Fire and Hemlock
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Narrated by:
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Gemma Dawson
About this listen
Polly has two sets of memories....
One is normal: school, home, friends. The other, stranger memories begin nine years ago, when she was 10 and gate-crashed an odd funeral in the mansion near her grandmother's house. Polly's just beginning to recall the sometimes marvelous, sometimes frightening adventures she embarked on with Tom Lynn after that. And then she did something terrible, and everything changed.
But what did she do? Why can't she remember? Polly must uncover the secret, or her true love - and perhaps Polly herself - will be lost.
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Unlike the other residents of Middleton Hall, Stella is elegant, smart and in control. Only Jenny, her care assistant, knows that she harbours a painful secret, and only she can prevent Stella from carrying it to the grave. As the women talk, Jenny pieces together the answers to many questions that arise: Why has she kept possession of a house that her family don’t know about? What happened there that holds the key to a distant tragedy?
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Amazing reader elevates book to a higher level
- By Doggy Bird on 10-04-14
By: Barbara Vine
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The Bermondsey Bookshop
- By: Mary Gibson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in 1920s London, this is the inspiring story of Kate Goss' struggle against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets. Her mother died in a fall, her father has vanished without trace, and now her aunt and cousins treat her viciously. In a freezing, vermin-infested garret, factory girl Kate has only her own brave spirit and dreams of finding her father to keep her going. She has barely enough money to feed herself, or to pay the rent. The factory where she works begins to lay off people and it isn't long before she has fallen into the hands of the violent local money-lender.
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A glimpse into the past
- By Luci-Lu on 10-27-21
By: Mary Gibson
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The Lindbergh Nanny
- By: Mariah Fredericks
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
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When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny. Betty must find the truth in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves.
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Excellent book and narration
- By Nancy on 01-16-23
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Autumn
- By: Ali Smith
- Narrated by: Melody Grove
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Fusing Keatsian mists and mellow fruitfulness with the vitality, the immediacy, and the color hit of Pop Art, Autumn is a witty excavation of the present by the past. The novel is a stripped-branches take on popular culture and a meditation, in a world growing ever more bordered and exclusive, on what richness and worth are, what harvest means.
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Incredible use of language
- By Mary on 03-06-17
By: Ali Smith
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The Blue Sapphire
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Hilary Neville
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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On a beautiful spring day, Julia Harburn sat on a seat in Kensington Gardens enjoying the sunshine. She was wearing a white frock and a large straw hat with a sapphire-blue ribbon which exactly matched her eyes - a strange coincidence, as it turned out, for the blue sapphire was to have a far-reaching influence upon her life. So far, her life had been somewhat dull and circumscribed; but quite suddenly her horizons were enlarged. She began to make new friends.
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A meandering journey
- By Anonymous User on 07-10-14
By: D. E. Stevenson
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The Best Man to Die
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Who could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be the prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? And Charlie's death was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women. Now Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer....
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Classic who-dunnit
- By Kathi on 02-24-13
By: Ruth Rendell
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The Love Note
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Villa in Italy. Blue lives a charmed life. From her family's townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn't want for anything - well, on the surface at least. Then, on the night of her 21st birthday, her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter's hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas, and, unwilling to play at her father's bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny....
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The Love Note❣️
- By Leslie Gail Mnich on 10-25-20
By: Tracy Rees
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Until It's Over
- By: Nicci French
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
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Astrid Bell has known most of her roommates for years, but while they have a history together - romantic pairings, one-night stands, friendships - each of them also has a past. Astrid is on her way home one day when her neighbor knocks her off her bike. Seeing she is bruised but not broken, her roommates help her home. The next day, they learn that same neighbor was beaten to death hours later. Each of them tells the police what they know and are dismissed - until Astrid stumbles over another body.
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My First Nicci French Novel recommended Goodreads
- By Beverly on 12-18-11
By: Nicci French
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Queen of the Mersey
- By: Maureen Lee
- Narrated by: Maggie Ollerenshaw
- Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins
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Queenie is only 14 and has been deserted by her mother. Set in Liverpool and Wales at the outbreak of World War II, this story explores themes of female friendship and betrayal from the perspective of a group of women of widely different ages.
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Entertaining
- By W on 05-27-08
By: Maureen Lee
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Left me wanting much more ... Poor Diana.
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A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and ALA Notable and Best of the Year in Young Adult Fiction, Howl's Moving Castle is by acclaimed fantasy writer Diane Wynne Jones and was transformed into an Academy Award nominated animated motion picture by Hayao Miyazaki. On a rare venture out from her step-mother's hat shop, Sophie attracts the attention of a witch, who casts a terrible spell transforming the young girl into an old crone.
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Felt like a kid
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The mysterious Stalkers show up at almost the same instant 12-year-old Aiden Cain’s grandmother dies. Following his grandmother’s instructions, Aiden decides to seek out a powerful sorcerer at Melstone House. Yet when he arrives, he discovers the man died a year earlier. Melstone House now belongs to the sorcerer’s adult grandson Andrew, who agrees to help Aiden with the Stalker problem.
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Mr. Chesney operates Pilgrim Parties, a tour group that takes paying participants into an outer realm where the inhabitants play frightening and foreboding roles. The time has come to end the staged madness...but can it really be stopped?
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Cat doesn't mind living in the shadow of his sister, Gwendolen, the most promising young witch ever seen on Coven Street. But trouble starts brewing the moment the two orphans are summoned to live in Chrestomanci Castle. Frustrated that the witches of the castle refuse to acknowledge her talents, Gwendolen conjures up a scheme that could throw whole worlds out of whack.
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A Delightful Read!
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Left me wanting much more ... Poor Diana.
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Half-witch Kiki never runs from a challenge. So when her 13th birthday arrives, she's eager to follow a witch's tradition: choose a new town to call home for one year. Brimming with confidence, Kiki flies to the seaside village of Koriko and expects that her powers will easily bring happiness to the townspeople.
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Note:I'm biased - I knew I loved the book going in
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Cute structure, plot gets increasingly diffuse and silly
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All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy, Pernicia, on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep - a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her....
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New title: Detailed lies.
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Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons, Lord of Light.
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How could a performance be so wrong?
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On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is the Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season", and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric.
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A Kinder, Gentler Demon
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The earthlines speak to Mirasol, but her family has lived in the demesne for centuries, and many of the old families can hear the land. She knows that the violent deaths of the last Master and Chalice have thrown Willowlands into turmoil; but she is only a beekeeper, and the problems of the Circle that govern Willowlands have nothing to do with her - although she wonders what will become of her demesne, because the Master and Chalice left no heirs to carry on their crucial duties.
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Second only to Blue Sword
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Bullied by her classmates, Nita Callahan is miserable at school. So when she finds a mysterious book in the library that promises her the chance to become a wizard, she jumps at the opportunity to escape her unhappy reality. But taking the Wizard's Oath is no easy thing, and Nita soon finds herself paired with fellow wizard-in-training Kit Rodriguez on a dangerous mission.
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Not quite Harry Potter ... better
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Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate...and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws...and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.
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Oh......please listen to this book!
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All Ruby Behl wants for her 17th birthday is a good career path match, and to kiss her best friend and longtime crush, Wesley Fairchild. Unfortunately, the simplicity of teenage wishes evaporated a decade ago when the Tercera virus nearly wiped out the human race. Transmitted through touch, the slightest contact is prohibited in the safe haven community of Port Gibson.
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Adventurous and fun little YA novel
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
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Bad part
- By Edgars Dumins on 05-19-20
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Spinning Silver
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Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty - until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk - grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh - Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered.
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One of my favorite authors. Only 1 small complaint
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What listeners say about Fire and Hemlock
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-15-22
perfection
this book was perfection to me :) I loved everything about it. I read both the story of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer in advance as advised by a prior reviewer.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 07-11-24
FABULOUS!!!
Diana Wynne Jones is a wonderful writer.., just the Best!
I love this book… and listening to it was Fabulous!!!
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- F. Brown
- 01-01-23
I had to work at this one
I didn’t grow up hearing the story of Tam Lin, and so was lost on which myth was being played out in the story. When O figured it out (she gave plenty of hints) I got it at last.
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- Liminal Lumine
- 09-21-24
Hauntingly layered and complex
If you like to look beneath the surface and turn things over and over in your mind, this book will give you excellent material.
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- Anthony Majors
- 11-03-24
A surprise of an ending!
I enjoy the air of mystery throughout this book, like you knew a secret was under the surface but weren't sure where it was going to come out. it makes the twist at the end even better!
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- Sigourney Vandeveer
- 08-11-21
At Last!
I adore Diana Wynne Joned, and I have been eagerly waiting for this particular book. It is fantastic, and I hope they do her Dalemark Quartet next. Wonderfully done!
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4 people found this helpful
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- R. Kinnick
- 12-08-22
Best of DWJ
Story was fascinating. Narrator was excellent. I’m a big fan of Diana Wynne Jones and have listened to several. I think this is her best (so far).
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- justkeepswimming
- 08-31-23
Touching story but for adults
This is a story about a girl whose parents are immature and selfish. Jones writes about her as if she really knows what it is like to be forgotten and neglected. The girl is not helpless but needs help and rescue which she finds in the persons of her grandmother and an adult male friend who needs rescuing himself.
The story has several situations which are only appropriate for and understood by older readers. The story is not explicit, but the implications are solidly there making this book less suitable for children than Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy.
The girls’ mother takes several men in as boarders which she becomes romantically involved with. The girls’ father is a philanderer as are most of the men in this book.
Most of the males in the book are enslaved by their desires, and some are addicts. Some of the men sell their lives to a beautiful woman who promises them all a male wants and more.
The heroine becomes infatuated with an adult male. There is nothing improper in their relationship, but the the male knows she is infatuated with him and still encourages her friendship for his own ends (which are not sexual).
This relationship is still enough to make the reader uncomfortable. Jones deals with this moral conflict by breaking the relationship until the girl grows old enough for a proper handling of her infatuation with the male and his growing feelings for her. There is a lot implied here but never elaborated on.
I am a Christian mother of seven so in light of the things I have said, one might think I did not like the book as I have described it above. I actually loved the book because it was not explicit nor was it preachy. Jones does a good job of letting the reader know what is going on without making that the most important part of the story. She lets us feel the effect of the problems people have without detailing the experience to make it gratuitous. And Jones writes so beautifully of how the little girl feels that I was moved to tears many times. I especially appreciate that Jones doesn’t let the reader feel that there is no hope.
If there is something I am uncomfortable with, it is the overly precocious way the girl acts in general as well as towards the older male protagonist. Jones does deal with this properly, I think, but it was a bit of a stretch to see the good in the relationship without feeling uncomfortable. The girl also uses magic which seems more like what I hear real occult practices are. This also made me more uncomfortable.
I think the book is worth the listen or read. It is performed extremely well by the reader here. This is one of Jones’s most poignant works, but readers should know it is more for adults than children.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tori
- 08-23-22
An old favorite
Great narration for a story I always love to go back to. I love the author and it's great to start getting her stories as audiobooks. The cover is a huge improvement from my old paperback copy too.
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- Leo C.
- 04-14-23
You’ll read it over and over
One of the best novels by DWJ! The twist and turns, and seemingly normal events would eventually make you want to read/re-listen again and again to get the clues! Enchanting story!
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