to many WW2 themed books and thought this one might just be a ‘same old’ but it definitely wasn’t.
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1 person found this helpful
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Florence Grace
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,078
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,899
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,891
Florrie Buckley is an orphan living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence, but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. She thinks her destiny is set in stone. But when Florrie is 14, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family: the Graces.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Utterly brilliant!!!
- By Maria on 07-04-16
- Florence Grace
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
She did it again
Reviewed: 11-17-19
Tracy Rees is a masterful storyteller, captivating the listener with an unpredictable plot, and character development that leaves you in love with and hopeful for each person met through the telling. I love her new ways of describing and bringing alive things both ordinary and extraordinary. If you love language and to write, Tracy’s abilities will leave you with a richer understanding and appreciation of how to construct each sentence. The story of Florence Grace is beautifully rich and so interesting that I had to either find the long way home to listen to more, or don earbuds and get busy with non-essential tasks to feed the addiction of needing to know what would happen next. I loved this book and can’t wait for Tracy to write more.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
- By: Lisa See
- Narrated by: Ruthie Ann Miles, Kimiko Glenn, Alex Allwine, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,121
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11,914
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11,856
The thrilling new novel from number-one New York Times best-selling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been abandoned and adopted by an American couple.
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5 out of 5 stars
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***EXCELLENT*** Six stars if I could !!
- By ROBIN on 04-10-17
Entrancing
Reviewed: 09-01-19
I loved the beautiful rhythm of this story, along with the performances of the narrators.
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House Rules
- A Novel
- By: Jodi Picoult
- Narrated by: Mark Turetsky, Rich Orlow, Nicole Poole, and others
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,450
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,226
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,222
Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject - forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he's always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he's usually right. But when Jacob's small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob's behaviors are hallmark Asperger's, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Dangerous Anti-Vaxer Misinformation
- By Dr. Chris P. Hafner on 03-02-19
- House Rules
- A Novel
- By: Jodi Picoult
- Narrated by: Mark Turetsky, Rich Orlow, Nicole Poole, Christopher Evan Welch, Andy Paris
Sensitive and thought provoking
Reviewed: 08-14-18
Jodi does not disappoint with another excellent story that opens up a world that I had not previously had much insight into. Her characters were interesting, relatable, and so interestingly differentiated. The narrators were each appropriately expressive, engaging and easy to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful
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Orphan Train
- A Novel
- By: Christina Baker Kline
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27,390
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24,315
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24,304
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse.... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Moving story of sharing and transformation.
- By Kathi on 04-03-13
- Orphan Train
- A Novel
- By: Christina Baker Kline
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Suzanne Toren
Poignant, beautifully developed characters
Reviewed: 04-20-18
Would you listen to Orphan Train again? Why?
Yes. I loved this story as it felt so realistic. The character development was compelling and easily evoked empathy.
What did you like best about this story?
Beautiful parallel stories of the main characters and the compassion for each other that results.
What about Jessica Almasy and Suzanne Toren ’s performance did you like?
A little more work could be done on the Irish accent but other than that so easy to listen to, with believable transitions between characters.
If you could take any character from Orphan Train out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Vivvy! What an extraordinary life! So much to learn and to listen to.
Any additional comments?
I hope I can find more like this!
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