Vivian Scraps
- 15
- reviews
- 1
- helpful vote
- 143
- ratings
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The Italian Ballerina
- A World War II Novel
- By: Kristy Cambron
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 252
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 233
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 233
Rome, 1943. With the fall of Italy's Fascist government and the Nazi regime occupying the streets of Rome, British ballerina Julia Bradbury is stranded and forced to take refuge at a hospital on Tiber Island. But when she learns of a deadly sickness sweeping through the quarantine wards--a fake disease known only as Syndrome K--she is drawn into one of the greatest cons in history. Alongside hospital staff, friars of the adjoining church, and two Allied medics, Julia risks everything to rescue Jewish Italians from the deadly clutches of the Holocaust.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Took me halfway through...
- By Mona-Alisa on 05-26-23
- The Italian Ballerina
- A World War II Novel
- By: Kristy Cambron
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
Beautiful story
Reviewed: 04-25-25
This book lingers in my mind in a great way.
Wonderful characters and despite being set during horrific WWII - it is poignant, sweet, hard to bear at times, has lovely romance and edge of your seat moments. Overall, the story reminded me of how, even during the hardest times prayers are answered in the most unusual ways. It's about heroism in the face of tragedy and really standing up for what is right despite the risk to self.
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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 519
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 459
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 458
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
Interesting history, witty, emotional
Reviewed: 03-31-25
I loved this. Initially, I had to get used to the method of storytelling but was easily sucked in and enjoyed the humor and the glimpse of a strong woman during medieval times along with the historical setting of the time (my fave way to learn about history.) Thought it was brilliant and then listened to the authors note afterward and was SO glad she explained some things that made me raise my brows straight into my hairline! :) A thoroughly interesting and entertaining read with a lot of real life tragedies thrown in.
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The Complete Jaipur Trilogy
- The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
- Length: 33 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 485
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 451
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Story5 out of 5 stars 451
Vivid and compelling, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel. Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own. Years later, she is confronted by her husband who has tracked her down.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An fabulously expanding adventure !
- By Miki Lee on 11-24-23
- The Complete Jaipur Trilogy
- The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
beautiful story! LOVED the characters, narrator, and descriptions of the culture, people, and beauty of India....
Reviewed: 02-15-25
read this and felt as though I stepped into the story with the characters. Beautiful descriptions that made me 'experience' the story I loved reading this.
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1 person found this helpful
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,875
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,965
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,983
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Completely brilliant
- By Suze Weinberg on 06-01-07
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
Moving Story - A peek into another culture
Reviewed: 01-14-25
Initially, the narrator seemed to be one note but I soon got over that as the story unfolded. I loved the characters and the author paints a vivid portrayal of the Afghanistan culture throughout the years. I loved it..
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The Color of Our Sky
- A Novel
- By: Amita Trasi
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Nacqvi, Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 876
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 801
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 804
India, 1986: Mukta, a 10-year-old village girl from the lower-caste Yellama cult, has come of age and must fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute, as her mother and grandmother did before her. In an attempt to escape her fate, Mukta is sent to be a house girl for an upper-middle class family in Mumbai. There she discovers a friend in the daughter of the family, high-spirited eight-year-old Tara, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fast moving ,gripping ,emotional ,well depicted.
- By Amazon CustomerAmeeta Adur on 10-09-17
- The Color of Our Sky
- A Novel
- By: Amita Trasi
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Nacqvi, Sneha Mathan
Horrific. eye opening subject.... compelling characters..a must read
Reviewed: 11-17-24
horrific, eye opening circumstances... characters that you'll love and cry for and suffer with and want to save....and others you wish you could erase in more ways than one. Absorbing, and ultimately, reedeming....I could not put it down.
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All the Broken Places
- A Novel
- By: John Boyne
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Helen Lloyd
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,062
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,906
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,903
Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She lives a quiet, comfortable life, despite her deeply disturbing, dark past. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age 12. She doesn’t talk about the grim post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn’t talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reich’s most notorious extermination camps. All The Broken Places moves between Gretel’s girlhood in Germany to present-day London as a woman haunted by the past.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So good
- By Deborah Marcus on 05-30-23
- All the Broken Places
- A Novel
- By: John Boyne
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Helen Lloyd
Wow. I really loved this book....unique story and great characters.....
Reviewed: 11-02-24
So well written. I was sucked in from the start.. finished it in 3 days because I could not put it down. The main character who's point of view is the story is sometimes likeable but other times not at all likeable. That realistic point of view is so brilliantly written that ultimately I had to decide if I liked her in the end. highly recommend.
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The Chronicles of Narnia Complete Audio Collection
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh, Alex Jennings, Michael York, and others
- Length: 33 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 17,299
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 14,877
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Story5 out of 5 stars 14,826
For over 60 years, readers of all ages have been enchanted by the magical realms, the epic battles between good and evil, and the unforgettable creatures of Narnia. This box set includes all seven titles in The Chronicles of Narnia - The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Comes without book subdivisions - chapter key below
- By Daniel on 01-07-20
loved it
Reviewed: 10-31-24
beautiful story and I'm so glad I finally read these!! I loved all of the character's and felt hopeful and cheerful in the end.
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Iron Flame
- Empyrean, Book 2
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 28 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 41,958
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39,452
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Story5 out of 5 stars 39,449
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College-Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.
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2 out of 5 stars
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I wish I could throw this book off a cliff.
- By Rebekah L Johnson on 11-10-23
- Iron Flame
- Empyrean, Book 2
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
ENGROSSING, ACTION PACKED, STEAMY
Reviewed: 10-16-24
I love this series and I am not generally a fantasy genre person. What a terrific story and I could not put it down - LOVE the main characters ... The narrator is full of emotion and really delivers the action brilliantly. HURRY JANUARY 2025.... I am on pins and needles to see what happens next.
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The Bonesetter's Daughter
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Amy Tan
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,242
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 754
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 759
Ruth Young and her widowed mother, LuLing, have always had a tumultuous relationship. Now, before she succumbs to forgetfulness, LuLing gives Ruth some of her writings, which reveal a side of LuLing that Ruth has never known....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptionally good
- By Eileen Finn on 03-25-03
- The Bonesetter's Daughter
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Amy Tan
I love the mix of the history of China in which fictional characters are woven into.
Reviewed: 08-15-24
so touching and poignent .. I loved the characters flaws and all. the story is fascinating. The mother daughter relationship is about understanding people and accepting them without your own perspective clouding your view of them. I love nearly all of Amy Tans work!
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The Kitchen God's Wife
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Gwendoline Yeo
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 715
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 636
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 636
For decades — in China and in San Francisco — Winnie Louie and Helen Kwong have kept each other's confidences, but those secrets are about to be revealed. Convinced that she is dying, Helen decides to celebrate the Chinese New Year by unburdening herself of hidden truths — not only hers, but those of Winnie and of Winnie's daughter, Pearl.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Holds your attention through out
- By GrandmaNurseHeather on 06-08-17
- The Kitchen God's Wife
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Gwendoline Yeo
a story of survival ....... and ❤️ love!
Reviewed: 08-03-24
I read this years ago but had to read it again because it's so interesting and I felt the characters emotions. beautiful!
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