The Last Carolina Girl
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Susan Bennett
-
By:
-
Meagan Church
About this listen
An emotionally charged novel following one girl fighting for her family, her future, and her own place to stand in a world that doesn't always value the wild spirit of a Carolina girl
For fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is worlds away from the harsh realities of the day. Loyal to her lumberjack father, she knows only of the familiarity of her small community, the magic of the natural world, and the creative intuition that prompts her to march to the beat of her own drum. But when an accident takes her father's life, leaving her an orphan, Leah finds herself cast into a family of strangers whose welcoming façade hides a terrible secret. That's when a moment of violence thrusts Leah into the very center of the state's shameful darkness, forcing her to risk a past she holds dear to protect a future she fears she may never have.
Set against the very real backdrop of 1935 North Carolina where a state eugenics board was mandating forced sterilizations, this novel sheds light on a horrific era of injustice and one young woman's fight to control her future, discover her family, and find her own way forward.
©2023 Meagan Church (P)2023 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
So Long, Chester Wheeler
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask. Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish.
-
-
Catherine Ryan Hyde is a phenomenal writer
- By Ken Lewis on 02-05-23
-
The Daisy Children
- A Novel
- By: Sofia Grant
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Katie Garrett gets the news that she’s received an inheritance from the grandmother she hardly knew, it couldn’t have come at a better time. She flees Boston and travels to rural Texas. There, she’s greeted by her distant cousin Scarlett. Friendly and flamboyant, Scarlett couldn’t be more different from sensible Katie. And as they begin the task of sorting through their grandmother’s possessions, they discover letters and photographs that uncover the hidden truths about their shared history, and the long-forgotten tragedy of the New London school explosion of 1937 that binds them.
-
-
a little odd to me
- By G-Mom on 11-09-24
By: Sofia Grant
-
Big Trouble on Sullivan's Island
- A Carolina Tale, Book 1
- By: Susan M. Boyer
- Narrated by: Courtney Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eugenia Ladson’s husband—retired judge Everette Ladson—is engaging in marital misbehavior—she’s certain of it. But to activate the clause in her prenup, she needs proof, and is willing to pay for as many hours of surveillance as it takes. When Eugenia turns up dead, Hadley is in Greenville, South Carolina—three and a half hours away—where she’s followed Everette. Every instinct tells Hadley Everette is responsible for Eugenia’s death, but she is regrettably his alibi.
-
-
Boyer’s Best Yet!
- By Deb Branwell on 04-14-23
By: Susan M. Boyer
-
Tending Roses
- By: Lisa Wingate
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kate Bowman temporarily moves to her grandmother’s Missouri farm with her husband and baby son, she learns that the lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who's become increasingly stubborn and forgetful, to move off her beloved land and into a nursing home. But Kate knows such a change would break her grandmother’s heart.
-
-
So Boring....sorry Lisa Wingate
- By Gina H. on 04-15-19
By: Lisa Wingate
-
As Bright as Heaven
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Cassandra Morris, Tavia Gilbert, Jorjeana Marie, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters - Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa - a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish flu reaches the shores of America.
-
-
As Bright as Heaven
- By Amazon Customer on 05-03-18
By: Susan Meissner
-
Homecoming
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Claire Foy
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959. At the end of a scorching hot day, a local deliveryman makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia. Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for nearly two decades, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. Until a phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney.
-
-
Loved the compelling audiobook version!
- By Melissas Bookshelf on 04-07-23
By: Kate Morton
-
So Long, Chester Wheeler
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask. Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish.
-
-
Catherine Ryan Hyde is a phenomenal writer
- By Ken Lewis on 02-05-23
-
The Daisy Children
- A Novel
- By: Sofia Grant
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Katie Garrett gets the news that she’s received an inheritance from the grandmother she hardly knew, it couldn’t have come at a better time. She flees Boston and travels to rural Texas. There, she’s greeted by her distant cousin Scarlett. Friendly and flamboyant, Scarlett couldn’t be more different from sensible Katie. And as they begin the task of sorting through their grandmother’s possessions, they discover letters and photographs that uncover the hidden truths about their shared history, and the long-forgotten tragedy of the New London school explosion of 1937 that binds them.
-
-
a little odd to me
- By G-Mom on 11-09-24
By: Sofia Grant
-
Big Trouble on Sullivan's Island
- A Carolina Tale, Book 1
- By: Susan M. Boyer
- Narrated by: Courtney Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eugenia Ladson’s husband—retired judge Everette Ladson—is engaging in marital misbehavior—she’s certain of it. But to activate the clause in her prenup, she needs proof, and is willing to pay for as many hours of surveillance as it takes. When Eugenia turns up dead, Hadley is in Greenville, South Carolina—three and a half hours away—where she’s followed Everette. Every instinct tells Hadley Everette is responsible for Eugenia’s death, but she is regrettably his alibi.
-
-
Boyer’s Best Yet!
- By Deb Branwell on 04-14-23
By: Susan M. Boyer
-
Tending Roses
- By: Lisa Wingate
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kate Bowman temporarily moves to her grandmother’s Missouri farm with her husband and baby son, she learns that the lessons that most enrich our lives often come unexpectedly. The family has given Kate the job of convincing Grandma Rose, who's become increasingly stubborn and forgetful, to move off her beloved land and into a nursing home. But Kate knows such a change would break her grandmother’s heart.
-
-
So Boring....sorry Lisa Wingate
- By Gina H. on 04-15-19
By: Lisa Wingate
-
As Bright as Heaven
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Cassandra Morris, Tavia Gilbert, Jorjeana Marie, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters - Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa - a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish flu reaches the shores of America.
-
-
As Bright as Heaven
- By Amazon Customer on 05-03-18
By: Susan Meissner
-
Homecoming
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Claire Foy
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959. At the end of a scorching hot day, a local deliveryman makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia. Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for nearly two decades, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. Until a phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney.
-
-
Loved the compelling audiobook version!
- By Melissas Bookshelf on 04-07-23
By: Kate Morton
-
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
- By: John Boyne
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some information about the audiobook, but in this case we think that would spoil the listening. We think it's important that you start to listen without knowing what it is about.
-
-
Absolutely Phenomenal!!!
- By Jensophie on 05-04-09
By: John Boyne
-
The Women of Chateau Lafayette
- By: Stephanie Dray
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Emma Bering, Rachel L. Jacobs
- Length: 23 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An epic saga from New York Times best-selling author Stephanie Dray based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy.
-
-
An absolute masterpiece of a book!
- By Kindle Customer on 05-15-21
By: Stephanie Dray
-
An American Beauty
- By: Shana Abe
- Narrated by: Gail Shalan
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham's gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It's not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and 30 years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair.
-
-
Loved everything about it
- By Leigh H. on 07-10-23
By: Shana Abe
-
A Million Things
- By: Emily Spurr
- Narrated by: Zenia Starr
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as Rae can remember, it's been her and Mum, and their dog, Splinter; a small, deliberately unremarkable family. They have their walks, their cooking routines, their home. Sometimes Mum disappears for a while to clear her head, but Rae is okay with this because Mum always comes back. So, when Rae wakes to Splinter's nose in her face, the back door open, and no Mum, she does as she’s always done and carries on. She tends to the house, goes to school, walks Splinter, and minds her own business - all the while pushing down the truth she isn't ready to face.
-
-
Beautiful and heartbreaking
- By Amazon Customer on 09-04-21
By: Emily Spurr
-
The Quarry Girls
- A Thriller
- By: Jess Lourey
- Narrated by: Jess Nahikian
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games. Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.
-
-
I can't
- By Brent Casey on 11-17-22
By: Jess Lourey
-
No One Ever Asked
- A Novel
- By: Katie Ganshert
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray - the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman, and champion fund-raiser - faced with a shocking discovery; Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption; and 22-year-old Anaya Jones - the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand-new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation....
-
-
Thought Provoking
- By Tamara on 06-22-18
By: Katie Ganshert
-
The House at Riverton
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Emilia Fox
- Length: 20 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Summer 1924. On the eve of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999. Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge – something history has forgotten but Grace never could.
-
-
Pleasantly surprised!
- By amber on 05-30-23
By: Kate Morton
-
The Children's Blizzard
- A Novel
- By: Melanie Benjamin
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats - leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as 16 were suddenly faced with life-and-death decisions.
-
-
Homesteaders
- By Phyllis Relyea on 01-22-21
By: Melanie Benjamin
-
The Lonely Hearts Book Club
- By: Lucy Gilmore
- Narrated by: Angie Kane
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely...but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. Their sparring is such a highlight of Sloane's day that when Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. And then another day passes, and another.
-
-
Enjoyed every minute
- By Laura on 06-04-23
By: Lucy Gilmore
-
Yesterday's Tides
- By: Roseanna M. White
- Narrated by: Pilar Witherspoon
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same—until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.
-
-
Wow!!
- By r. tein on 08-02-23
-
When the Rain Ends
- By: Mary Ellen Taylor
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When artist Dani Manchester learns she’s slowly losing her vision, she becomes unmoored. Her ex-husband died only months before, leaving Dani and her preteen daughter grief stricken. Suddenly, the life Dani built for her family on the Outer Banks feels like a painful reminder of all they’ve lost. On a whim, Dani sells her waterfront home and buys an old farm inland near the Virginia state line. But Dani’s daughter recoils at the sudden, drastic change. The Outer Banks’ sun-swept beaches, pink dawns, and savage storms are all she’s ever known.
-
-
Excellent for Grievers
- By Jeri B on 07-19-23
-
The Things We Cannot Say
- By: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon, Nancy Peterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now 15 and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears.
-
-
Don’t Miss This One!
- By Mary Smiroldo on 08-06-19
By: Kelly Rimmer
What listeners say about The Last Carolina Girl
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brandi Pattee
- 04-15-23
Hooked from the start
Meagan Church has an amazing way of hooking you from the very beginning. I was hooked and can honestly said cried at times in this book. Very well written and the narrator was amazing! Look forward to more from Meagan
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sharon leigh kerr
- 01-09-24
Heartbreaking
I love the writing. It is authentically southern genre. However, it is a sad, heart-wrenching, and infuriating story. But it is based on a dark truth. I had hoped there would be retribution, but at least Leah finds comfort and some peace in the end. The narrator’s voice was a perfect choice for Church’s character.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adrian
- 07-08-24
very good story
not a fairytale. the reader can make you feel the emotion of the main character.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barbara
- 04-06-23
Invested from the Beginning
Within the first few lines, the writer’s imagery and the narrator’s portrayal drew me into Leah’s story. Through tragedy and betrayal, this tender hearted, free-spirited girl always remembers where her home is.
The Last Carolina Girl is terrific debut novel and I’m looking forward to Meagan Church’s next.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nicole Ehrlich
- 09-28-23
Warning, tearjerker
What a journey into this unfortunate girls life. Couldn’t put the book down. It was fantastic and emotional.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie
- 09-25-23
Gorgeous writing, characters, narrator, story
The writing is beautiful, characters memorable, and the story a touching journey as it unfolded. Narrators can make it break, and this narrator was perfect for the story, making it better than it would have sounded in my head.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 01-21-24
Family dynamics & how our past affects our future actions
Like that it made me reflect on differences in families and how childhood life’s carry over to adulthood.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nichole Williams
- 03-17-24
Told well
Loved it. Touched my heart and I couldn’t put it down. I had to find out the secret.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leslie
- 06-01-23
beautifully written and narrated
this book was very touching and beautifully told. The main character was so strong.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. Ford
- 09-27-23
Personally chocked with emotion
I spent time in a foster home and Megan Church’s Leah character possessed a strength that I know was needed to evoke the forward looking aspect of her resolve to survive and thrive without losing ‘her’. The Mrs. Griffith character caused me goose bumps, she was real. Kudos to Megan Church for tackling this subject and beautifully illustrating grace in strength.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful