
A Happy Catastrophe
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Amy McFadden
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By:
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Maddie Dawson
About this listen
From the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners comes a novel about love, loss, and the beautiful mess of family.
Marnie MacGraw and Patrick Delaney have been in love for a few years now, enough to realize that they are imperfectly perfect together. Still, there are some things that maybe need a little attention. Marnie’s ebullient; he’s brooding. She thrives on change; he prefers stability. She sees marriage and parenthood in their future, but he can’t see beyond the shadow of an earlier tragedy.
Then an eight-year-old surprise from Patrick’s past shows up on their doorstep, cartwheeling into their lives and spinning things in all directions. While it’s not exactly the change she envisioned, it looks like instant family to Marnie. But Patrick, afraid of being hurt again, retreats further into himself. Suddenly, two very different pieces of a beautiful puzzle find it harder and harder to fit. How can Marnie trust in the magic of the universe when it seems to be doing its best to knock her off her feet?
But some love stories are worth waiting for. And what’s love without a little chaos anyway?
©2020 Maddie Dawson. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Dawson has created a truly quirky story, filled with a little bit of magic (think unicorn glitter and sparkles) and a lot of love.... An optimistic, feel-good story that celebrates love, community, goodness, and the creation of family, however it might appear.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Alive with action, compelling and evolving characters, and screwball comedy, Dawson’s latest will appeal to readers looking for a story that is both pleasurable and substantial. Personal growth is achieved by overcoming obstacles, and the ending is honest and satisfying.” (Booklist)
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- Narrated by: CJ Bloom, Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Wyatt Ford hightailed it out of Cold Springs to get away from his influential family and the unwanted privilege that came with it. Returning for his brother’s wedding dredges up every reason he left. One unexpected bright spot: a curvy knockout who slings burgers, hustles pool…and hates the last name Ford.
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Grandpa Joe
- By Courtney S. on 03-26-23
By: Lauren Landish
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The Magic of Found Objects
- A Novel
- By: Maddie Dawson
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Phronsie Linnelle was conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and a farmer’s son and was born with magical wonder flickering in her DNA and rationality knit into her bones. All her life she’s been torn between the two. But now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the mother she once idolized, her rational side is winning. So when her best friend from childhood proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, Phronsie agrees.
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I missed it when it was over
- By J. Williams on 08-20-21
By: Maddie Dawson
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Life, Loss, and Puffins
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Jess Nahikian
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Freakishly smart. That’s the unwelcome box Ru Evans is put into for life. After all, she taught herself Euclidean geometry at age seven, has an eidetic memory, and is about to enter college at thirteen years old. Boarding at a house near campus 150 miles from home, Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends—until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world to talk to is a first for both of them.
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Took a bit, but I got there
- By An Amazon Customer on 09-29-24
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The Survivor's Guide to Family Happiness
- By: Maddie Dawson
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Newly orphaned, recently divorced, and semiadrift, Nina Popkin is on a search for her birth mother. She's spent her life looking into strangers' faces, fantasizing they're related to her, and now, at thirty-five, she's ready for answers. Meanwhile, the last thing Lindy McIntyre wants is someone like Nina bursting into her life, announcing that they're sisters and campaigning to track down their mother. She's too busy with her successful salon, three children, beautiful home, and...oh yes, some pesky little anxiety attacks.
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The Survivor's Guide to Family Happiness
- By DJ on 07-20-18
By: Maddie Dawson
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The Autumn of Ruth Winters
- A Novel
- By: Marshall Fine
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Ruth Winters is retired, widowed, and resigned to spending the rest of her life alone in her suburban home. She likes her routine and uses it to avoid having to spend time with other people. She probably wouldn’t call herself fulfilled, but it’s too late now to go chasing happiness. Then three things happen at once: a beloved niece makes a big announcement, an old flame reaches out, and her estranged sister receives life-changing news.
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Ruth was a realistic character with relatable feelings.
- By Happy customer on 02-02-25
By: Marshall Fine
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An Echo in Time
- A Novel
- By: Boo Walker
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Unable to catch a break in life or love as she approaches thirty, Charli Thurman sees red lights at every crossroads. And given the Thurman family’s tumultuous history, she knows things will only get worse, unless she can break the cycle and figure out where—and when—it all went wrong. Charli is skeptical when her best friend introduces her to a “soul reader” who specializes in generational trauma. But during family constellation therapy with the guru, Charli experiences an inexplicable memory of terrible violence.
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Great love story
- By Jgerry on 12-09-24
By: Boo Walker
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Nobody's Perfect
- By: Sally Kilpatrick
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Vivian Quackenbush enjoys a typical life. She has winesday evenings with her two best friends. Her son is in college. She and her husband, Mitch, are planning the next move for their empty-nester future. But to Vivian’s blindsided surprise…not together. After nearly twenty-five years of marriage, Mitch wants a divorce. He confesses that he doesn’t love her anymore. He never even liked her chicken salad! Brutal. What is Vivian to do but channel her anger, frustration, and pain into a video she posts online.
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Womanhood and friends
- By D. Romano on 02-22-25
By: Sally Kilpatrick
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The Paris Assignment
- A Novel
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Londoner Madeleine Grant is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when she marries charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. As they raise their son, Olivier, they hold on to a tenuous promise for the future. Until the thunder of war sets off alarms in France. Staying behind to join the resistance, Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England, where Madeleine secures a job teaching French at a secondary school. Yet nowhere is safe. After a devastating twist of fate resulting in the loss of her son, Madeleine accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort.
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Frustrating
- By ESay on 11-20-23
By: Rhys Bowen
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The Opposite of Maybe
- By: Maddie Dawson
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other's sentences - so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised. But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her.
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Well written book. The characters grow on you~
- By chatteycathi on 08-01-18
By: Maddie Dawson
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The Taken Ones
- A Novel (Steinbeck and Reed, Book 1)
- By: Jess Lourey
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Summer 1980: Despite the local superstition that the Bendy Man haunts the woods, three girls go into a Minnesota forest. Only one comes out, dead silent, her memory gone. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation. Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide—a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. They’re both desperate to catch a killer before he kills again.
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Please hire a Minnesotan narrator.
- By S&C on 01-15-24
By: Jess Lourey
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The Christmas Book Hunt
- A Short Story
- By: Jenny Colgan
- Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Mirren’s beloved great-aunt Violet is seriously ill. Her one Christmas wish is to be reunited with a long-lost hand-illustrated book from her childhood, a challenge Mirren gladly accepts to give Violet some much-needed festive cheer. With no sign of the cherished volume online, Mirren falls into the fascinating world of rare books. From London to snowy Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, she chases leads from bookshop to bookshop—and bumps into mysterious, charming Theo, who, unbeknownst to her, is searching for the same book for reasons of his own…
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Cute but a little boring at first
- By Mercy on 12-05-24
By: Jenny Colgan
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What the Light Touches
- A Novel
- By: Xavier Bosch, Samantha Mateo - translator
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventeen-year-old Margaux doesn’t realize one photo could change the course of her life. But in German-occupied Paris, nothing makes sense anymore. Margaux fears the worst when her lover is arrested. And when her photo appears in Nazi propaganda, her family’s reputation and prospects suffer the consequences. In 2008, Margaux has moved into a retirement home, and her granddaughter Barbara continues to live in the Paris apartment they used to share.
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Excellent
- By Book Bug! on 04-14-25
By: Xavier Bosch, and others
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She's Up to No Good
- A Novel
- By: Sara Goodman Confino
- Narrated by: Holly Linneman
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Four years into her marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life in flux, she agrees to accompany her eccentric grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside Massachusetts town where much of their family history was shaped. When they hit the road, Evelyn spins the tale of the star-crossed teenage romance that captured her heart more than seventy years ago and changed the course of her life.
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a feel good story
- By Zingisa on 11-22-22
What listeners say about A Happy Catastrophe
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- Deborah Carter
- 08-13-21
Fantastic!
This is a great story with a happy ending. Yes, read it!! You'll love it. 💗
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- Susan
- 11-21-24
A good sequel
I really liked the reader. She helped to keep me engaged when I was feeling like the story got pretty silly. I loved the new characters and how their personalities shined through. In the end, it was a sweet and romantic story which was just what I needed now.
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- janet
- 10-16-21
So very fun
It has been awhile since I've smiled through an entire book. Dawson's witty dialogue was delivered delighfully by McFadden. Highly recommend.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-07-22
So fun.
This was just a fun light read the second in the sequel. I read the first one and listened to this one and laughed throughout both.
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- Nick East
- 06-08-20
Highly recommend
I loved this book just as much as the first one! I love tue narrator and the story is great. Highly recommend!
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-14-20
very good ending
I loved it. there were times I thought I was going to cry because it had some moments.
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- Sharon Mehesy
- 01-04-22
A good sequel...stay with it - you'll be glad!
I was so excited when I saw there was a sequel to Matchmaking for Beginners that I purchased it immediately! The story was good, but there were times when Marnie was so self-absorbed that I was yelling at her! Stay with it tho - you will be glad you did!:)
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- patsparks
- 06-26-20
Narration was exceptional
The story was fun great and the narration was particularly well done. Highly recommend for a fun read.
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- Just Sandy
- 08-21-21
Good, but first book was better
There were times when the narrator's voice/intonation pulled me out of the story, but overall this was a good book. I enjoyed the back and forth perspective between Marnie and Patrick. sometimes I just wanted to talk some sense into Tessa and Patrick. Sometimes a predictable storyline is what you need. There were a few twists and turns I didn't see coming and that's awesome.
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- Donna
- 10-12-21
No struggle to big for love
Loved it!
There was no way to know that each chapter brought new struggles and joy to the characters, just like life.
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