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Pavilion of Women
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
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Publisher's summary
On her 40th birthday, Madame Wu carries out a decision she has been planning for a long time: she tells her husband that after 24 years their physical life together is now over and she wishes him to take a second wife. The House of Wu, one of the oldest and most revered in China, is thrown into an uproar by her decision, but Madame Wu will not be dissuaded and arranges for a young country girl to come take her place in bed.
Elegant and detached, Madame Wu orchestrates this change as she manages everything in the extended household of more than sixty relatives and servants. Alone in her own quarters, she relishes her freedom and reads books she has never been allowed to touch. When her son begins English lessons, she listens, and is soon learning from the "foreigner," a free-thinking priest named Brother Andre, who will change her life.
Pavilion of Women is a thought-provoking combination of Old China, unorthodox Christianity, and liberation, written by Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel Prize winner born and raised in China. Few stories raise so many questions about the nature and roles of men and women, about self-discipline and happiness. At the center is the amazing Madame Wu - brilliant, beautiful, full of contradictions and authority.
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- By Tad Davis on 06-17-11
By: Leo Tolstoy
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Merivel
- A Man of His Time
- By: Rose Tremain
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honorable future. But back home, his loyalty and medical skill are about to be tested to the limit, while the captive bear he has brought back from France begins to cause havoc.
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On Foolishness and Mortality
- By Ilana on 12-27-14
By: Rose Tremain
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Death Comes as the End
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Emilia Fox
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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It is Egypt in 2000 BC, where death gives meaning to life. At the foot of a cliff lies the broken, twisted body of Nofret, concubine to a ka-priest. Young, beautiful, and venomous, most agree that it was fate - she deserved to die like a snake! But at her father's house on the banks of the Nile, the priest's daughter Renisenb believes that the woman's death is suspicious. Increasingly, she becomes convinced that the source of evil lurks within their household - and watches helplessly as the family's passions explode in murder.
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Just listen to this. Yesterday.
- By Jesse on 12-02-20
By: Agatha Christie
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Christmas Stories
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Charles Dickens was a major contributor to the romantic revival of Christmas traditions that occurred in the Victorian era. With their heart, humor and good morals, Dickens' Christmas stories have made the author's name synonymous with the season. Here we present four charming novellas to complete his series that began with "A Christmas Carol", with echoes of sleigh bells throughout. The stories include "The Chimes", "The Cricket on the Hearth", "The Battle of Life", and "The Haunted Man" - the perfect companion for the yearly celebrations.
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Delightful
- By Tad Davis on 08-22-16
By: Charles Dickens
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Women of the Silk
- A Novel
- By: Gail Tsukiyama
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In Women of the Silk, Gail Tsukiyama takes listeners back to rural China in 1926, where a group of women forge a sisterhood amid the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own.
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Another beautiful historical fiction!
- By T. Hoyt on 09-28-24
By: Gail Tsukiyama
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Buddenbrooks
- The Decline of a Family
- By: Thomas Mann
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1900, when Thomas Mann was 25, Buddenbrooks is a minutely imagined chronicle of four generations of a North German mercantile family - a work so true to life that it scandalized the author’s former neighbours in his native Lübeck.
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Where Have You Been All My Life, Thomas Mann?
- By Virginia Waldron on 03-30-17
By: Thomas Mann
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The Short Stories of Anton Chekhov, Volume 1
- By: Anton Chekhov
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, (1860-1904), was born in Russia at Taganrog on the Sea of Azov. His name has become synonymous with a certain literary style much admired and widely copied since his death. Typically, a Chekhov story is a "mood", a state of mind, usually with regard to relations between one person and another. Under the influence of the constant, infinitesimal, and unforeseen pinpricks of life, there occurs a gradual transformation of that state of mind.
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A Box of Chocolates
- By Darlene on 02-08-05
By: Anton Chekhov
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A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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A Signature Performance: Tim Curry rescues Charles Dickens from the jaws of Disney with his one-of-a-kind performance of the treasured classic. Our listeners loved this version so much that it inspired our whole line of Signature Classics.
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Wonderful!!!
- By Alia on 12-11-09
By: Charles Dickens
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The Town House
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Juliet Prague, Martyn Read
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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"It was in the first week of October in the year 1391 that I first came face to face with the man who owned me… the man whose lightest word was to us, his villeins, weightier than the King’s law or the edicts of our Holy Father…” So began the story of Martin Reed - a serf whose resentment of the automatic rule of his feudal lord finally flared into open defiance.
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Another winner by Norah Lofts
- By Bird Lady 147 on 10-03-17
By: Norah Lofts
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Old New York
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Spanning four decades in the mid-19th century, the interconnected novellas of Old New York lay out in vivid detail the complex and inscrutable codes, customs, and taboos of New York society in classic Wharton style.
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narration
- By Alissa on 01-31-23
By: Edith Wharton
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Three Souls
- A Novel
- By: Janie Chang
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this.... So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls - stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun - who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.
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Very different but compelling point of view.
- By Kevin Wickline on 06-08-23
By: Janie Chang
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What listeners say about Pavilion of Women
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- vida
- 11-30-18
Excellent! I discover a new perspective every time
What an insightful writer. A timeless period piece. Loved every word. I have read all of her books.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amanda
- 10-30-15
lovely story
l liked the story but not the narrator. most of the charatures were women and I did,nt feel that he embraced their differences, also he dragged in tempo.
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5 people found this helpful
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- JBandFam
- 08-07-21
Sublime! Ageless!
Pearl S Buck was a master of the narrative and this book simply will not age. It’s themes are eternal. Yet, so easy to love and enjoy.
I also Loved the performance of this audio book!
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- Heather
- 04-18-20
Not my favorite book by this author.
Narrator fit the main character which maybe was the problem. The writing just didnt have the same spark as the trilogy he wrote before. The main character wasnt really likeable and had very little feeling about much she just was. That being said I still liked and finished the book. I just wish the main character had more dimensions.
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- Victoria Evangelina
- 05-16-17
Love Immortal
An excellent book, worthy of reading and listening to! The depth of writing and the immortality of morals make it a serious study of the human nature.
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2 people found this helpful
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- DDC
- 12-14-16
Masterfully written
Exceptional narration of a strong story line that informs the reader of life and culture in turn of the century China. Characters are well developed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer. Amazon Customer
- 03-28-21
A thinkers book.
The novel is quite lovely in its concepts and is wonderfully written.
The story, while somewhat slow moving for a twenty-first century audience is, nevertheless, captivating for readers looking for something to ponder. The two most salient questions that many of us ask ourselves are: Is there life after death? And what is love? These complex questions are discussed through the actions, dialogue, and thoughts of the main character in the story. one of the main characters , if not the main character, is Madam Wu. The reader sees the change in thought through her actions, and discussions with her husband and three son along with their wives .
But I would argue the protagonist is actually Brother Andrew, the foreign priest that comes to the gate of the Wu residents as an applicant to teach the Wu's youngest son. At the very least he holds the place of the second most important character since he is the instrument that puts into motion those thoughts which calls into question some of the old, traditions of centuries past.
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- Sonya
- 11-06-23
A Book for Thoughtful People
I’ve read everything I can get my hands on by Pearl Buck, and this is my favorite. The philosophical lessons about human nature, love, and family are profound, and I learn something new each time I listen. I feel myself learning right along with Madam Wu.
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- Debra Bartholomew
- 08-30-24
the love found
the description of the characters were perfect. I liked the explanation of their culture. very interesting
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- Taormina60
- 10-08-13
Not as good as expected
Interesting insight into the rural high class pre-revolution China, both in their every day lives and their strict cultural structure.
Started confusing but engaging, getting to know the different characters and personalities.
Madame Wu started as a wise, kind head of the household, only to turn into an overly exaggerated fountain of goodness and wisdom. Could not understand the origin of such deep love for Andre, considering the limited time the novel puts them together. Andre is another over the top wise and generous soul. Her constant thoughts of him ended up boring me and couldn't wait for the book to end.
The narration was fine, but I might have enjoyed it more narrated by a woman.
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4 people found this helpful