
The Names
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Dervla Kirwan
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By:
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Florence Knapp
About this listen
READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY | AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
“Dazzling. . . The Names is startlingly joyful. . . Knapp tirelessly and beautifully replicates not just loss and grief but endless rebirth and delight.”—The Washington Post
“Elegant. . . this is a wholly original work.”—People Magazine "Book of the Week"
“A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption.”—Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse
The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...
Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.
With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.
©2025 Florence Knapp (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
“Beautiful, heart-wrenching, utterly original.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace
“Knapp’s plotting is skillful, her tapestry of stories cleverly woven…The Names stands out as a compelling and original debut, a book that asks at least as many questions as it answers.”—The Guardian
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- A Novel
- By: Disha Bose
- Narrated by: Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The third of four children born to a middle-class Calcutta family, quiet Durga is surprisingly the first to leave the nest of her loving, overbearing family. She is not as charming as her older sister, Tia, as lighthearted as her brother, Arjun, or as clever as her younger sister, Parul. But when she arrives in Ireland to work at a tech company, she finds that for the first time ever she is free—to have fun, to stay out, to sample everything that life has to offer. Suddenly, Durga can be whoever she wants to be. And she wants it all. But freedom comes at a price.
By: Disha Bose
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A Family Matter
- A Novel
- By: Claire Lynch
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter. 2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He’s an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child—the person around whom his life has revolved—seems impossible.
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A tragedy in beautiful way of listening
- By marsh creek on 06-15-25
By: Claire Lynch
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Run for the Hills
- A Novel
- By: Kevin Wilson
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it’s just been Madeline Hill and her mom on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee. While she sometimes admits it’s a bit lonely and a less exciting life than she imagined for herself, it’s mostly OK. Mostly. Then one day Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and informs Madeline that he believes she’s his half sister.
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Stunning!
- By Jennifer on 05-17-25
By: Kevin Wilson
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Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick
- A Love Story
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting listeners to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.
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This has soared to the top of my all-time favs!
- By Kimberley on 06-03-25
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The Bright Years
- By: Sarah Damoff
- Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano, Joy Osmanski, Lee Osorio
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.
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Expected Much More!!!
- By M. Ryder on 05-22-25
By: Sarah Damoff
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The Love Haters
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Center
- Narrated by: Patti Murin
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but pretends that she can. Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. Next stop: paradise!
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Great narration. Vivid imagery. Lovely depictions of older female friendships.
- By J. Olich on 05-24-25
By: Katherine Center
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The Compound
- A Novel
- By: Aisling Rawle
- Narrated by: Lucy Boynton
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door. Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart?
By: Aisling Rawle
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Heartwood
- By: Amity Gaige
- Narrated by: Justine Lupe, Alma Cuervo, Rebecca Lowman, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping. At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground.
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The suspense
- By Amy B. McVey on 04-11-25
By: Amity Gaige
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The Bombshell
- A Novel
- By: Darrow Farr
- Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Corsica, 1993. As a sun-drenched Mediterranean summer heads into full swing, beautiful and brash seventeen-year-old Séverine Guimard is counting down the days until graduation, dreaming of stardom while smoking cigarettes, and seducing boys in her class to pass the time. The pampered French American daughter of a politician, Séverine knows she’s destined for bigger things.
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Laundry Lint has more depth!
- By Martha Moran on 05-31-25
By: Darrow Farr
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My Name Is Emilia del Valle
- A Novel
- By: Isabel Allende, Frances Riddle
- Narrated by: Coral Peña, Johnathan McClain
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman. To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of seventeen, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man’s pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her.
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Very disappointing
- By Monica Vachher on 05-10-25
By: Isabel Allende, and others
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The Missing Half
- A Novel
- By: Ashley Flowers, Alex Kiester - contributor
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Ashley Flowers
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Nic wants nothing more than to move on—from her sister’s disappearance and the state it’s left her in. But then one day, Jules’s sister, Jenna Connor, walks into her life and offers Nic something she hasn’t felt in a long time: hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.
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Even better than her first book!
- By Erin on 05-07-25
By: Ashley Flowers, and others
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The Poppy Fields
- A Novel
- By: Nikki Erlick
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Glemboski, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal. Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects. On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog.
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Good story idea. The narrator didn’t do it justice at all.
- By Amazon Customer on 06-19-25
By: Nikki Erlick
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The Devil Three Times
- A Novel
- By: Rickey Fayne
- Narrated by: James Fouhey, Robin Miles, Joniece Abbott-Pratt
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Yetunde awakens aboard a slave ship en route to the United States with the spirit of her dead sister as her only companion. Desperate to survive the hell that awaits her at their destination, Yetunde finds help in an unexpected form—the Devil himself. The Devil, seeking a way to reenter the pearly gates of heaven, decides to prove himself to an indifferent God by protecting Yetunde and granting her a piece of his supernatural power. In return, Yetunde makes an incredible sacrifice.
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My new favorite-One for all the recovering evangelicals out there
- By Leah Leone on 06-16-25
By: Rickey Fayne
A must read!
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I could not put it down, wanting, needing, to know how each character unfolded.
The narration is calming, peaceful, and vivid imagery with the writing.
At its core, this story is about domestic abuse and the choices and one’s name influence and shape identity.
Heartbreakingly Beautiful
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Heartbreaking but with redemption
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So original and thought-provoking!
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Utter originality
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A very thought provoking read . Gripping ,emotional with a very confusing ending which I personally do not enjoy or want
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Compelling unusual story!
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Unique and thought provoking
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The narrator does a phenomenal job—so nuanced, so in tune with the emotional undercurrents of the story. I felt every pause, every shift in tone, like it was breathing life into the text. It made the experience all the more immersive.
This isn’t a book you just listen to—it’s one you feel in your bones. Highly recommend to anyone who appreciates literary fiction that challenges, moves, and stays with you long after it ends.
Absolutely Stunning – A Haunting, Beautiful Listen
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Truly Exceptional
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