Magic for Beginners
Stories
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By:
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Kelly Link
About this listen
Perfect for fans of George Saunders, Karen Russell, Neil Gaiman, and Aimee Bender, Magic for Beginners is an exquisite, dreamlike dispatch from a virtuoso storyteller who can do seemingly anything. Kelly Link reconstructs modern life through an intoxicating prism, conjuring up unforgettable worlds with humor and humanity. These stories are at once ingenious and deeply moving. They leave the listener astonished and exhilarated.
Includes an exclusive conversation between Kelly Link and Joe Hill
Read by Mark Bramhall, Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell, Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Rebecca Lowman, Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver, and Meera Simhan
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1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life - someone who will help her to heal....
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worst protagonist ever
- By Danica on 12-19-14
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The Singing Bone
- By: Beth Hahn
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice and her three closest friends meet the enigmatic Jack Wyck. Enticed by his philosophy and the promise of a constant party, Alice and her friends join Mr. Wyck's small group of devoted followers. Their idyll takes an increasingly sinister turn. Mr. Wyck's grand scheme goes wrong, culminating in a night of horrific murders.
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Mixed feelings - you may love it - or not!
- By C. Vincent on 04-19-16
By: Beth Hahn
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Shadow Show
- All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury
- By: Sam Weller - editor, Mort Castle - editor
- Narrated by: George Takei, Edward Herrmann, Kate Mulgrew, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Ray Bradbury - peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors - is a literary giant whose remarkable career spanned seven decades. Now 26 of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.
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THE MAN WHO FORGOT RAY BRADBURY
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 05-27-17
By: Sam Weller - editor, and others
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Chanel Bonfire
- By: Wendy Lawless
- Narrated by: Wendy Lawless
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time Wendy Lawless turned 17, she'd known for quite some time that she didn't have a normal mother. But that didn't stop her from wanting one.... Georgann Rea didn't bake cookies or go to PTA meetings; she wore a mink coat and always had a lit Dunhill plugged into her cigarette holder. She went through men like Kleenex, and didn't like dogs or children. Georgann had the ice queen beauty of a Hitchcock heroine and the cold heart to match.
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Not an Engaging Listen
- By Sobriquet on 03-13-13
By: Wendy Lawless
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She's Come Undone
- By: Wally Lamb
- Narrated by: Linda Stephens
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet Dolores Price. She's 13, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly-up.
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Really disappointing narrator!
- By Jessica Williams on 01-21-12
By: Wally Lamb
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The Magician's Assistant
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Karen Ziemba
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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When a gay Los Angeles magician named Parsifal dies suddenly, he leaves behind his heartbroken assistant, Sabine, and a secret past that leads her to Nebraska and a father she never knew he had.
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Patchett Has It
- By Pamela Harvey on 06-10-08
By: Ann Patchett
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Orange Mint and Honey
- By: Carleen Brice
- Narrated by: Cherise Booth
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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After grad school, Shay Dixon feels like she's had enough for awhile. Inspired by her spiritual adviser - a soul-soothing blues player named Nina Simon - Shay calls her estranged mother Nona for the first time in years, and shocks herself by asking if it would be okay to come home for a while.
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One For The Money
- By DiaRose on 09-25-17
By: Carleen Brice
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The Pull of the Moon
- By: Elizabeth Berg
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Berg
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In the middle of her life, Nan decides to leave her husband at home and begin an impromptu trek across the country, carrying with her a turquoise leather journal she intends to fill. The Pull of the Moon is a novel about a woman coming to terms with issues of importance to all women. In her journal, Nan addresses the thorniness - and the allure - of marriage, the sweet ties to children, and the gifts and lessons that come from random encounters.
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For women over 50
- By Laura on 07-07-15
By: Elizabeth Berg
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The Land of Forgotten Girls
- By: Erin Entrada Kelly
- Narrated by: LuLu Lam
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Two sisters from the Philippines, abandoned by their father and living with their stepmother in Louisiana, fight to make their lives better in this remarkable story for listeners of Cynthia Kadohata and Rita Williams-Garcia, and for anyone searching for the true meaning of family.
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beautiful
- By Marion on 11-10-20
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A Girl Named Zippy
- Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana
- By: Haven Kimmel
- Narrated by: Haven Kimmel
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965, Mooreland, Indiana, was a sleepy little hamlet of 300 people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was possessed of big eyes and even bigger ears. In this witty and lovingly told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent postwar period - people helped their neighbors, went to church on Sunday, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.
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Beautifully written, beautifully read.
- By shopgirl on 03-06-08
By: Haven Kimmel
What listeners say about Magic for Beginners
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-15-24
Boring
Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boringBoring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boringBoring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boringBoring boring Boring boring boring boring boring Boring boring Boring boring boring boring boring need seven unique words here is eight
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- Shawn Deggans
- 09-14-15
Not really for me
There's no doubt that Kelly Link is a talented writer and surrealist. These stories are engaging, well-written, full of interesting characters, and interesting takes on literary structure, but most of them just didn't work for me. I really prefer more grounded fantasy. I also felt no emotional engagement with these works, other than a great deal of impatience.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Darrin
- 07-17-22
i was Intrigued ... But
Within 30 minutes of each story I sampled, I moved on. After two hours of searching, I stopped ...
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- Ricard Raventos
- 08-26-23
Two good and many very bad stories put together
It took some masochism to go trough many of the stories. Many are somewhat surreal but also awkward, hard to digest and I think they do not work well at all despite the effort of Link. I recommend you skip them completely. But I was touched by the writing of both 'Magic for beginners' and 'Stone Animals' and to a certain degree 'The Faery Handbag'. The characters felt very alive and real. In these stories the 'magic' is in the writing by Link rather than the topic treated in the stories themselves
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- Teddy
- 08-16-15
Where's the magic?
What would have made Magic for Beginners better?
The title suggests that the stories are packed with magical realism but many are ordinary people doing very ordinary things, really kind of dull.
What could Kelly Link have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
There needs to be few more plot twists. I get this is a style, very New Yorker, but I was misled by the title thinking this was something else.
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2 people found this helpful
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- K. Smith
- 02-17-22
Magical Realism
This was a really unique read. Link blends together magical, sci-fi, and horror elements into stories about everyday people with relationships and problems and jobs. You’ll be reading about a guy working at a convenience store and then suddenly there will be zombies and no one will bat an eye. Each story is unique, intriguing, and vivid. If you’re okay not understanding everything, then this is an excellent read.
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- Tytania891
- 09-29-15
Haunting and Original
Loved these quirky, original short stories. They have a creepy undercurrent and a touch of magical realism. If you like writers like Neil Gaiman and Angela Slatter, you'll probably like Kelly Link.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Stephanie Carroll
- 11-06-17
awesome
Kelly Link never fails to wow me. I'm always loving and learning from her work.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Timothy I Ralston
- 09-22-22
like a twitter feed
inane non sequitur stitched into prose, delivered in grocery list voices incongruous to the characters' whiny emotions
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- some pig
- 07-02-18
not recommended.
Not one of the stories we worth the time. All started out fine, and had my interest. I can't say they took weird turns, but they were just plain weird.
None had any conclusions, they ended and left you with a big WTH.
Don't waist your time ( like I did).
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2 people found this helpful