The Swallows' Flight
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 $14.81
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Katherine Press
-
By:
-
Hilary McKay
About this listen
“A triumph.” (Philip Pullman, best-selling author of the His Dark Materials saga)
Four young lives across Europe are forever changed in the dawn of World War II in this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel from award-winning author Hilary McKay.
In England, Ruby has no friends because of the speckled blotches on her face that kids say look like dirt. And Kate is sickly all the time, her older siblings each taking turns looking after her. Ruby and Kate’s first meeting is nearly disastrous, but the two lonely girls soon strike up a friendship. Their connection becomes all the more important when England joins the war against Germany and the blitz begins overhead.
In Germany, Erik and Hans are best friends filled with plans for their future: Erik taking over their beloved local zoo, and Hans serving pastries right outside the gates. They never expected to be forced to join the national service, training as pilots and tasked with hurting people.
And in London a mistreated dog roams the streets looking for handouts, and for a friend.
All of these lives will cross in the most surprising ways in this heart-rending tale of war and compassion, and hope that can be found in even the most unexpected friendships, brought to life by award-winning author Hilary McKay.
©2022 Hilary McKay (P)2022 Spotify AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Skylark's War
- By: Hilary McKay
- Narrated by: Katherine Press
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clarry Penrose finds the good in everyone. Even in her father, who isn't fond of children, and especially girls. He doesn't worry about her education, because he knows she won't need it. It's the early 20th century, and the only thing girls are expected to do is behave. But Clarry wants to dive off cliffs and go swimming with her brother Peter and cousin Rupert. And more than anything, she wants an education. She helps Peter with his homework all the time, so why can't she manage it by herself? When war breaks out, Clarry is shocked to find that Rupert has enlisted.
-
-
Fantastic Story
- By K. Ramos on 01-01-24
By: Hilary McKay
-
Wishing for Tomorrow
- By: Hilary McKay
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful sequel to A Little Princess, Sara Crewe has gone away with the Indian gentleman, and now nothing is the same at Miss Minchin's. Shy Ermengarde, spoiled Lottie, and awful Lavinia are all left behind at the Select Seminary for Young Ladies, and without Sara, school is even more dreary than before. But things are about to change....
-
-
most positive take from, the story, was Ermengarde's struggled and maturing.
- By 1hope on 07-02-24
By: Hilary McKay
-
A Place to Hang the Moon
- By: Kate Albus
- Narrated by: Polly Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, nine, aren't terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?
-
-
Excellent Historical Novel
- By Elsie on 06-30-21
By: Kate Albus
-
Nothing Else but Miracles
- By: Kate Albus
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Dory Byrne lives with her brothers on New York City's Lower East Side, waiting impatiently through the darkest hours of World War II for her pop to come home from fighting Hitler. Legally speaking, Dory's brother, Fish, isn't old enough to be in charge of Dory and her younger brother, Pike, but the neighborhood knows the score and, like Pop always says, "the neighborhood will give you what you need." There's the lady from the bakery, who saves them leftover crullers. The kind landlord who checks in on them.
-
-
Refreshingly positive
- By Renetta Ruedemann on 09-26-23
By: Kate Albus
-
Swallows and Amazons
- By: Arthur Ransome
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Swallows and Amazons, the book that started it all in 1930, introduces the Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat "Swallow," and the two intrepid Amazons, plucky Nancy and Peggy Blackett.
-
-
Idyllic, Funny, Vivid Childhood Adventure-Play
- By Jefferson on 02-05-11
By: Arthur Ransome
-
The Trumpet of the Swan
- By: E. B. White
- Narrated by: E.B. White
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Louis is a Trumpeter Swan, but he has no voice. Leaving his wild and beautiful home, he finds a young human friend, Sam Beaver, who helps him learn to read and write. When he returns to the lake, Louis discovers his education isn't enough: the beautiful swan he loves, Serena, can't read his declarations of love, and he can't trumpet them. Louis' resolution to win the swan of his desire launches him on an adventure that will take him far from home and lead where fate and love have a few surprises in store.
-
-
Rediscover a forgotten classic
- By Christopher on 10-20-07
By: E. B. White
-
The Skylark's War
- By: Hilary McKay
- Narrated by: Katherine Press
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clarry Penrose finds the good in everyone. Even in her father, who isn't fond of children, and especially girls. He doesn't worry about her education, because he knows she won't need it. It's the early 20th century, and the only thing girls are expected to do is behave. But Clarry wants to dive off cliffs and go swimming with her brother Peter and cousin Rupert. And more than anything, she wants an education. She helps Peter with his homework all the time, so why can't she manage it by herself? When war breaks out, Clarry is shocked to find that Rupert has enlisted.
-
-
Fantastic Story
- By K. Ramos on 01-01-24
By: Hilary McKay
-
Wishing for Tomorrow
- By: Hilary McKay
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful sequel to A Little Princess, Sara Crewe has gone away with the Indian gentleman, and now nothing is the same at Miss Minchin's. Shy Ermengarde, spoiled Lottie, and awful Lavinia are all left behind at the Select Seminary for Young Ladies, and without Sara, school is even more dreary than before. But things are about to change....
-
-
most positive take from, the story, was Ermengarde's struggled and maturing.
- By 1hope on 07-02-24
By: Hilary McKay
-
A Place to Hang the Moon
- By: Kate Albus
- Narrated by: Polly Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, nine, aren't terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?
-
-
Excellent Historical Novel
- By Elsie on 06-30-21
By: Kate Albus
-
Nothing Else but Miracles
- By: Kate Albus
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Dory Byrne lives with her brothers on New York City's Lower East Side, waiting impatiently through the darkest hours of World War II for her pop to come home from fighting Hitler. Legally speaking, Dory's brother, Fish, isn't old enough to be in charge of Dory and her younger brother, Pike, but the neighborhood knows the score and, like Pop always says, "the neighborhood will give you what you need." There's the lady from the bakery, who saves them leftover crullers. The kind landlord who checks in on them.
-
-
Refreshingly positive
- By Renetta Ruedemann on 09-26-23
By: Kate Albus
-
Swallows and Amazons
- By: Arthur Ransome
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Swallows and Amazons, the book that started it all in 1930, introduces the Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat "Swallow," and the two intrepid Amazons, plucky Nancy and Peggy Blackett.
-
-
Idyllic, Funny, Vivid Childhood Adventure-Play
- By Jefferson on 02-05-11
By: Arthur Ransome
-
The Trumpet of the Swan
- By: E. B. White
- Narrated by: E.B. White
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Louis is a Trumpeter Swan, but he has no voice. Leaving his wild and beautiful home, he finds a young human friend, Sam Beaver, who helps him learn to read and write. When he returns to the lake, Louis discovers his education isn't enough: the beautiful swan he loves, Serena, can't read his declarations of love, and he can't trumpet them. Louis' resolution to win the swan of his desire launches him on an adventure that will take him far from home and lead where fate and love have a few surprises in store.
-
-
Rediscover a forgotten classic
- By Christopher on 10-20-07
By: E. B. White
-
Meet the Austins
- Austin Family Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Madeleine L'Engle
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a family with four kids, two dogs, assorted cats, and a constant stream of family and friends dropping by, life in the Austin family home has always been remarkably steady and contented. When a family friend suddenly dies in a plane crash, the Austins open their home to an orphaned girl, Maggy Hamilton. The Austin children - Vicky, John, Suzy, and Rob - do their best to be generous and welcoming to Maggy. Vicky knows she should feel sorry for Maggy, but having sympathy for Maggy is no easy thing.
-
-
My new favorite story
- By Gracie2010 on 06-30-19
-
Anne of Green Gables
- By: Lucy Maud Montgomery, Abi Hynes – adaptation
- Narrated by: Sandra Oh, Catherine O'Hara, Victor Garber, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Directed by the skillful hand of Megan Follows (Directors Guild Award winner) and featuring the voices of Golden Globe® winner Sandra Oh, Emmy Award® Winner Catherine O’Hara, and Emmy Award® Winner Victor Garber, Anne Shirley’s (Emmy Award® winner Michela Luci) adventures come to life in a fresh adaptation of a timeless tale. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Canada’s Prince Edward Island with the magic of an original score and immersive sound design.
-
-
sobbing, falling to my knees in Avonlea
- By forever hungry on 12-02-23
By: Lucy Maud Montgomery, and others
-
Little House in the Big Woods
- Little House, Book 1
- By: Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Narrated by: Cherry Jones
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her pa, her ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town.
-
-
GRANDMA WAS JIGGING
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 02-16-17
-
The Penderwicks
- A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
- By: Jeanne Birdsall
- Narrated by: Susan Denaker
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel's sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel's owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.
-
-
Happy Accident
- By Neily on 01-14-13
By: Jeanne Birdsall
-
The Little Wartime Library
- By: Kate Thompson
- Narrated by: Sarah Durham
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While war ravages the city above her, Clara has risked everything she holds dear to turn the Bethnal Green tube station into the country’s only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café, and a theater—offering shelter, solace, and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city. Along with her glamorous best friend and assistant Ruby Munroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. As the war drags on, the women's determination is tested to the limits.
-
-
I learned so much
- By candi hurst on 06-15-23
By: Kate Thompson
-
Doctor Dolittle: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle; The Story of Doctor Dolittle; Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
- By: Hugh Lofting
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rediscover the children’s literature classic with three novels from the beloved series: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, and Doctor Dolittle’s Post Office!
-
-
A wonderful bedtime story!
- By Holly Masri on 05-02-20
By: Hugh Lofting
-
Echo
- By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Mark Bramhall, David deVries, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audie Award, Middle Grade, 2016. Lost and alone in the forbidden Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each become sinterwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together.
-
-
One of the best audio productions I have heard
- By tru britty on 07-28-15
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
-
The Winged Watchman
- By: Hilda van Stockum
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot, and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an underdiver, a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression.
-
-
Thoughtful story w/ excellent narration
- By Seagreenaz on 07-04-15
-
We Must Be Brave
- By: Frances Liardet
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle, Juliet Mills
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone. Ellen has always believed she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home, the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband, Selwyn, had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all.
-
-
Nasty reviews, why? Beautiful book.
- By Kelly on 11-27-19
By: Frances Liardet
-
The Secret Letter
- By: Debbie Rix
- Narrated by: Jacqueline King
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Germany, 1939. A tumbledown farmhouse, on the outskirts of a close-knit village in the heart of the rolling hills of Bavaria. A once happy family home torn apart by Nazi rule. And one young girl who refuses to give up on what she believes in...London, 2018: When 94-year-old Imogen receives a letter addressed to her in neat, unfamiliar handwriting, she notices the postmark is stamped from Germany - and it sends shivers down her spine....
-
-
Compelling
- By Book Nerd on 01-06-20
By: Debbie Rix
-
Coming Home
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Helen Johns
- Length: 40 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set against the backdrop of an elegant Cornwall mansion before World War II and a vast continent-spanning canvas during the turbulent war years, this captivating story tells of an extraordinary young woman's coming of age, coming to grips with love and sadness, and in every sense of the term, coming home.... In 1935, Judith Dunbar is left behind at a British boarding school when her mother and baby sister go off to join her father in Singapore.
-
-
Marvelous story line, Excellent narration
- By Amazon Customer on 03-17-18
-
The Secret Book of Flora Lea
- A Novel
- By: Patti Callahan Henry
- Narrated by: Cynthia Erivo, Patti Callahan Henry
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.
-
-
My mum was an evacuee…
- By Bettie on 06-09-23
Related to this topic
-
The War Nurses: A Moving Wartime Romance Saga Full of Heart
- The War Nurses Series
- By: Lizzie Page
- Narrated by: Marian Hussey
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You will love every moment of this absolutely brilliant wartime saga, perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Soraya M. Lane, and Nadine Dorries. As war takes its toll, the love and care of two brave young nurses become everything to the wounded soldiers they tend... 1914. Two plucky young nurses pledge to help the war effort: Mairi, a wholesome idealist hoping to leave behind her past and Elsie, a glamorous single mother with a weakness for handsome soldiers. Despite their differences, the pair become firm friends.
-
-
I really really wanted to like this book...
- By Teresa M. Thornborough on 09-26-19
By: Lizzie Page
-
Pennies for Hitler
- By: Jackie French
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1939, and for Georg, son of an English academic living in Germany, life is full of cream cakes and loving parents. It is also a time when his teacher measures the pupils' heads to see which of them have the most 'Aryan'- shaped heads. But when a university graduation ceremony turns into a pro-Nazi demonstration, Georg is smuggled out of Germany to war-torn London and then across enemy seas to Australia where he must forget his past and who he is in order to survive. Hatred is contagious, but Georg finds that kindness can be, too.
-
-
This could be a Bryce Courtenay novel
- By K Cornwinkle on 07-02-14
By: Jackie French
-
I Couldn't Love You More
- A Novel
- By: Esther Freud
- Narrated by: Niamh Cusack
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sweeping story of three generations of women, crossing from London to Ireland and back again, and the enduring effort to retrieve the secrets of the past.
By: Esther Freud
-
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders
- By: Tessa Arlen
- Narrated by: Madeleine Leslay
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charming and feisty Poppy Redfern stumbles into murder in this exciting new World War II historical mystery series from critically acclaimed author Tessa Arlen. In a remote English village, two popular women who are dating American servicemen are found strangled, and Poppy must team up with a pilot to unearth chilling secrets before she becomes the next victim.
-
-
Perfect! Can't Wait for More!
- By Meg on 12-17-19
By: Tessa Arlen
-
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted
- By: Robert Hillman
- Narrated by: Daniel Lapaine
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1968 in rural Australia and lonely Tom Hope can't make heads or tails of Hannah Babel. Newly arrived from Hungary, Hannah is unlike anyone he's ever met - she's passionate, artistic, and fiercely determined to open sleepy Hometown's first bookshop. Despite the fact that Tom has only read only one book in his life, the two soon discover an astonishing spark. Recently abandoned by an unfaithful wife - and still missing her sweet son, Peter - Tom dares to believe that he might make Hannah happy.
-
-
Listener beware
- By Little old lady from Iowa on 06-11-23
By: Robert Hillman
-
Pearl in a Cage
- By: Joy Dettman
- Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein
- Length: 20 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a balmy midsummer's evening in 1923, a young woman - foreign, dishevelled and heavily pregnant - is found unconscious just off the railway tracks in the tiny logging community of Woody Creek. The town midwife, Gertrude Foote, is roused from her bed when the woman is brought to her door. Try as she might, Gertrude is unable to save her, but the baby lives.
-
-
Pearl in a Cage
- By Verita on 06-16-17
By: Joy Dettman
-
The War Nurses: A Moving Wartime Romance Saga Full of Heart
- The War Nurses Series
- By: Lizzie Page
- Narrated by: Marian Hussey
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You will love every moment of this absolutely brilliant wartime saga, perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Soraya M. Lane, and Nadine Dorries. As war takes its toll, the love and care of two brave young nurses become everything to the wounded soldiers they tend... 1914. Two plucky young nurses pledge to help the war effort: Mairi, a wholesome idealist hoping to leave behind her past and Elsie, a glamorous single mother with a weakness for handsome soldiers. Despite their differences, the pair become firm friends.
-
-
I really really wanted to like this book...
- By Teresa M. Thornborough on 09-26-19
By: Lizzie Page
-
Pennies for Hitler
- By: Jackie French
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1939, and for Georg, son of an English academic living in Germany, life is full of cream cakes and loving parents. It is also a time when his teacher measures the pupils' heads to see which of them have the most 'Aryan'- shaped heads. But when a university graduation ceremony turns into a pro-Nazi demonstration, Georg is smuggled out of Germany to war-torn London and then across enemy seas to Australia where he must forget his past and who he is in order to survive. Hatred is contagious, but Georg finds that kindness can be, too.
-
-
This could be a Bryce Courtenay novel
- By K Cornwinkle on 07-02-14
By: Jackie French
-
I Couldn't Love You More
- A Novel
- By: Esther Freud
- Narrated by: Niamh Cusack
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sweeping story of three generations of women, crossing from London to Ireland and back again, and the enduring effort to retrieve the secrets of the past.
By: Esther Freud
-
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders
- By: Tessa Arlen
- Narrated by: Madeleine Leslay
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charming and feisty Poppy Redfern stumbles into murder in this exciting new World War II historical mystery series from critically acclaimed author Tessa Arlen. In a remote English village, two popular women who are dating American servicemen are found strangled, and Poppy must team up with a pilot to unearth chilling secrets before she becomes the next victim.
-
-
Perfect! Can't Wait for More!
- By Meg on 12-17-19
By: Tessa Arlen
-
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted
- By: Robert Hillman
- Narrated by: Daniel Lapaine
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1968 in rural Australia and lonely Tom Hope can't make heads or tails of Hannah Babel. Newly arrived from Hungary, Hannah is unlike anyone he's ever met - she's passionate, artistic, and fiercely determined to open sleepy Hometown's first bookshop. Despite the fact that Tom has only read only one book in his life, the two soon discover an astonishing spark. Recently abandoned by an unfaithful wife - and still missing her sweet son, Peter - Tom dares to believe that he might make Hannah happy.
-
-
Listener beware
- By Little old lady from Iowa on 06-11-23
By: Robert Hillman
-
Pearl in a Cage
- By: Joy Dettman
- Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein
- Length: 20 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a balmy midsummer's evening in 1923, a young woman - foreign, dishevelled and heavily pregnant - is found unconscious just off the railway tracks in the tiny logging community of Woody Creek. The town midwife, Gertrude Foote, is roused from her bed when the woman is brought to her door. Try as she might, Gertrude is unable to save her, but the baby lives.
-
-
Pearl in a Cage
- By Verita on 06-16-17
By: Joy Dettman
-
Jane of Lantern Hill
- By: L.M. Montgomery
- Narrated by: Lauren Saunders
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as she can remember, Jane Stuart and her mother have lived with her controlling grandmother in a dreary mansion in Toronto. Jane always believed her father was dead, so she was shocked to receive an invitation to stay with him for the summer on Prince Edward Island. But from their very first meeting, Jane fell in love with her charming father and his whimsical cottage. During her stay with him, she even found herself daring to dream that there could be such a house back in Toronto.
-
-
Adore the book. The recording needs to be EDITED!
- By Island Girl on 06-17-20
By: L.M. Montgomery
-
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
- A Novel
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruby Lennox begins narrating her life at the moment of conception, and from there takes us on a whirlwind tour of the 20th century as seen through the eyes of an English girl determined to learn about her family and its secrets.
-
-
Another Kate Atkinson multi-generational story
- By Satisfied Customer on 11-08-18
By: Kate Atkinson
-
The Bermondsey Bookshop
- By: Mary Gibson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in 1920s London, this is the inspiring story of Kate Goss' struggle against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets. Her mother died in a fall, her father has vanished without trace, and now her aunt and cousins treat her viciously. In a freezing, vermin-infested garret, factory girl Kate has only her own brave spirit and dreams of finding her father to keep her going. She has barely enough money to feed herself, or to pay the rent. The factory where she works begins to lay off people and it isn't long before she has fallen into the hands of the violent local money-lender.
-
-
A glimpse into the past
- By Luci-Lu on 10-27-21
By: Mary Gibson
-
Autumn
- By: Ali Smith
- Narrated by: Melody Grove
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fusing Keatsian mists and mellow fruitfulness with the vitality, the immediacy, and the color hit of Pop Art, Autumn is a witty excavation of the present by the past. The novel is a stripped-branches take on popular culture and a meditation, in a world growing ever more bordered and exclusive, on what richness and worth are, what harvest means.
-
-
Incredible use of language
- By Mary on 03-06-17
By: Ali Smith
-
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
- By: Laura Ruby
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, it was supposed to be only temporary - just long enough for him to get back on his feet and be able to provide for them once again. That’s why Frankie's not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket. Now, Frankie and her sister, Toni, are abandoned alongside so many other orphans - two young, unwanted women doing everything they can to survive.
-
-
Boring, boring, boring
- By Marie J. on 08-20-21
By: Laura Ruby
-
The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir
- By: Lesley Allen
- Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biddy Weir is a quirky girl. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, and with a father who's not quite equipped for the challenges of modern parenting, Biddy lives in her own little world, happy to pass her time painting by the sea and watching the birds go by. That is, until she meets Alison Flemming. Because there are a few things about Biddy that aren't normal, you see. And Alison isn't afraid to point them out to the world. All of a sudden, Biddy's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. If only there was someone to convince her that, actually, everyone's a little bit weird....
-
-
The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir
- By George Criticos on 08-10-20
By: Lesley Allen
-
Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook
- A Novel
- By: Celia Rees
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World War II has just ended, and Britain has established the Control Commission for Germany, which oversees their zone of occupation. The Control Commission hires British civilians to work in Germany, rebuild the shattered nation, and prosecute war crimes. Somewhat aimless, bored with her job as a provincial schoolteacher, and unwilling to live with her overbearing mother any longer, 30-something Edith Graham applies for a job with the Commission - but she is also recruited by her cousin Leo, who is in the Secret Service.
-
-
Well written but sad
- By Jacque Crabtree on 06-02-22
By: Celia Rees
-
Summer
- By: Ali Smith
- Narrated by: Juliette Burton
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the exciting culmination of Ali Smith's celebrated Seasonal Quartet, a series of stand-alone novels, separate but interconnected (as the seasons are), wide-ranging in timescale and light-footed through histories.
-
-
terrific book, beautifully read.
- By Sasha on 02-07-21
By: Ali Smith
-
Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
-
-
Charming and Inspiring
- By David P on 09-05-22
By: Claire Keegan
-
All for Nothing
- By: Walter Kempowski, Anthea Bell - translator, Jenny Erpenbeck - introduction
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In East Prussia, January 1945, the German forces are in retreat, and the Red Army is approaching. The von Globig family's manor house, the Georgenhof, is falling into disrepair. Auntie runs the estate as best she can since Eberhard von Globig, a special officer in the German army, went to war, leaving behind his beautiful but vague wife, Katharina, and her bookish 12-year-old son, Peter. As the road fills with Germans fleeing the occupied territories, the Georgenhof begins to receive strange visitors - a Nazi violinist, a dissident painter, a Baltic baron, even a Jewish refugee.
-
-
All for Nothing
- By Lynn on 03-16-19
By: Walter Kempowski, and others
-
The Star of Kazan
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Ruth Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1896, in a pilgrim church in the Alps, an abandoned baby girl is found by a cook and a housemaid. They take her home, and Annika grows up in the servants' quarters of a house belonging to three eccentric Viennese professors. She is happy there but dreams of the day when her real mother will come to find her. One day a glamorous stranger arrives at the door.
-
-
not recommended for pleasure
- By SEE on 08-27-17
By: Eva Ibbotson
-
The Secret Orphan
- A historical novel full of secrets
- By: Glynis Peters
- Narrated by: Anna Cordell
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the Nazis’ relentless bombs fall during the Blitz of Coventry, six-year-old Rose Sherbourne finds herself orphaned and under the guardianship of a Cornish farmer's daughter, Elenor Cardew. Elenor knows that the only way to protect spirited Rose is to leave the city and make a new life for themselves away from harm. But soon Elenor discovers that Hitler’s firestorm is not the only thing she must fear when she learns a devastating secret about Rose....
-
-
Am I missing something?
- By Linda Suzuki on 12-05-19
By: Glynis Peters