The Last Camellia Audiobook By Sarah Jio cover art

The Last Camellia

A Novel

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The Last Camellia

By: Sarah Jio
Narrated by: Justine Eyre
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On the eve of the Second World War, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes. More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?©2013 Sarah Jio (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc. Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Feel-Good

Critic reviews

“Terrific . . . compelling . . . an intoxicating blend of mystery, history, and romance, this book is hard to put down.” ( Real Simple)

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Engaging Mystery • Well-constructed Plot • Exceptional Performance • Believable Characters • Surprising Twists
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I have to admit that I know next to nothing about flowers and gardening. For that very reason, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this book which mystery surrounds a rare Camellia. I actually looked up camellia photos on line to help me prepare for the story. Let me tell you... this was a great dual time line story. The suspense was intense in both the modern tale and the historical story. I thought the character development was superb. Whether you know flowers or not, mystery fans will love this book. I remain a fan of Ms. Jio!!
The performance by Justine Eyre was pleasant and she kept each character sounding individual - which I find amazing!

Beautiful Dual Time-Line Fiction

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What a great escape. It had a little bit of romance but more important to me historical value and deep development of characters and their relationships between siblings and coworkers. looking forward to more of her books.

wonderful historical novel

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good story but the narrator sounds like she is whining when doing the main character voice

good story but bad narrator

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The woman reading Addison and Flores was very good except for the tone home for voice makes the characters sound whiny

Wonderful book and storyline really suspenseful.

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Where does The Last Camellia rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have removed the gory descriptions of the violence and added more information about camelias and botony.

Which character – as performed by Justine Eyre – was your favorite?

Flora

Who was the most memorable character of The Last Camellia and why?

Flora was the most memorable character because she was so human - she was a good, kind person placed in a difficult situation and tempted to do something she wouldn't normally consider because of her desire to protect those she loved.

Any additional comments?

The gory descriptions of the violence overshadowed what would have been a perfect read. I have to add that the book was not replete with violence - there weren't many instances of it, but the instances that occur in this book are far to graphic for my taste.

The plot is well constructed with a story that weaves two lives from two different time periods masterfully. I found the story engaging, but I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more information about camelias and botony. I like mysteries that teach as well as entertain me. There was some information, just not quite enough to make it as much of an intellectual exercise as I would have liked.

The performance was exceptional. Justine Eyre could not have read it any better.

Too little camelia, too much violence

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It took me a little while to get interested in the story but my interest increased as the story continued. Also, I found a certain inflection in the voice of the narrator annoying but I got used to that after my interest in the story picked up. The narrator was pretty good at changing voices and accents. All considered, I enjoyed the story so it was worth my time listening to it.

Worthwhile

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THE FIRST FEW ROUNDS YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT, AND THEN SLAM, BANG, YOU ARE REVOLVING BETWEEN TWO TIME PERIODS THAT MESH PERFECTLY. THE STORY IS SPELL BINDING, OR I WOULD NEVER HAVE STUCK WITH IT. THIS IS A NEW AUTHOR TO ME, BUT I WILL BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER OTHER BOOKS. A GREAT LITTLE MURDER MYSTERY THAT COVERS TWO FAMILIES, AND OVER 70 YEARS. LOVED, LOVED THE ENDING. JUSTINE EYRE DID A FABULOUS JOB, IN COVERING SO MANY PEOPLE AND ACCENTS SEAMLESSLY. SARAH JIO YOU ARE SOME WRITER, THANK YOU FOR A SUNDAY OF GREAT SUSPENSE.

SURPRISED AT THE GREAT STORY LINE.

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I made the mistake of not listening to the sample first and after buying the book, I found that I just couldn’t get past the narrator’s style. It’s very breathy and waivers between bored and turned on. Some people probably won’t mind it and may even like it but I suggest listening to the sample first. :) I didn’t finish listening but I’m going to get the actual book from the library so I can finish the story because it was interesting.

Listen to the sample first - the narrator’s voice isn’t for everyone

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What other book might you compare The Last Camellia to and why?

It reminds me of some Kate Morton books. I like the way the story is woven of the past and present.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked when she finally came clean about her past. I understand why here having a secret was important to the story, but it felt forced that she wouldn't speak of her past openly.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, but I did like it.

Good story

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First of all, Sarah Jio is one of my favorites!! But… this story is good, but not one of her best. As others have pointed out, the premise of the 15 year old keeping the incident with the toddler a big secret, even believing she herself did something wrong or illegal, all the way into her adulthood? It’s too contrived, not believable. Now, having said that, I think the 1940s historical parts of the story are good, and are the important parts of the story anyway.

Which brings me to the narration. I read this book years ago but I had forgotten most of it. Many books read between then and now :) Since I love Sarah Jio I decided on a whim to listen to it this time. I think, probably, the narrator is normally good, but maybe she had some misguided direction from the sound director ? or whoever is in charge of these recordings. The present day chapters sound like she is trying to speak a little quieter, with her mouth too close to the microphone. It comes out so breathy and whiny and nasally, hard to listen to. And the voice she did for the husband with a British accent makes it sound like he’s old enough to be her grandfather. Now, having said all that, I should say that I think the narration of the historical chapters actually sounds better.

I can see by the reviews, many were disappointed with this one, but don’t let that stop you from trying more Sarah Jio books!

Good story, narration not so good

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