Sex is Forbidden
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Suzanne Heathcote
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By:
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Tim Parks
About this listen
Sex is forbidden at the Dasgupta Institute, the Buddhist retreat where Beth Marriot has taken refuge, and that's a big advantage. Beth has been working as a server, assisting in the kitchen and helping out - discreetly, so the meditators aren't disturbed. The meditators are making big sacrifices to come here and change their lives. So the servers must observe the rules, and silence and separation of the sexes are chief among them.
But Beth is fighting demons. She came here at a crossroads in her life, caught between an older lover who wouldn't choose her and a young one who wants to marry her, and she may have caused another man's death when she risked her own life swimming out to sea in a gale. A singer in a band, vital and impulsive, fleshy and sexy, she has been a rebel and a provocateur. And now, conflicted and wandering, she stumbles on a diary in the men's dorm and cannot keep away from it, or the man who wrote it. At the same time, desiring - all too hard - to achieve the inner peace that Buddhist practice promises, she yearns for the example set by the slim, silent, white-clad teacher Mi Nu, and maybe yearns for something more.
Comic and poignant at the same time, swiftly paced and completely engaging, Sex Is Forbidden is an entertaining novel about two profoundly different attitudes to life, and Beth - our narrator - is a character to be savored.
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Beth Marriot, a rebellious, sexy singer, is at an in-between moment in her life: in between two men, specifically, one older, and one younger. Which is why she takes some time away for herself in a serving job at the Dasgupta Institute, a serene Buddhist retreat where sex is strictly forbidden. But somehow, Beth finds temptation in a man's revealing diary, and ends up having to choose between physical fulfillment - and inner peace. Suzanne Heathcote's saucy vocal performance adds some vital sizzle, making this fun, entertaining story a provocative listen.
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Real estate mogul Sean Jackson is throwing himself a splashy 50th birthday party, but trouble starts almost immediately: His ex-wife has sent his teenage daughters to the party without telling him; his current wife has fired the nanny; and he's finding it difficult to sneak away to his mistress. Then something truly terrible happens: one of his three-year-old twins goes missing. No trace of her is ever found. The attendees of the party, nicknamed the Jackson Associates by the press, become infamous overnight.
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Wow
- By Christina on 09-14-16
By: Alex Marwood
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High Dive
- By: Jonathan Lee
- Narrated by: Doyle Gerard
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Taking us inside one of the 20th century's most ambitious assassination attempts - "making history personal", as one character puts it - High Dive moves between the luxurious hospitality of a British tourist town and the troubled city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the height of the armed struggle between the Irish Republican Army and those loyal to the UK government.
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Humor? Not Funny.
- By W Perry Hall on 04-10-16
By: Jonathan Lee
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Evergreen Falls
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Vuletic
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A long-forgotten secret, a scandalous attraction and a place where two women's lives are changed forever. 1926: Violet Armstrong is one of the few remaining members of staff working at the grand Evergreen Spa Hotel as it closes down over winter. Only a handful of guests are left, including the heir to a rich grazing family, his sister and her suave suitor. When a snowstorm moves in, the hotel is cut off and they are all trapped. No-one could have predicted what would unfold.
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Soooo Boring
- By Merford on 10-09-19
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Some Kind of Fairy Tale
- A Novel
- By: Graham Joyce
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty years ago, 16-year-old Tara Martin disappeared from a small town in the heart of England. Now, her sudden return and the mind-bending tale of where she’s been will challenge our very perception of the truth. For 20 years after Tara Martin disappeared, her parents and her brother, Peter, lived in denial of the grim fact that she was gone for good. Then suddenly on Christmas Day, the doorbell rings at her parents’ home, and there, dishevelled and slightly peculiar looking, Tara stands. It’s a miracle, but alarm bells are ringing for Peter. Tara’s story just does not add up.
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Extremely Well Done
- By Amanda on 07-11-12
By: Graham Joyce
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The Stopped Heart
- A Novel
- By: Julie Myerson
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Lucinda Clare
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Mary Coles and her husband, Graham, have just moved to a cottage on the edge of a small village. The house hasn't been lived in for years, but they are drawn to its original features and surprisingly large garden, which stretches down into a beautiful apple orchard. It's idyllic, remote, picturesque: exactly what they need to put the horror of the past behind them.
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Not What I expected.
- By Heather on 04-26-16
By: Julie Myerson
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The Brightest Star in the Sky
- A Novel
- By: Marian Keyes
- Narrated by: Caitriona Keyes
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The Brightest Star in the Sky follows seven neighbors whose lives become entangled when a sassy and prescient spirit pays a visit to their Dublin townhouse with the intent of changing at least one of their lives. But what will this metamorphosis be and who will the sprite choose?
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Terrible sound quality, worse narration
- By Jan on 02-23-10
By: Marian Keyes
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Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections)
- By: Edited by David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Mary-Louise Parker, Cherry Jones
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules is a collection of short stories, some classic, others impending, selected and introduced by David Sedaris.
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Great stories but only 5 of 17 are included
- By Terri Kirk on 07-13-12
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London Fields
- By: Martin Amis
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 21 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The murderee is Nicola Six, a "black hole" of sex and self-loathing who is intent on orchestrating her own extinction. The murderer may be Keith Talent, a violent lowlife whose only passions are pornography and darts; or the rich, honorable, and dimly romantic Guy Clinch. As Nicola leads her suitors towards the precipice, London--and, indeed, the whole world--seems to shamble after them in a corrosively funny novel of complexity and morality.
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Big chewy novel, excellent narration
- By Sand on 08-21-14
By: Martin Amis
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After the Party
- By: Lisa Jewell
- Narrated by: Helen Duff
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this irresistible novel from the author of Then She Was Gone, Jem and Ralph discover the power of starting over after 11 years together have left them drifting apart.
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Bitter, Anti-Christian Stereotyping Detracts.
- By Gretchen on 11-23-18
By: Lisa Jewell
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Obsession
- By: Amanda Robson
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine, Helen Keeley, Thomas Judd, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Carly and Rob, Jenni and Craig. Two couples, four friends. Betraying each other. Wanting each other. All of them have access to prescription drugs through the medical practice where they work, and all of them are fighting their own demons. But can any of them be trusted? And when the lies begin, can they ever be silenced?
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Your old time religion
- By patricia williams on 01-23-18
By: Amanda Robson
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Secret Smile
- By: Nicci French
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Miranda's sister Kerri has a new boyfriend. He's a handsome charmer who seems to dote on Kerri. But Brendan isn't the man he says he is. Miranda should know. She broke off her own affair with him just a few weeks ago when she found him reading her diary.
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I want my 9 hours back
- By Ashley on 07-19-23
By: Nicci French
What listeners say about Sex is Forbidden
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D. A. Vail
- 07-04-14
A journey in noble silence
Would you consider the audio edition of Sex is Forbidden to be better than the print version?
I haven't read the print version
What did you like best about this story?
It's an accurate portrayal of the experience of noble silence. The protagonist (the book is in the first person) has been on retreat longer than I ever have, and she's more neurotic than I, but her flights of fancy and experiences confronting the fetters and hindrances are all told faithfully, exactly the way they happen. The particulars are different, but they are exactly the way they happen. It's really well-told!
What does Suzanne Heathcote bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I haven't read the book, so it's hard to say, but she is very strong at portraying the internal world of a yogi/retreatant. She understands the whimsy and the humor and the desperation that are equal parts of the process of confronting the self and the mind when you're observing noble silence. It's a thoroughly convincing performance.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It would have been a very long sitting, but I did enjoy coming back to it at every opportunity.
Any additional comments?
All around fine performance and strong story. The ending was disappointing for me, but the rest of it made up for it. If you've ever wondered what it was like to be on meditation retreat, this is the experience. Hopefully you're not as neurotic as the protagonist, but that shouldn't change the fact that this is what retreat is like. Well done!
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- John Crockett
- 01-26-20
A Review of Sex is Forbidden
It's an excellent example of first person writing. I enjoyed the meaningful and adventurously descriptive language.
The narration is excellent.
The plot is complicated being at times drawn out and difficult to follow. Much has to do with psychology. The main character's mood is reinforced by redundant repetition which at times is a little boring. The writing is somewhat dry and ironic which is typical for British.
Overall I enjoyed the book and presentation.
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- Valley League Dad
- 12-09-20
A Wild Ride
Amazing stream of consciousness story in a unique setting. The narrator leads the reader through her most twisted thoughts even as she tries to get her head together serving in a Buddhist retreat center. Her demons chase her relentlessly throughout this gripping story. I really enjoyed it, obviously a labor of love for the author.
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