The Velvet Hours
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Narrated by:
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Tavia Gilbert
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Kate Reading
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By:
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Alyson Richman
About this listen
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young Frenchwoman closes the door to her late grandmother's treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she'll ever return.
An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian had cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter, Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe's tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path.
Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother's legacy behind to save all that she loves.
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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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Freud's Mistress
- By: Karen Mack, Jennifer Kaufman
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In this sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal - between a husband and a wife, between sisters - fact and fiction seamlessly blend together, creating a compelling portrait of an unforgettable woman and her struggle to reconcile her love for her sister with her obsessive desire for her sister's husband, the mythic father of psychoanalysis.
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What a Super Ego
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By: Karen Mack, and others
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Silver Wattle
- By: Belinda Alexandra
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In fear for their lives after the sudden death of their mother, Adéla and Klára must flee Prague to find refuge with their uncle in Australia. Later, Adéla becomes a film director at a time when the local industry is starting to feel the competition from Hollywood. But even while success is imminent, the issues of family and an impossible love are never far away.
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Groan, Snore and Wince!
- By OrangeWisteria on 02-12-12
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The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre
- By: Dominic Smith
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In this luminous novel, Dominic Smith reinvents the life of one of photography's founding fathers. In 1839, Louis Daguerre's invention took the world by storm. A decade later, he is sinking deep into delusions brought on by exposure to mercury, the very agent that allowed his daguerreotype process. Believing the world will end within one year, he creates his "Doomsday List", 10 items he must photograph before the final day. It includes a woman he has always loved but has not seen in half a century.
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Dud
- By Deborah on 01-31-08
By: Dominic Smith
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The Magnolia Palace
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- By: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
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Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
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This isn't my favorite but entertaining
- By Linda on 02-01-22
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Everlasting
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Catherine Eliot was born to a world of privilege and prestige, with a family whose last name and vast fortune provide her with access to almost anything she could wish for. But what Catherine craves most is independence. So while her friends settle into comfortable lives financed by doting parents and indulgent husbands, she moves to New York City, determined to make it on her own. Taking a demanding job in a bustling flower shop, she works hard and learns the trade until, with courage and determination, she’s able to open Blooms, an exclusive floral boutique on the Upper East Side.
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decent book
- By Amazon Customer on 10-10-20
By: Nancy Thayer
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The Gown
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From the internationally best-selling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the 20th century - Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown - and the fascinating women who made it.
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Such a disappointment...
- By Cynthia in NoCO on 05-12-19
By: Jennifer Robson
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Three Souls
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- Unabridged
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We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this.... So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls - stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun - who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.
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Very different but compelling point of view.
- By Kevin Wickline on 06-08-23
By: Janie Chang
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Grand Central
- Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion
- By: Melanie Benjamin, Amanda Hodgkinson, Pam Jenoff, and others
- Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer
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- Unabridged
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On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City's Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.
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Grand Central: Memories
- By ZacharyKindle Customer on 05-03-17
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The Red Address Book
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The global fiction sensation - published in 32 countries around the world: Meet Doris, a 96-year-old woman living alone in her Stockholm apartment. She has few visitors, but her weekly Skype calls with Jenny - her American grandniece, and her only relative - give her great joy and remind her of her own youth. In writing down the stories of her colorful past - working as a maid in Sweden, modelling in Paris during the '30s, fleeing to Manhattan at the dawn of the Second World War - she may help Jenny, haunted by a difficult childhood, unlock the secrets of their family....
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narrator was overwrought
- By Janet L. Hamilton on 02-22-19
By: Sofia Lundberg, and others
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Claude & Camille
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In the mid-19th century, a young man named Claude Monet decided that he would rather endure a difficult life painting landscapes than take over his fathers nautical supplies business in a French seaside town. Against his fathers will, and with nothing but a dream and an insatiable urge to create a new style of art that repudiated the Classical Realism of the time, he set off for Paris.
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As a painter
- By janice hedwall on 03-08-16
By: Stephanie Cowell
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What listeners say about The Velvet Hours
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-22-21
Wow
Just wow! Could not stop listening!! Amazing historical fiction incredible detail!! I felt like I was there!
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- Caroline Colorado
- 05-26-21
Time capsule in Paris
As I was reading I thought about the apartment left in Paris... 1940... before the war. The photos were all over the news. I was fascinated as to why... and what the real story was. This books tells a fictional story ... about this possibility ...beautifully. I enjoyed it!
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- V. K.
- 05-11-21
Great Story
The story of the characters was a beautiful picture of the lives of two generations of women. Really enjoyed it and look forward to discovering other novels by this author.
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- Mona-Alisa
- 10-18-20
The Velvet Hours
I almost gave up, but I'm glad I finished the book. I found the beginning promising, but I soon tired of the sumptuous lifestyle description of the protagonist. How many chapters does one necessitate to get the point of the opulence of the Belle Epochs period? Maybe that’s a personal issue because I am a student of the history of fashion.
When the book moves forward, it was very good. I enjoyed the relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter. The story became very compelling, and I looked forward to listening.
I look forward to trying another book by Alyson Richman.
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- D34DGoth
- 09-17-20
Completely enchanted and mesmerized by this talented author.
Now, this is one of my top favorite books and audibles. I am so smitten over this novel and will recommend and come back to read/listen to it time and time again. The attention to detail is simply stunning and paints such an exquisite picture. The elegancy, charm, fashion, demeanor, language, grace, charisma, has me so nostalgic and mesmerized. This was like traveling back in time to a period much more lovely and interesting... devoured this novel in two days and am now going to find something else by this amazing author.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-18-22
Ehhhhh
I love WW2 set novels and have read some amazing ones, but this one didn’t quite do it for me. I didn’t think there was enough drama, or build up. I also felt the ending used characters that weren’t really found in the book as a whole and that was kind of confusing to me. Overall I’d give it 3 stars.
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- MaMa24
- 12-21-22
Beautifully woven stoy
This is a beautiful story of a unique woman in a troubled time in history. So many beautiful stories can be found all over history. This is an inspired story I'm glad I stumbled upon!
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- Dana
- 08-26-22
UGH...
Too long and tedious. I hate to not finish a book and endured until the end. But, not as good as The Lost Wife.
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- S Broussard
- 04-12-23
Wonderfully moving
A hauntingly beautiful story of a difficult time in our history. Perfectly narrated. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to experience the tumultuous times of WWII.
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- Jennifer Erickson
- 04-08-23
Excellent Story
Taken in quickly and easily- very well written and narrated! I love how it’s a grandmother telling her stories to her granddaughter
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