
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
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Narrated by:
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Alix Dunmore
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By:
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Elif Shafak
About this listen
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019
Brought to you by Penguin.
'In the first minute following her death, Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away....'
Our brains stay active for 10 minutes after our heart stops beating. For Leila, each minute brings with it a new memory: growing up with her father and his wives in a grand old house in a quiet Turkish town; watching the women gossip and wax their legs while the men went to mosque; sneaking cigarettes and Western magazines on her way home from school; running away to Istanbul to escape an unwelcome marriage; falling in love with a student who seeks shelter from a riot in the brothel where she works.
Most importantly, each memory reminds Leila of the five friends she met along the way - friends who are now desperately trying to find her....
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- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
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- By Nemo71 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
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- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
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Performance
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Narrator doesn’t get Backman’s satire or rhythm
- By joey1603 on 12-01-24
By: Fredrik Backman, and others
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Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Performance
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Seriously, that was the ending?
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What listeners say about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-31-21
Fantastic!
The best book I've heard on Audible! This story has everything - colourful characters, gripping plot and vibrant setting. Í would give 5+ stars fór Alix Dunmore's narration - it's by far the best narration I have heard on Audible!
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- Anonymous User
- 06-11-19
Amazing story
Great narrator delivering a breathaking story, I enjoyed very much! Couldn't stop listening to the end
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1 person found this helpful
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- Neelam
- 10-03-19
A touching story of friendship and belonging
I loved the title of the book and the entire story was remarkable and entertaining.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Imtiaz
- 08-09-21
Thoroughly enjoyable!
Interesting depiction of the harsh realities of life in the backwaters of Istanbul narrated through vivid and sharp characters. Not Shafak's best work though.
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Overall
- Anonymous User
- 03-30-20
lovely book
I loved this book, since I love turkey. it is quite dramatic, I actually shed tears over an event that happened. I finished it in three days.
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1 person found this helpful
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- AnahitaAnahita
- 12-28-19
To the women of Istanbul and the city of Istanbul
As Shafak herself says, read stories written by women. You'll know when you read it. Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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- AJ
- 04-27-21
Absolutely captivating
I didn’t want to stop this story. It moved me to tears, had me laugh out loud, made me yearn for my many travels to Istanbul and the stories and life found lurking around each hidden corner there. An absolutely wonderful book, and I’m so glad I listened to the audio version, with such a beautiful performance.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-27-19
I keep listening and re-listening!
I am breathless. I have been a fan of Elif Shafak for long, and clearly that's not about to change any time soon. You should buy this. It's worth every dollar!
The reading is perfect, the story a sad nectar, and the writing is plainly gorgeous.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Adrienne Bartlett
- 01-20-25
such a thought provoking read
I loved the approach this book took with the sensitive subject of death.
I enjoyed the way the author told us a little bit about all thr friends lives, and how they connected to Tequila Leila.
Nobody knows exactly what happens when we die, but I loved this version of 'possibilities.' The narrator Alix Dunmore's different accents were excellent. I highly recommend this book.
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