Charcoal
When You Run Away, Sometimes You Have to Come Back
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Narrated by:
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Teresa-May Whittaker
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By:
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J.E. Rowney
About this listen
"Jess is dead, and it's my fault".
Anna Macbeth has spent her whole life trying to escape from her past. She left the rural Yorkshire village where she grew up for life as a family lawyer in London, but what secrets did she take with her?
When a familiar voice telephones her with tragic news, Anna knows that running away is no longer an option, and that she has to return to face her demons.
What led Anna to flee from her home, and what is it that causes her to return?
Charcoal unfolds a dramatic sequence of events that demonstrate the consequences of desires.
©2012 JE Rowney (P)2020 JE RowneyListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Living in a year around Christmas town has its drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave - I mean housekeeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits. And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determined to win.
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Anything But Christian
- By Anonymous User on 11-08-24
By: Meghan Quinn
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Mr. and Mrs. Christmas
- By: Michelle Stimpson
- Narrated by: Marcella Cox, Ian Hackney
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.
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Loved the book!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-15-24
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Merry Ever After
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Tessa Bailey
- Narrated by: Summer Morton, Connor Crais
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.
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Cringy lines ruined it
- By Lenna Crosby on 12-01-24
By: Tessa Bailey
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Cruel Winter with You
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Ali Hazelwood
- Narrated by: Vivienne LaRue
- Length: 2 hrs
- Unabridged
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All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.
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Endless insecurities and translation fails
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-12-24
By: Ali Hazelwood
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Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
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intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
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Holiday Hideaway
- A Short Story
- By: Mary Kay Andrews
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.
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I ain’t afraid of no ghosts
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 10-31-24
By: Mary Kay Andrews
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The Plight Before Christmas
- By: Kate Stewart
- Narrated by: Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.
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Gaslighting and games
- By FMC on 12-22-22
By: Kate Stewart
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How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas
- By: A.J. Pine
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Jason Clarke
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
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After a snowstorm grounds her flight, Lucy makes a last-ditch effort to get home for Christmas using a rideshare app. She thinks she’ll be taking a road trip with a stranger...but the guy who shows up is someone she knows all too well. He’s the hookup she ghosted a few months ago, and now she’ll be stuck in a car with him for the most awkward road trip of her life.
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Nearly pitch perfect holiday romcom novella
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-17-23
By: A.J. Pine
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Resting Scrooge Face
- A Short Story
- By: Meghan Quinn
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Aaron Shedlock
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood. To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.
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No-sex, “enemies to lovers,” Christmas short story
- By Kate McMurry on 12-24-22
By: Meghan Quinn
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Nocticadia
- By: Keri Lake
- Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.
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Good but a slight miss
- By Destinyreadsbooks on 01-17-24
By: Keri Lake
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All by My Elf
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Olivia Dade
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a hot and bothered game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long…
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A cool, considerate romance
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-13-24
By: Olivia Dade
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Den of Vipers
- By: K.A. Knight
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins, Hollie Jackson
- Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel - The Vipers. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant.
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Shrek
- By Shemika Holmes on 02-25-21
By: K.A. Knight
What listeners say about Charcoal
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-30-20
A beautiful but sad story
Charcoal is not a happy story. It found me at a time in my life when I was already feeling down, yet I wasn't able to stop listening to the audiobook. I wanted to know more. Which says a lot about the book, because the ending of the story is "spoiled" in the short synopsis, and still, I wanted to find out what lead to that point. Unlike many other stories, this one was not about a big twist at the end, it was more about the journeys of the characters that lead them there.
I'm still not sure how to feel about the characters. They had many flaws, but the author gave us enough reasons and explanations on why they acted in a certain way and why they kept making mistakes. And who are we to judge them, really?
All in all, I'd recommend this book to those who want a tough read instead of a light chic-lit and who are not afraid to feel a little heartbreak when the story is over.
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- Catrina P
- 02-22-21
Consequences of decisions...
The story starts out with the heartbreaking outcome. Then we learn the complete story starting from when Anna and Jess are just young girls all the way through adulthood. A very realistic story that could hit very close to home for some people.
I was surprised at how well J.E. Rowney was able to bring out the full range of emotions with her writing. I knew from the opening paragraphs that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending, but I had a much stronger emotional response than I expected. Such a tragic story.
Teresa-May Whittaker did this story justice with her narration. I was so drawn into the performance, it was like I was watching the events unfold around me.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
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- Deedra
- 01-26-22
Charcoal
This was an excellent story about how our family affects each of us and then who we become because of that.Anna and Jess are friends forever,until that changes. Teresa-May Whittaker was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- Deborah Anderson
- 06-14-21
Not Just a Book, but an Experience
Charcoal, by J.E. Rowney, was an experience in and of itself. A quality experience, unique, and engaging.
It started out like any other book (so it seemed), setting the stage, introducing you to the characters, drawing your interest. At times, while the "mini-stories" were interesting, I wasn't sure of their purpose in the book. These sort of short stories, encompassed in their own chapters, seemed to be additional entertainment or something that helped to flesh out the characters more. And, besides, even these somewhat unrelated mini-stories were interesting and kept the book flowing at a nice pace, so they definitely added value and interest.
But, then, I realized, there was nothing unintentional about any aspect of this novel. It was like a child cleaning every morsel of food off their plate and realizing that every aspect of the meal related to another aspect and complemented the entire ensemble. It is the same way with this book. Every aspect, every line, every chapter, even every breath felt as you took in this novel, prepared you in a way that you did not realize at the time. That is why I say that this book isn't just a book, it is an experience.
Before you were fully aware of it, you were completely immersed in the experience of the book, and no longer felt like a bystander but experiencing the emotion, the pain, the turmoil, and even the moments of joy and ecstasy along with the main characters, especially Anna.
This is a sad story, true. It is one that caused me to even ask myself, along with the main character, Anna, how things could have been done differently. At what point in time, could all of the pain have been averted, or minimized? How does one aspect of one character's life affect another aspect and not only that but aspects of other people's lives? This novel was almost a study in psychology itself (which IS my area of study, btw), helping one to understand the intricacies of this synchronous relationship between people, their thoughts, their behaviors, their actions (or lack of actions), and how there is no such thing as a calculated outcome and yet there are commonalities that exist when characteristics interrelate and interact on the playing field of life.
Even weeks after reading this book, and taking my own unplanned "break" from life while fighting off a cold/flu, I still would wake up in the morning thinking about Anna, the loss of her child, the loss of her best friend, the loss of her lover-who-shouldn't-be-her-lover. It was as if I was feeling that pain with Anna, and not just reading about it in a book... even weeks after "hearing" the story of Anna. That isn't something that all novelists or writers can accomplish, to be able to insert the reader into the storyline to a point where the book almost becomes real. Oh, sure, a momentary commonality with the emotion is fairly normal and attainable, but for the entire book, every morsel of every chapter, to interrelate and impact the reader to that point, that is a talent on the part of J.E. Rowney. And, to accomplish this when the is no commonality between the story and that of the life of the reader/reviewer, that is a gift. J.E. Rowney is that gifted and I would welcome another book by this author.
Note: I was provided with a review copy of this book. I have written this review honestly and voluntarily.
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- Cair-Paravel De Loulay
- 08-22-20
A Wonderfully, Devastating Saga
Anna, Jess and Tim are forever locked in a devastating saga.
Anna came from a broken home. Her course in life was permanently altered from the beginning. She was a broken mess who wanted to protect herself from the home life she had known first.
Enter Jess. Jess is sweet, loving and full of life. Her family had become a safe haven for Anna. The girls were inseparable in everything and had even become blood sisters, though not with the big knife Anna had lead with.
As they grew, they began to change into their own women. One day, Tim enters the picture. Anna is on guard and has no trust for his "games". Jess is loves him, despite Anna's preconceptions.
Life goes it's own way and they all grew apart. Then they begin to grow together, in all the wrong ways. Some roads are easy to go down, but are impossible to reverse.
The story starts at the end and seamlessly wraps around to the to finish where it began. The devastation is beautifully craft and rends the heart in twain effortlessly.
The narrator does well, though it took a moment to adjust to her cadence.
I will never forget this book, it's details etched in to my memory forever. It is a beautiful story and is a definite one to listen to.
I received a free copy from the author in return for an honest review.
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- Hanny
- 02-13-21
***spoiler alert***
As I've been cheated on, this made things hard for me to relate and connect with the characters. for me - nothing excuses cheating.
I felt the author touched both sides, and at times explained their reasonings, but I couldn't relate.
It's a good woman-fiction book, but it wasn't for me.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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- Susan
- 03-05-21
This was a year jerker
What a story. It made me sad, happy & at times mad. What a horrible life that Anna had at first. Her poor mother, it was a wonder she survived. Then she had Jess. Her best friend that helped her through all the turmoil. Then Tim came a long. What a piece of crap he ended up being. Jess & Tim should have been happy but the anguish Jess created over not getting pregnant. made secrets & lies after pushing Tim to Anna. I hated Anna for it. The end as Jess took her life was a tragedy.
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- Becky
- 03-06-21
Not a feel good story.
I am a fan of "feel good" stories. This is NOT one. This is a "this is what happens," a "true to life" story. Domestic abuse has far reaching effects. This story is.....Friendship. Promises. Choices. Bad decisions. Cheating. Lies. Life.
I was gifted an Audible version of this book from the author through Story Origin at my request. I enjoyed the narrator's reading, but it did take some getting use to. She has a strong accent and I couldn't understand some words. She read in almost a cadence, almost sing song voice. But I was able to fully feel the characters in the story. So it worked for me.
This my honest, voluntary review.
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- J. Allen
- 02-02-21
tragic, no happy endings to be found
A beautifully written story of mistakes and bad decisions. Full of heartbreaking moments, this read follows the lives of Anna and Jess from childhood to adulthood. Secrets, lies, deception and deceit around eve egg y turn and selfish wants make for poor decisions. This is such a good read/listen is the most tragic of ways. Narration was well done, smooth and consistent.
I received a free copy of this book at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
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