Ann L
- 105
- reviews
- 248
- helpful votes
- 305
- ratings
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The Note
- A Novel
- By: Alafair Burke
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 110
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Story4 out of 5 stars 105
Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing. But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Irritating Narration
- By Bailey Rose on 01-18-25
- The Note
- A Novel
- By: Alafair Burke
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho
Wasted credit
Reviewed: 01-19-25
This will the first and last title I'll read from this author. I was more than halfway through before I figured out it wasn't for me. Some readers will say "stick with it, it gets better." This title just got worse & more convoluted.
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1 person found this helpful
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Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,871
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,632
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,630
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Charming and Inspiring
- By David P on 09-05-22
- Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
A nice holiday read
Reviewed: 12-18-24
This is my first time with this author. Looking forward to trying other titles. The narrator was just right.
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The Grey Wolf
- A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, Book 19)
- By: Louise Penny
- Narrated by: Jean Brassard
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,217
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,104
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,103
Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Authentic accent cannot compensate...
- By Mer on 11-01-24
- The Grey Wolf
- A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, Book 19)
- By: Louise Penny
- Narrated by: Jean Brassard
Weak addition to series
Reviewed: 11-26-24
If I hadn't had the print copy, I may have bailed on this one. I won't be buying any more audible versions of this series unless she gets a new narrator. Sadly, a 5 min. sample isn't long enough to unveil a weak narrator. It's also not a great addition to the series.
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Tell Me Everything
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Strout
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,531
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,453
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,453
With her remarkable insight into the human condition and silences that contain multitudes, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, and to her beloved cast of characters—Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and more—as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst, fall in love and yet choose to be apart, and grapple with the question, as Lucy Barton puts it, “What does anyone’s life mean?”
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2 out of 5 stars
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Very disappointed
- By Cheri on 09-11-24
- Tell Me Everything
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Strout
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Beware of no character map
Reviewed: 10-01-24
I inadvertently found out by looking at the hardcover title listed on Amazon that there is a character map for this book. The listing detail on Amazon pictures this map. However, it is not in the hardcover version as implied. So don't expect Audible to provide a PDF of the Elizabeth Strout Universe. You have to download this information on your own. I didn't think the narrator was bad, but because I had to keep referring to the downloaded character map on my laptop, reading this title is best.
There are many characters in the story. I enjoy this author, but am baffled that Random House & Audible are asking readers/listeners to basically swim with one hand tied behind our backs.
In spite of my complaints, this is a great story & I'll continue to read everything she writes.
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All the Colors of the Dark
- By: Chris Whitaker
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12,288
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11,859
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11,858
1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best book of 2024
- By Jmo930 on 07-04-24
- All the Colors of the Dark
- By: Chris Whitaker
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Disappointing
Reviewed: 09-07-24
We Begin at the End was a 5 star title for me so I had high hopes for this one. Initially I was interested, & then things started to drag. The story didn't flow and was difficult to follow. I appreciated the good writing, but the story needed better structure. I can't share the enthusiasm of other readers. It just wasn't for me.
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Shelterwood
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Wingate
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Dan Bittner, Jenna Lamia
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 558
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 528
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 528
1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Radley knows that her stepfather is a threat to the two Choctaw girls boarded in their home. When the older girl disappears, Ollie flees, taking six-year-old Nessa with her. Together they begin a perilous journey to the remote Winding Stair Mountains, the territory of outlaws, treasure hunters, and desperate men. Along the way, they form an unlikely band with other children struggling to get by on their own.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hidden stories are the best
- By Mort on 11-09-24
- Shelterwood
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Wingate
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Dan Bittner, Jenna Lamia
Had trouble finishing
Reviewed: 08-28-24
Her previous 2 held my interest, & were solid 3 stars. This one didn't work & the last 1/4 really dragged. Maybe I've just had enough of novels with 2 stories in 2 different time frames, same location. Some come together well, but his one did not. It's a gimmick that authors are turning to too often. Give me one good story in one time period,
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Same as It Ever Was
- A Novel
- By: Claire Lombardo
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
- Length: 18 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 554
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 534
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Story4 out of 5 stars 534
Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. But Julia has never navigated the world with the equanimity of her current privileged class. Having nearly derailed herself several times, making desperate bids for the kind of connection that always felt inaccessible to her, she finally feels, at age fifty seven, that she has a firm handle on things. She’s unprepared, though, for what comes next.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Long winded
- By Brooke on 09-17-24
- Same as It Ever Was
- A Novel
- By: Claire Lombardo
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
Not as good as her 1st.
Reviewed: 08-15-24
She's an excellent writer, & there's nothing wrong with the story being downbeat as some have complained. For me, the plot seemed scattered with the characters not melding with each other that clearly. It just didn't have the punch of her first work. I'm not thumbs-down, but not highly recommending either. Emily Rankin for sure made it go down easier.
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Open Throat
- By: Henry Hoke
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 72
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting the welfare of a nearby homeless encampment, observing obnoxious hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience. “I have so much language in my brain,” our lion says, “and nowhere to put it.”
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gentle storytelling that packs a punch.
- By Caleb Clark on 08-01-23
- Open Throat
- By: Henry Hoke
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
Read or listen?
Reviewed: 06-15-24
I had access to the book as well as audio. Some recommended reading over listening. I'll disagree because to me the audio had better flow. The narrator was just right. Maybe there were some print nuances, like "scare city" vs. scarcity, or "elay" vs LA, but that didn't detract from the author's purpose.
Of titles narrated from the animal's POV, this was one of the strongest I've experienced.
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James
- A Novel
- By: Percival Everett
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 11,557
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 10,978
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Story5 out of 5 stars 10,978
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Can we ever be free
- By J. Stirling on 04-04-24
- James
- A Novel
- By: Percival Everett
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Best book of the year
Reviewed: 06-03-24
Outstanding writing & narration. It's not necessary to remember the novel Huckleberry Finn, which for many of us was decades ago in school. I might pick it up again out of curiosity, but this title stands alone.
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Blood Red Summer
- A Thriller (Jess Keeler Thrillers, Book 2)
- By: Eryk Pruitt
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, JD Jackson, Stephen Graybill, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4 out of 5 stars 21
Hot on the heels of her podcast debut, Jess Keeler looks for another unsolved crime to investigate—this time with a documentary crew in tow. But she can’t seem to find the right case…until a handsome stranger approaches her in a bar in Lake Castor, Virginia, with an incredible story about wrongful conviction. The Lake Castor sniper struck in 1984. Terrorizing the historically Black part of the old mill town, the killer claimed five lives. No one seemed worried about the first four victims. But when journalist Hal Broadstreet was killed, the police were suddenly interested.
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5 out of 5 stars
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the way the author addressed mental health and the justice system was interesting and important to the story as a whole.
- By Kim h on 07-29-24
- Blood Red Summer
- A Thriller (Jess Keeler Thrillers, Book 2)
- By: Eryk Pruitt
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, JD Jackson, Stephen Graybill, Aaron Shedlock
Not worth the credit
Reviewed: 05-30-24
I had some issues with his first title but gave it a good review. This one was just too hard to follow. I gave up on it.
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