Red Island House
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Bahni Turpin
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By:
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Andrea Lee
About this listen
From National Book Award-nominated writer Andrea Lee comes Red Island House, a travel epic that opens a window on the mysterious African island of Madagascar, and on the dangers of life and love in paradise, as seen through the eyes of a Black American heroine.
“People do mysterious things when they think they have found paradise,” reflects Shay, the heroine of Red Island House. When Shay, an intrepid Black American professor, marries Senna, a brash Italian businessman, she doesn’t imagine that her life’s greatest adventure will carry her far beyond their home in Milan: to an idyllic stretch of beach in Madagascar where Senna builds a flamboyant vacation villa. Before she knows it, she becomes the reluctant mistress of a sprawling household, caught between her privileged American upbringing and her connection to the continent of her ancestors. So begins Shay’s journey into the heart of a remote African country. Can she keep her identity and her marriage intact amid the wild beauty and the lingering colonial sins of this mysterious world that both captivates and destroys foreigners?
A mesmerizing, powerful tale of travel and self-discovery that evokes Isabella Allende’s House of the Spirits and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s Americanah, Red Island House showcases an extraordinary literary voice and gorgeously depicts a lush and unknown world.
©2021 Andrea N. Lee. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Save Me the Waltz
- By: Zelda Fitzgerald
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Save Me the Waltz is the first and only novel by the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. During the years when Fitzgerald was working on Tender Is the Night, Zelda Fitzgerald was preparing her own story, which parallels the narrative of her husband, throwing a fascinating light on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life and work. In its own right, it is a vivid and moving story: the confessions of a famous, slightly doomed glamour girl of the affluent 1920s, which captures the spirit of an era.
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Audio is a great platform for Zelda's writing--
- By Renee LaBonte-Jones on 10-30-16
By: Zelda Fitzgerald
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Exile and the Kingdom
- By: Albert Camus
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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From a variety of masterfully rendered perspectives, these six stories depict people at painful odds with the world around them. A wife can only surrender to a desert night by betraying her husband. An artist struggles to honor his own aspirations as well as society's expectations of him. A missionary brutally converted to the worship of a tribal fetish is left with but an echo of his identity. Whether set in North Africa, Paris, or Brazil, the stories in Exile and the Kingdom are probing portraits of spiritual exile, and man's perpetual search for an inner kingdom.
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So good!
- By Christopher A. Douglas on 10-24-24
By: Albert Camus
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Fletch: Booktrack Edition
- The Fletch Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Gregory Mcdonald
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Fletch, investigative reporter extraordinaire, can’t be bothered with deadlines or expense-account budgets when it comes to getting his story. Working undercover at the beach to dig up a drug-trafficking scheme for his next blockbuster piece, Fletch is invited into a much deeper narrative. Alan Stanwyk, CEO of Collins Aviation and all-around family man, mistakes the reporter for a strung-out vagabond and asks him for a favor: kill him and escape to Brazil with $50,000.
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Great plot, fun characters
- By Anonymous User on 10-26-24
By: Gregory Mcdonald
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Death in Venice
- By: Thomas Mann
- Narrated by: Peter Batchelor
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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A stunningly beautiful youth and the city of Venice set the stage for Thomas Mann’s introspective examination of erotic love and philosophical wisdom.
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A problem with the narration
- By Erez on 03-19-12
By: Thomas Mann
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The Wapshot Chronicle
- By: John Cheever
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Based in part on Cheever's adolescence in New England, the novel follows the destinies of the impecunious and wildly eccentric Wapshots of St. Botolphs, a quintessential Massachusetts fishing village. Here are the stories of Captain Leander Wapshot, venerable sea dog and would-be suicide; of his licentious older son, Moses; and of Moses' adoring and errant younger brother, Coverly.
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Beautiful 1950s Great Expectations-like Novel
- By Darwin8u on 05-31-13
By: John Cheever
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Brodmaw Bay
- By: F.G. Cottam
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Brodmaw Bay seems to be the perfect refuge for James Greer and his family. When his son is the victim of a brutal mugging, Greer wants to leave London - the sooner the better - for the charming old-fashioned fishing port he has just discovered. But was finding Brodmaw Bay more than a happy accident? What is the connection between the village and his beautiful wife? When his friendly new neighbours say they'd welcome some new blood - in a village where the same families seem to have lived for generations - are they telling the whole truth?
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Not Quite The Equal Of Its Promise
- By Flavius Krakdaddius on 08-23-12
By: F.G. Cottam
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The Other Madisons
- The Lost History of a President's Black Family
- By: Bettye Kearse
- Narrated by: Karen Chilton
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Other Madisons, Bettye Kearse - a descendant of a slave named Coreen and, according to oral tradition, President James Madison - finally shares her family story, exploring legacy, race, and the powerful consequences of telling the whole truth.
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Enlightening
- By D C on 08-24-20
By: Bettye Kearse
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Virgins of Paradise
- By: Barbara Wood
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Jasmine and Camelia Rasheed grow to womanhood under the watchful eye of their grandmother inside the walls surrounding a beautiful house on Virgins of Paradise Street in exotic Cairo. They come of age in society in which the subjugation of women is assumed - they must wear veils, are forbidden to leave the house, have no independent rights, and are circumcised to ensure purity and obedience.
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eye opening
- By C Ohana on 11-13-08
By: Barbara Wood
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Under the Wave at Waimea
- By: Paul Theroux
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Now in his sixties, big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and is losing his “stoke.” The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark, but his sponsors are looking elsewhere. One night, while driving home from a bar after one too many, Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea, a tragedy that sends his life out of control. As the repercussions of the accident spiral ever wider, Joe's devoted girlfriend, Olive, throws herself into uncovering the dead man’s identity and helping Joe find vitality and refuge in the waves again.
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Really enjoyable and surprising novel.
- By kristina on 05-04-21
By: Paul Theroux
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Daughter of Fortune
- By: Isabel Allende
- Narrated by: Blair Brown, Isabel Allende
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-intentioned Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans of every stripe have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquín takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him.
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An adventure to the California Gold Fields of 1849
- By Jean on 07-20-20
By: Isabel Allende
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The Parisian
- By: Isabella Hammad
- Narrated by: Fiona Button
- Length: 20 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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A masterful debut novel by Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, The Parisian illuminates a pivotal period of Palestinian history through the journey and romances of one young man, from his studies in France during World War I to his return to Palestine at the dawn of its battle for independence.
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Overly ambitious
- By Placeholder on 06-16-19
By: Isabella Hammad
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The Belly of Paris
- By: Émile Zola, Ernest Alfred Vizetelly - translator
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Although it is little known in this country, The Belly of Paris is considered one of Émile Zola’s best novels. Set in the newly built food markets of Paris, it is a story of wealth and poverty set against a sumptuous banquet of food and commerce. Having just escaped from prison after being wrongfully accused, young Florent arrives at Paris’ food market, Les Halles, half starved, surrounded by all he can’t have, and indignant at his world, which he now knows to be unjust. He finds that the city’s working classes have been displaced to make way for bigger streets and bourgeois living quarters, so he settles in with his brother’s family.
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Not keen on Davidson’s voice
- By Jeff Lacy on 05-08-21
By: Émile Zola, and others
What listeners say about Red Island House
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- cdo
- 08-08-21
Great Writer. Three Different Cultures
This is a long tale, but through the detailed descriptions of Madagascar, I was able to imagine the far away place and culture. It’s very well written., with a perfect narrator. There are several separate storylines involving characters and languages I have never thought of. These stories are told through the eyes of the main character, Shay. Good read.!
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- LaLozia
- 09-17-24
Good Company Keeper
I enjoyed the storyline, performance and how the story ended. I was able to paint vivid pictures of Madagascar at times when she was giving descriptions. I appreciated that sometimes Shay paused and thought about the situation before responding. I also was appreciative of how she had the tendency to check herself and the situation, making her an open minded individual in my eyesight. The only distraction I encountered was when the reader spoke other languages without providing an interpretation of what was said.
Thanks!
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- Vickilynne
- 07-31-21
a different view
what a wonderful poignant perspective on international as well as cultural and ethnic practices. these do have an effect on individuals.
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1 person found this helpful
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- OwlLover
- 09-13-21
Too repetitive
I wanted to like it more than I did. The first section was quite enjoyable, and I wish it had stayed in that timeline. I did not like the repetition of information or understand the purpose of revisiting and restating.
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1 person found this helpful
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- carol Davydova
- 04-27-21
Triumphant
An important work, weaving in... origin story experiences in global cultures. I feel Neritrani has its roots in my own Bay Area soil.
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20 people found this helpful
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- Dorothy
- 05-16-22
Brilliant, unique and fascinating book!
Great story, interesting characters, beautifully written and really captivating. I just loved this book and recommend for anyone who likes quality in their fiction.
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- kat
- 04-04-21
Good
It was good. It lacked a bit of depth story wise but deep in the way of meaning. It jumped around alot and never came full circle until the end, a bit like life. Great narrating and a bit heart breaking.
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27 people found this helpful
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- Deb on the Hudson
- 08-20-21
Interesting story from an unusual voice
I have never been to Madagascar, but I have, in decades past, visited various Caribbean islands. I would often wonder about the lives of the people who lived there, how different they were from us privileged travelers who stayed in luxurious resorts. It’s interesting to hear this unique voice, of a woman with feet in different cultures, continents and histories. It made me think about the lives of these others, and of the place that outsiders occupy in their lives. A very interesting, complex, and graceful telling of lives that straddle cultures and continents. And the ending was especially graceful and poignant. I would highly recommend this book, and the telling was done very well by the narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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- just asking for some common sense
- 09-04-21
Good book, great narration
I was excited to listen to this book even though some of the reviews were pretty bad. I don't read a lot of reviews, but I figure the star rating when I'm going to listen to something. One of my main issues with the book is that it didn't seem to know whether to be a series of stories or one main story. It has the feeling of some novels that were published in serial form. At times it seems like the author wanted to write an epic novel, but was afraid to tackle such a task. Instead it has redundancies which is weird in a book of this modest length.
The main character is Shay, a Black American living in Italy who married Senna, an Italian man quite a bit older than her. He decides to build a vacation house in Madagascar - that is the Red Island House. Much of the book takes place there and we are introduced to a variety of local, European, and American characters. They have 2 children, but I feel as if they are a writing afterthought. I want to know them better as children. I won't say more about the plot because I hate spoilers.
The actual writing of the book is better than the story. Some of it is absolutely beautiful. At times I feel transported to the island. It does feel like it is aimed at women. I'm trying to avoid the term "chick-lit" but has anyone come up with a less condescending term? That does describe this, although it has an exotic setting.
The brightest aspect for me is the narration by Bahni Turpin: she is one of my favorite narrators! All in all I'm happy to have listened to this book. I might consider other works by this author in the future, but right now I need something different!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kathy Nichols
- 04-10-22
interesting vs engaging
The texture and feel of this book is different from most listens - it's like listening from the outside rather than the inside. It's like being told a story from far away. It is interesting, but didn't keep my attention enough to listen all the way through. I listened to it a little each day and then on to other books that made me feel more inside the story. I assume it's the way the book was written because I've loved this narrator in other books. And the accents sound great to me, not that I'm very discerning. The story is told through the eyes of Shey, the matriarch, but I never felt like I knew her. The language is beautiful and its a saga that unfolds over the life of a marriage, centered around their vacation home on the Island in Madagascar. The story is really about the island and how it affects people; the people who come to visit (including outsiders who live there) and the natives who where born there. It's an interesting portrait of a time and place and how it evolves during the formative years of their marriage. The island is magical and mystical, but again this is all experienced from a distance, like someone is telling a story at a campfire. It's a good story, told largely as a series of anecdotes, just not one that pulls you inside the story so that you experience it too.
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1 person found this helpful