Isabelle
- 44
- reviews
- 34
- helpful votes
- 96
- ratings
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Dept. of Speculation
- By: Jenny Offill
- Narrated by: Jenny Offill
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 686
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 594
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 594
"The Wife" once exchanged love letters with her husband, coyly postmarked the Dept. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. As they confront an array of common catastrophes - the arrival of a child and, later, a lover - the Wife puzzles over the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and romantic love.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Offill. Truly awful.
- By Wendy on 01-06-15
- Dept. of Speculation
- By: Jenny Offill
- Narrated by: Jenny Offill
I found the Heroine dislikable
Reviewed: 12-29-14
I think the main character needed better support; that her physicians, and the people before that who helped form her philosophy, let her down. She seemed too constantly terrorized by unfulfilled ambitions and desires, and she was a wreck on drugs.
Jeff
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28 people found this helpful
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The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17,895
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14,588
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14,609
Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enchanting, intriguing, mysterious, and beautiful
- By Joseph on 12-10-08
- The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
Gripping
Reviewed: 02-26-13
I enjoyed this one. I liked the span across generations, and the story unraveled in a way that kept it interesting.
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The Fiery Cross: International Edition
- Outlander, Book 5
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 56 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 26,819
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 23,932
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23,838
The year is 1771. Claire Randall is still an outlander, out of place and out of time. But now she is linked by love to her only anchor - Jamie Fraser. They have crossed oceans and centuries to build a life together in North Carolina. But tensions, both ancient and recent, threaten members of their clan. Knowing that his wife has the gift of prophecy, James must believe Claire, though he would prefer not to. Claire has shared a dreadful truth - there will, without a doubt, be a war.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Something that had to be gotten through
- By Anne of Thieves on 03-08-12
- The Fiery Cross: International Edition
- Outlander, Book 5
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
Diana missing inspiration
Reviewed: 05-10-12
There's been a fairly steady decline in this series. The first book or two were good guilty pleasures, but it's gotten a bit stale since then, and this book was probably the low point so far. They're too old for the steamy sex now, I guess. Diana seemed so inspired early on, but this story really dragged. It feels like she out of ideas. The pacing is too slow.
One specific dislike: her writing loses its way when she switches to other character's points of view. When she writes as Claire in the first person, that seems to work. When she writes as Roger, etc., it's much less absorbing, for me at least.
Davina Porter, however, is still fantastic.
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The Fiery Cross
- Outlander, Book 5
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 55 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 33,057
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29,346
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29,219
Eighteenth-century Scotsman James Fraser and his 20th-century time-travelling wife, Claire Randall, have emigrated to the beautiful countryside of the Royal Colony of North Carolina. The year is now 1771, and dissidents are stirring throughout the American colonies. Claire forewarns James of the impending war and the dangers it may bring to their clan. Will her knowledge of America’s tumultuous revolution be enough to guide them through a dangerously uncertain future?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Something that had to be gotten through
- By Anne of Thieves on 03-08-12
- The Fiery Cross
- Outlander, Book 5
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
Diana missing inspiration
Reviewed: 05-10-12
There's been a fairly steady decline in this series. The first book or two were good guilty pleasures, but it's gotten a bit stale since then, and this book was probably the low point so far. They're too old for the steamy sex now, I guess. Diana seemed so inspired early on, but this story really dragged. It feels like she out of ideas. The pacing is too slow.
One specific dislike: her writing loses its way when she switches to other character's points of view. When she writes as Claire in the first person, that seems to work. When she writes as Roger, etc., it's much less absorbing, for me at least.
Davina Porter, however, is still fantastic.
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The Kitchen House
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Grissom
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11,936
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,430
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,425
Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This is a must!
- By AB on 09-04-10
- The Kitchen House
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Grissom
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Bahni Turpin
four stars plus
Reviewed: 09-29-11
A good book. It started being fun about half way through. It's dark, but the story works pretty well. I recommend it.
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First Grave on the Right
- Charley Davidson, Book 1
- By: Darynda Jones
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,291
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,007
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Story4 out of 5 stars 8,983
Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great choice for Stephanie, Lorelai or Buffy fans!
- By Austin gal on 03-07-12
- First Grave on the Right
- Charley Davidson, Book 1
- By: Darynda Jones
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
Five Star Arousel
Reviewed: 09-29-11
Very sexy. The heroine is a firecat. Great narrator. Great story. I want more. I have a crush on Charley.
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1 person found this helpful
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Beloved
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,238
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,424
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,394
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. Sethe has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Author-read Books
- By John R Williford on 07-14-06
- Beloved
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
Dark
Reviewed: 08-11-11
This book is dark magical realism. I almost want to give it only three stars because it's so hyped and the story is disturbing at times; but at other times it's an entertaining.
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The Modern Scholar: Giants of French Literature
- Balzac, Flaubert, Proust, and Camus
- By: Prof. Katherine Elkins
- Narrated by: Katherine Elkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 81
In this series of lectures, Professor Katherine Elkins details the lives and works of the premier French writers of the last two centuries. With keen insight into her subject material, Professor Elkins discusses the attributes that made classics of such works as Balzac's Human Comedy, Flaubert's Madame Bovary, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and Camus' The Stranger.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Modern Scholar: Giants of French Literature
- By Dudley H. Williams on 11-29-11
- The Modern Scholar: Giants of French Literature
- Balzac, Flaubert, Proust, and Camus
- By: Prof. Katherine Elkins
- Narrated by: Katherine Elkins
Decent Lectures
Reviewed: 08-11-11
I thought the lecturer did a decent job. She made me curious about the authors. She could have done more to explain why she excluded other authors; how she narrowed it down.
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2 people found this helpful
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Bossypants
- By: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60,722
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50,827
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50,596
Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: You're no one until someone calls you bossy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tina Fey broke my new SUV
- By Warren on 04-07-11
- Bossypants
- By: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
Fun book, high energy
Reviewed: 08-11-11
Tina Fey is likable, so listening to her narrate anecdotes was amusing. I recommended this book.
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The Lady Elizabeth
- A Novel
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,303
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,045
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,038
Best-selling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England's most intriguing and powerful queen. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time - whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An unbelievably extraordinary tale about a girl!
- By Zhao on 12-31-11
- The Lady Elizabeth
- A Novel
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
Elizabeth the First
Reviewed: 08-11-11
I love reading about Elizabeth the First. This narrator was not not very good, but not terrible. The material of the story is great, and the authors note at the end was really good.
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