Cruel Beautiful World Audiobook By Caroline Leavitt cover art

Cruel Beautiful World

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Cruel Beautiful World

By: Caroline Leavitt
Narrated by: Xe Sands
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About this listen

Caroline Leavitt is at her mesmerizing best in this haunting, nuanced portrait of love, sisters, and the impossible legacy of family.

It's 1969, and 16-year-old Lucy is about to run away with a much older man to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy's default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte's youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy's dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare.

Cruel Beautiful World examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and explores what happens when you're responsible for things you cannot make right.

©2016 Caroline Leavitt (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Exciting
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I completed this book in 1.5 days, I was sad that it ended. I’ll be checking out this authors other books!

Absolutely fantastic

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I really enjoyed this book. The pace was great and the storyline exciting. The narrator did a great job as well. Overall, an excellent listen!

Great Listen

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This story takes the reader on a journey. Along the way is happiness, adventure, heartbreak, and growth. As always, Xe Sands give a stellar performance.

Sad but beautiful story

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I was hooked from the first chapter. Surprised in places. Thanks to the wonderful narration, I felt like I was in the story. Definitely recommend.

Kept me listening intently

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The story was interesting but the narrator's cadence is reminiscent of a 1940's Micky Spillane movie. Very inappropriate to the story and very disturbing.

Narration spoils this book

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I love it when I find a book that I want to listen to every chance I get. I don’t find them often, but this was one. I actually found the narration mesmerizing and thought the performance set the tone of the story.

Engaging Listen

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This was a great book. I really like this author.
Also Xe Sands is my favorite narrator of all time.
Worth the listen.

Loved this

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Loved this story from beginning to end. Reread to see what I missed! Xe Sands it perfect for this story

Loved it from beginning to end.

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I rarely stop a book before I finish, but I found myself dreading this one, and I realized it was the narration. The narrator sounds uncertain and tentative, all the characters speak in the same way (not surprisingly, tentative and uncertain!) The way she modulates her voice caused a lot of volume issues for me, too -- the lack of emphasis on certain words made their volume fall way below the others, and I was constantly trying to figure out what had been said.

I can't say a lot about the story. It might have been glorious, but the narration was so distracting I couldn't really get into it at all.

Could not finish listening - narration not for me

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iris was portrayed is a dignified manner. I like how the story included love at a more mature age.

seasons of life

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