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The Life She Wanted
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Valerie Rose Lohman
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
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Publisher's summary
New York in the 1920s—a time when fortunes are made and a woman’s dreams are challenged against all odds in a sweeping historical novel by the international bestselling author of The Light After the War.
1926, Hyde Park, New York. Born to modest means but befriended by the wealthy, aspiring dress designer Pandora Carmichael has been surrounded by privilege yet never at home in it. That hasn’t stopped her from dreaming—of a romance in a rarified world that could also give her the status and resources to start a business of her own. When she’s introduced to a charismatic Princeton student, Pandora’s future begins to fall into place.
Marriage provides Pandora with a devoted husband, comfortable love, and the prominence and affluence to open a boutique. It’s a fantasy realized, until scandal and tragedy upend Pandora’s life and she flees Hyde Park with a heart-wrenching secret. As the Depression looms, Pandora must rethink everything she’s ever wanted.
From sprawling Gilded Age mansions in New York to the seedy underbelly of Greenwich Village and the stunning coastal vistas of the French Riviera, Pandora’s escape is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, true love, and ambition. There are new dreams to be had, and Pandora is betting on herself to make them come true.
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Critic reviews
“This is a fast-paced historical read that examines the roles of men and women in the 1920s, what was accepted and what was not, and the idea that sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you.” —Booklist
“The Life She Wanted transports readers to glittering Jazz Age New York as Pandora Carmichael seeks to have it all…” —Historical Novels Review
“A delightful read from cover to cover. The Life She Wanted is the story of Pandora Carmichael, a woman of modest means thrust into a world of privilege and opportunity. When she finally finds her happily ever after, a devastating secret shatters Pandora’s world, forcing her to rethink her dreams. Abriel weaves a stunning tale of love and friendship while taking the reader on a masterful journey of self-discovery, where at the very heart is a woman of courage, loyalty, and ambition.” —Rochelle B. Weinstein, author of When We Let Go
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Meet the Godmothers: Filomena is a clever and resourceful war refugee with a childhood secret, who comes to America to wed Mario, the family's favored son. Amie, a beautiful and dreamy French girl from upstate New York, escapes an abusive husband after falling in love with Johnny, the oldest of the brothers. Lucy, a tough-as-nails Irish nurse, ran away from a strict girls' home and marries Frankie, the sensuous middle son. And the glamorous Petrina, the family's only daughter, graduates with honors from Barnard College despite a past trauma that nearly caused a family scandal.
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Easy Enjoyable Read
- By Bunny on 06-23-21
By: Camille Aubray
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My Mrs. Brown
- A Novel
- By: William Norwich
- Narrated by: Angela Brazil
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When the grand dame of Ashville passes away, Mrs. Brown is called upon to inventory her estate and comes across a dress that changes everything. This isn't a Cinderella confection; it's a simple yet exquisitely tailored Oscar de la Renta sheath and jacket - a suit that, Mrs. Brown realizes with startling clarity, will say everything she has ever wished to convey. She must have it. And so Mrs. Brown begins her odyssey to purchase the dress.
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Sweet story
- By Pam Hewitt on 05-01-20
By: William Norwich
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The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Nina Wadia
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After inheriting her mother’s fortune-telling business as a young woman, Imelda Burova has spent her life on the Brighton pier practicing her trade. She and her trusty pack of Tarot cards have seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Now, after a lifetime of keeping other people’s secrets, Madam Burova is ready to have a little piece of life for herself. But she still has one last thing to do—to fulfill a promise made in the 1970s, when she and her girlfriends were carefree, with their whole lives still before them.
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Trigger warning
- By Kristyn Rose on 01-30-23
By: Ruth Hogan
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The Winemakers
- A Novel of Wine and Secrets
- By: Jan Moran
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Years ago, the Rosetta family's hard-won dreams of staking their claim in the vineyards of California came to fruition. Now high-spirited, passionate Caterina Rosetta, who has inherited both her mother's talent for crafting the finest wines and also her indomitable will, wants nothing more than to win her mother's approval and work at her side. But that can never happen, because Caterina is keeping a secret that could ruin her: a daughter of her own, fathered by the love of her life, who left her without explanation.
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awesome.
- By Joe C. Smith on 04-25-21
By: Jan Moran
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House of Trelawney
- By: Hannah Rothschild
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The seat of the Trelawney family for over 700 years, Trelawney Castle was once the jewel of the Cornish coast. Each successive Earl spent with abandon, turning the house and grounds into a sprawling, extravagant palimpsest of wings, turrets, and follies. But as the centuries passed the Earls of Trelawney, their ambition dulled by generations of pampered living, failed to develop other skills.
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Really fun read
- By Ruthi on 04-12-20
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Very Valentine
- A Novel (Valentine Trilogy, Book 1)
- By: Adriana Trigiani
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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The adventures of an extraordinary and unforgettable woman as she attempts to rescue her family’s struggling shoe business and find love at the same time, Very Valentine sweeps the listener from the streets of Manhattan to the picturesque hills of Italy.
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Meh... that's all I can say
- By Tammie on 08-17-23
By: Adriana Trigiani
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Surfside Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
A Nantucket woman returns home to find that reunions aren’t always simple, in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author. Keely Green always dreamed of leaving the beautiful shores of Nantucket to become a writer. Now she’s a bestselling novelist living in New York City, attending glamorous cocktail parties, mingling with the literary elite, and dating a charming pediatric surgeon. But a moment of clarity strikes when Keely’s boyfriend suddenly wants to settle down and her editor rejects her latest novel.
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Too fluffy!
- By LoRe Bolling on 07-10-19
By: Nancy Thayer
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Engaged in Death
- By: Stephanie Blackmoore
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After dumping her cheating fiancé and canceling the wedding, Mallory Shepard can't bear another disaster. So when the former bride-to-be unexpectedly inherits Thistle Park, a ramshackle mansion in her ex's hometown of Port Quincy, it's a problem she can't afford - literally. It’s full of stray cats, peeling wallpaper, and nosy neighbors, and Mallory is dying to sell it off - once she finally fixes up both the place and her messy life.
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Cozy with a bit of grit
- By E. Hamilton on 05-18-19
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The Royal Correspondent
- A Novel
- By: Alexandra Joel
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The author of The Paris Model captures the glamour, style, excitement, and romance of a bygone era in this sumptuous novel - set in the Sydney and London of the 1960s - about an up-and-coming young Australian reporter with a deadly secret.
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Story engaging. Narrator not so much.
- By Anne M. Kelley on 09-15-22
By: Alexandra Joel
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Tomorrow Will Be Better
- By: Betty Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Tomorrow Will Be Better tells the story of Margy Shannon, a shy but joyfully optimistic young woman just out of school who lives with her parents and witnesses how a lifetime of hard work, poverty, and pain has worn them down. Her mother's resentment toward being a housewife and her father's inability to express his emotions result in a tense home life where Margy has no voice. Unable to speak up against her overbearing mother, Margy takes refuge in her dreams of a better life.
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Heartfelt and Heart-wrenchingly Real!
- By M. Ryder on 02-16-22
By: Betty Smith
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Lady Oracle
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From fat girl to thin, from red hair to mud brown, from London to Toronto, from Polish count to radical husband - Joan Foster is utterly confused by her life of multiple identities. She decides to escape to an Italian hill town to take stock of her life. But first, she must organize her own death.
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A Feminist Romp
- By annkpowers on 07-02-22
By: Margaret Atwood
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Cocaine Blues
- By: Kerry Greenwood
- Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It's the end of the roaring twenties, and the exuberant and Honourable Phryne Fisher is dancing and gaming with gay abandon. But she becomes bored with London and the endless round of parties. In search of excitement, she sets her sights on a spot of detective work in Melbourne, Australia. And so mystery and the beautiful Russian dancer, Sasha de Lisse, appear in her life. From then on it's all cocaine and communism until her adventure reaches its steamy end in the Turkish baths of Little Lonsdale Street.
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A series that just gets better
- By Barbara Kindle Customer on 02-01-11
By: Kerry Greenwood
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Moonlight over Paris
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Robson
- Narrated by: Jane Copland
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It's the spring of 1924, and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has just arrived in France. On the mend after a near-fatal illness, she is ready to embrace the restless, heady allure of the City of Lights. Her parents have given her one year to live with her eccentric aunt in Paris, and Helena means to make the most of her time. She's quickly drawn into the world of the Lost Generation and its circle of American expatriates, and, with their encouragement, she finds the courage to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.
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A pleasant trip to 1924 Paris
- By RueRue on 05-09-16
By: Jennifer Robson
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Loved the compelling audiobook version!
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What listeners say about The Life She Wanted
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bfriends
- 09-05-23
SHALLOW
I truly struggled to finish this book.
The narrative was also difficult for me to endure.
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- Mary Jones
- 08-09-23
Decent easy listen with bad narrator
The story itself was actually pretty good. It was relatively predictable. I liked most of it except when she was in France it was a bit lackluster. The narrator sounded like a high schooler reading a book.
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- Tina S.
- 01-16-24
Had to listen for book club
I wanted to quit so many times but since I had already paid for this and will be discussing it with book club I finished. The narration was the worst part. The narrator has almost a whiny lit to the way she ends sentences that was very hard to endure. The story itself was just OK. Not much character development for Pandora or really any of the characters.
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- Nicole
- 09-15-23
Read, don't listen.
Difficult, and I really wanted to love it. I typically do not review books or performances that I don't love, since I believe there is something for everyone. The story had potential, but the narration was painful. The narrator would be ideal for children's books or Mickey Mouse Club. I continued with the story thinking I'd get used to it, but it only got worse. When the story continues to France, I almost pulled the plug after 6 hours. Awful.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kayla P
- 08-16-23
Gone with the wind 20’s version
Gone with the wind mixed with Sabrina. Pretty good story. The narrator’s voice is better suited to the less serious parts.
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- Mimi
- 11-02-23
Predicable
I’m afraid the narrator lost my interest in the story from early on. The way she performed the main character was too adolescent to hold my interest.
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- M. Brand
- 07-19-23
An enjoyable book, if you need some light entertainment.
Overall a good story, although a bit predictable. The narrater, however, spoiled it for me. Her voice is better suited for children’s books, or books for young adults.
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- B. Pink
- 07-29-23
Narrator nightmare
The story itself was a fine, good story worth listening to.
However, the narrator was a nightmare.
The story was good enough that I stuck to it but the fact that the narrator couldn’t pronounce half the words and names properly- NEVER MIND
the horrific French accent ‼️
Does nobody edit these readers?
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-09-23
Bad Narrator
Story was predictable and cute but the narrator was terrible. Totally wrong dialect for the era and made it almost impossible to listen to.
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- Jen NC
- 07-18-23
great book!
I really loved this book-just a simple story showing love and loss. I see comments about the narrators voice...her voice honestly was perfect for the character! the book started when she was young, so I would expect her to sound young! overall would recommend.
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