Calista Evraets
- 9
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 20
- ratings
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The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
- A Novel
- By: Helen Simonson
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Helen Simonson
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 237
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 224
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 224
It is the summer of 1919, and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Engaging at every step
- By Starr on 10-21-24
- The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
- A Novel
- By: Helen Simonson
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Helen Simonson
Laughter and tears
Reviewed: 02-19-25
It took me an entire day to listen to the last 90 minutes of this book because I was so afraid of the ending. Beautifully written and full of moments of humor as well as poignant descriptions of the aftermath of World War I, I felt every moment of the plot so strongly that I'm not ready to let go of the characters yet. That's the best sign of a wonderful story in my world!
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The Warm Hands of Ghosts
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Arden
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, January LaVoy, Katherine Arden
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 207
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 193
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 193
January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital, where she soon hears whispers about haunted trenches and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion.
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5 out of 5 stars
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WW 1 and the Apocolypse
- By Sam Pakan on 02-27-24
- The Warm Hands of Ghosts
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Arden
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, January LaVoy, Katherine Arden
Historic with a touch of paranormal
Reviewed: 07-29-24
If you like a book to rip you apart and leave you thinking about it forever, this is one for you. This story was beautiful, but so absolutely brutal, and that makes it such an accurate depiction of a war that destroyed minds as well as bodies. The use of two different voices helped tremendously with being able to follow two different story lines as they ran parallel, crossed over, converged and flew apart. I'll buy this again as a book for my home library.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Christmas Doll
- By: Elvira Woodruff
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunn
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 923
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 794
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Story5 out of 5 stars 791
Long ago in London Town, at a time when the muffin man's cries began the day and the lamplighter ushered in the night, two young orphans lived together in the bleak, cold shelter of a public workhouse.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Heartwarming Story
- By W on 03-06-05
- The Christmas Doll
- By: Elvira Woodruff
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunn
Sweet story
Reviewed: 12-18-22
I listened to this one in hopes it would be the perfect Christmas book for my nine-year-old niece. The story is perfect for her age and reading level, and the author did a great job of portraying the sad truth of workhouses without it being too tragic for young readers.
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1 person found this helpful
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Thistlefoot
- A Novel
- By: GennaRose Nethercott
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 631
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 560
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 562
The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.
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3 out of 5 stars
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I can't decide if I liked it
- By Lorraine Cannon on 11-03-22
- Thistlefoot
- A Novel
- By: GennaRose Nethercott
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
Fantastic read
Reviewed: 11-23-22
Nothing like I expected, but everything I needed! Funny and tragic, profound in its telling, a beautiful version of a folk story. This book captured the history of a people and how we carry our ancestors' traumas in our own bodies.
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2 people found this helpful
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Things in Jars
- A Novel
- By: Jess Kidd
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 893
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 784
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Story4 out of 5 stars 780
Bridie Devine - flame-haired, pipe-smoking detective extraordinaire - is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors in this age of discovery. Winding her way through the sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing secrets about her past that she’d rather keep buried.
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3 out of 5 stars
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I Don't Often Say This, But...
- By Kentucky Bohemian on 08-08-20
- Things in Jars
- A Novel
- By: Jess Kidd
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
Funny, Thrilling, and Sweet
Reviewed: 11-10-21
This was a surprising book, and I enjoyed the unlikely events, unfurling like leaves on some tropical plant. It was fast-paced and funny enough to make it a light read, even though some of the subjects were heavy. The characters were so likeable that I'd hoped for a whole series!
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The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
- A Novel
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robert Dugoni
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20,588
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18,555
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18,498
Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered. Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls. Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wow..allow yourself to be submerged in this book
- By Donna Smith McG on 05-18-18
- The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
- A Novel
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robert Dugoni
Not an accurate portrayal
Reviewed: 11-02-21
if you want a heartwarming story, this book fits the bill. But please be aware that it is most definitely not an accurate portrayal of ocular albinism. The main character, despite being born with ocular albinism, has no disability associated with his lack of retinal pigmentation. Why is this a problem? In the world of disabilities, representation is important. I wanted my two sons with ocular albinism to relate to the character's struggles. I wanted readers who had never heard of the disorder to learn about it and recognize the accomodations someone with the disorder might need. Instead, we got a story about someone bullied because he has red eyes. I'm disappointed. I was hoping for more.
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Some Danger Involved
- Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 1
- By: Will Thomas
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,286
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,881
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,864
An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, Some Danger Involved introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto. When the eccentric and enigmatic Barker takes the case, he must hire an assistant, and out of all who answer an ad for a position with "some danger involved", he chooses downtrodden Llewelyn, a gutsy young man with a murky past.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Clever writing!
- By Kathi on 01-13-17
- Some Danger Involved
- Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 1
- By: Will Thomas
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
Great start to a series
Reviewed: 09-28-21
If historical fiction mysteries are your favorite, this is a great book. I really enjoyed it, and will be grabbing the next in the series asap. Characters are well developed, and the story line moved along at a nice pace. It had some moments of humor, and lots of historical detail.
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The Séance
- By: John Harwood
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,472
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,329
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,323
Constance Langton grows up in a household marked by death, her father distant, her mother in perpetual mourning for Constance's sister, the child she lost. Desperate to coax her mother back to health, Constance takes her to a séance; perhaps she will find comfort from beyond the grave. But the meeting has tragic consequences. Constance is left alone, her only legacy a mysterious bequest that will blight her life. So begins this brilliant and gripping novel, a dark mystery set in late-Victorian England.
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5 out of 5 stars
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it's terrific when you discover a new "favorite."
- By Laurie A. Bobskill on 03-31-18
- The Séance
- By: John Harwood
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren
Fabulous Victorian Mystery
Reviewed: 02-01-21
This book was so well performed that I could hardly stand to pause it! The story was deep and had so many twists and turns, and each of the three readers was amazing! Will be looking for other books by this author!
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A Mind of Her Own
- By: Paula McLain
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 26,421
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23,458
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Story4 out of 5 stars 23,430
Marie Sklodowska, 25, is studying science at the Sorbonne—one of the only universities in the world that has begun to admit women. A thousand miles from her native Poland, with no money and the odds stacked against any woman daring to pursue a career in such a rigorous field, Marie throws herself into her studies. She’s certain that to succeed in a man’s world, she will have to go it alone.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Based on a true story
- By Kingsley on 03-01-19
- A Mind of Her Own
- By: Paula McLain
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Good story, abrupt ending
Reviewed: 08-03-20
I really enjoyed this biography of Marie Curie. I learned a lot about her early life and her struggle to be respected as a woman in her field. The love story was beautiful... but it all wrapped up too abruptly for my taste. I'd like to have known more about her marriage to Pierre and her career as a scientist.
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