
This Magnificent Dappled Sea
A Novel
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
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Cassandra Campbell
-
By:
-
David Biro
About this listen
Two strangers - generations and oceans apart - have a chance to save each other in this moving and suspenseful novel about family secrets and the ineffable connections that lead us to one another.
In a small Northern Italian village, nine-year-old Luca Taviano catches a stubborn cold and is subsequently diagnosed with leukemia. His only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant. After an exhaustive search, a match turns up three thousand miles away in the form of a most unlikely donor: Joseph Neiman, a rabbi in Brooklyn, New York, who is suffering from a debilitating crisis of faith. As Luca’s young nurse, Nina Vocelli, risks her career and races against time to help save the spirited redheaded boy, she uncovers terrible secrets from World War II - secrets that reveal how a Catholic child could have Jewish genes.
Can inheritance be transcended by accidents of love? That is the question at the heart of This Magnificent Dappled Sea, a novel that challenges the idea of identity and celebrates the ties that bind us together.
©2020 David Biro (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Broken Angels
- By: Gemma Liviero
- Narrated by: Nico Evers-Swindell, Emily Foster
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imprisoned in the Lodz Ghetto, Elsi discovers her mother's desperate attempt to end her pregnancy and comes face-to-face with the impossibility of their situation. Risking her own life, Elsi joins a resistance group to sabotage the regime. Blonde, blue-eyed Matilda is wrenched from her family in Romania and taken to Germany, where her captors attempt to mold her into the perfect Aryan child. Spirited and brave, she must inspire hope in the other stolen children to make her dreams of escape a reality.
-
-
Best Book I've Read in a Long Time
- By Aubrey on 09-07-16
By: Gemma Liviero
-
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
-
And the Bridge Is Love
- A Novel
- By: David Biro
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every week for twenty years, three friends meet in a leafy enclosure under the Verrazzano Bridge: Gertie, a feisty Norwegian divorcée and former athlete; Maria, a family-obsessed Italian American widow; and Corinna, a book-loving, hash-smoking eccentric. Together they sit and watch the sea as the ships - and the last years of their lives - sail by. On the eve of Gertie’s eightieth birthday, they realize that time is running out. Gertie decides she wants to travel the world. Maria secretly plots to reunite Gertie and Corinna with their estranged families. And Corinna falls in love.
-
-
Life as a Seniors
- By Karen Bell on 01-26-25
By: David Biro
-
A Fire Sparkling
- By: Julianne MacLean
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past..... Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past....
-
-
Wonderful.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-17-19
By: Julianne MacLean
-
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd, Jess Nahikian
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. Thrown away by her parents, and with a future as stable as the wooden crate she calls home, Molly survives day to day by her wits.
-
-
Great book if you can get past...
- By Kelly on 05-24-20
-
A Single Swallow
- By: Zhang Ling, Shelly Bryant - translator
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Adam Verner, Feodor Chin, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the day of the historic 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast - in which Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II - three men, flush with jubilation, made a pact. After their deaths, each year on the anniversary of the broadcast, their souls would return to the Chinese village of their younger days. Now, seventy years later, the pledge is being fulfilled by American missionary Pastor Billy, brash gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and local soldier Liu Zhaohu. All that’s missing is Ah Yan - also known as Swallow.
-
-
A Must-Read
- By 20eagle16 on 05-13-21
By: Zhang Ling, and others
-
Broken Angels
- By: Gemma Liviero
- Narrated by: Nico Evers-Swindell, Emily Foster
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imprisoned in the Lodz Ghetto, Elsi discovers her mother's desperate attempt to end her pregnancy and comes face-to-face with the impossibility of their situation. Risking her own life, Elsi joins a resistance group to sabotage the regime. Blonde, blue-eyed Matilda is wrenched from her family in Romania and taken to Germany, where her captors attempt to mold her into the perfect Aryan child. Spirited and brave, she must inspire hope in the other stolen children to make her dreams of escape a reality.
-
-
Best Book I've Read in a Long Time
- By Aubrey on 09-07-16
By: Gemma Liviero
-
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
-
And the Bridge Is Love
- A Novel
- By: David Biro
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every week for twenty years, three friends meet in a leafy enclosure under the Verrazzano Bridge: Gertie, a feisty Norwegian divorcée and former athlete; Maria, a family-obsessed Italian American widow; and Corinna, a book-loving, hash-smoking eccentric. Together they sit and watch the sea as the ships - and the last years of their lives - sail by. On the eve of Gertie’s eightieth birthday, they realize that time is running out. Gertie decides she wants to travel the world. Maria secretly plots to reunite Gertie and Corinna with their estranged families. And Corinna falls in love.
-
-
Life as a Seniors
- By Karen Bell on 01-26-25
By: David Biro
-
A Fire Sparkling
- By: Julianne MacLean
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past..... Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past....
-
-
Wonderful.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-17-19
By: Julianne MacLean
-
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd, Jess Nahikian
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. Thrown away by her parents, and with a future as stable as the wooden crate she calls home, Molly survives day to day by her wits.
-
-
Great book if you can get past...
- By Kelly on 05-24-20
-
A Single Swallow
- By: Zhang Ling, Shelly Bryant - translator
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Adam Verner, Feodor Chin, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the day of the historic 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast - in which Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II - three men, flush with jubilation, made a pact. After their deaths, each year on the anniversary of the broadcast, their souls would return to the Chinese village of their younger days. Now, seventy years later, the pledge is being fulfilled by American missionary Pastor Billy, brash gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and local soldier Liu Zhaohu. All that’s missing is Ah Yan - also known as Swallow.
-
-
A Must-Read
- By 20eagle16 on 05-13-21
By: Zhang Ling, and others
-
Across the Winding River
- By: Aimie K. Runyan
- Narrated by: Kathleen Gati, Lisa Flanagan, Michael Crouch
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the months she has left with her elderly father, Max. His only request of his daughter is to go through the long-forgotten box of memorabilia from his days as a medic on the western front. Then, among his wartime souvenirs, Beth finds a photograph of her father with an adoring and beautiful stranger - a photograph worth a thousand questions.
-
-
Great story
- By evielynn on 10-04-20
By: Aimie K. Runyan
-
Sing, Wild Bird, Sing
- A Novel
- By: Jacqueline O'Mahony
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1849 on the west coast of Ireland. Resilient Honora O’Donoghue is accustomed to fending for herself and to reading the language of the natural world. It was always said she’d been marked for something different, but it’s not until she suffers devastating losses in a country gripped by the Famine that Honora begins to understand how that difference will save her. With the hope of a better life in America calling, Honora keeps moving toward her freedom.
-
-
Beautifully written and narrated
- By Grace B. Monroe on 11-07-23
-
When We Were Young & Brave
- A Novel
- By: Hazel Gaynor
- Narrated by: Rosie Jones, Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
China, December 1941. Having left an unhappy life in England for a teaching post at a missionary school in northern China, Elspeth Kent is now anxious to return home to help the war effort. But as she prepares to leave China, a terrible twist of fate determines a different path for Elspeth, and those in her charge. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School, protected by her British status.
-
-
heart wrenching And inspiring!!
- By Justin Drogoszewski on 11-22-20
By: Hazel Gaynor
-
Penelope in Retrograde
- A Novel
- By: Brooke Abrams
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Romance writer Penelope Banks can write the perfect love story, but when it comes to family, all she’s got is a rough draft. Penny shelved the idea of fitting in with her high-achieving family years ago, but when her new business venture—a romance bookstore—is at risk of closing before its doors have opened, she’s forced to ask for help from the one place she never expected. Home.
-
-
Hallmark movie
- By n on 11-27-23
By: Brooke Abrams
-
A Splendid Ruin
- A Novel
- By: Megan Chance
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mesmerizing novel of dark family secrets and a young woman’s rise and revenge set against the backdrop of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
-
-
Long story
- By Lori Sang on 01-20-21
By: Megan Chance
-
The Last Correspondent
- By: Soraya M. Lane
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When journalist Ella Franks is unmasked as a woman writing under a male pseudonym, she loses her job. But having risked everything to write, she refuses to be silenced and leaps at the chance to become a correspondent in war-torn France. Already entrenched in the thoroughly male arena of war reporting is feisty American photojournalist Danni Bradford. Together with her best friend and partner, Andy, she is determined to cover the events unfolding in Normandy. And to discover the whereabouts of Andy’s sister, who has followed a lover into the French Resistance.
-
-
Trite!
- By Karen Ericksen on 02-18-21
By: Soraya M. Lane
-
A Day Like This
- A Novel
- By: Kelley McNeil
- Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Cobb
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie Beyers has everything - a beautiful house, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter. It’s a day like any other when she takes Hannah to the pediatrician…until she wakes hours later from a car accident. When she asks for her daughter, confused doctors tell Annie that Hannah never existed. In fact, nothing after waking from the crash is the same as Annie remembers. Five happy years of her life apparently never happened.
-
-
Great writing and narration
- By Anonymous User on 11-29-21
By: Kelley McNeil
-
Honeysuckle Season
- By: Mary Ellen Taylor
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrift in the wake of her father's death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it's also a distraction from her profound pain. When asked to photograph a wedding at the historic Woodmont estate, Libby meets the owner, Elaine Grant. Hoping to open Woodmont to the public, Elaine has employed young widower Colton Reese to help restore the grounds and asks Libby to photograph the process.
-
-
Eh... average, I guess
- By Kimberly on 09-05-20
-
The Last Rose of Shanghai
- A Novel
- By: Weina Dai Randel
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers. He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi. When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club, her defiance of custom causes a sensation. His instant fame makes Aiyi’s club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai. Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz - but their differences seem insurmountable....
-
-
Soapy but fun
- By Padders- Padmini Sankar on 12-14-21
By: Weina Dai Randel
-
Courage, My Love
- By: Kristin Beck
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Nazi occupation of Rome begins, two courageous young women are plunged deep into the Italian Resistance to fight for their freedom in this captivating debut novel.
-
-
If this is ms. Becks debut novel then she should have a very successful career
- By paula wright on 07-07-21
By: Kristin Beck
-
A Train to Moscow
- A Novel
- By: Elena Gorokhova
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a small, provincial town behind the Iron Curtain, Sasha lives in a house full of secrets, one of which is her own dream of becoming an actress. When she leaves for Moscow to audition for drama school, she defies her mother and grandparents and abandons her first love, Andrei. Before she leaves, Sasha discovers the hidden war journal of her uncle Kolya, an artist still missing in action years after the war has ended. His pages expose the official lies and the forbidden truth of Stalin’s brutality.
-
-
Impressive from start to finish
- By brian on 03-02-22
By: Elena Gorokhova
-
The Clockmaker's Daughter
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor in rural Oxfordshire. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins. Over 150 years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items.
-
-
The Clockmaker's Daughter
- By KBoat on 10-21-18
By: Kate Morton
Critic reviews
"Plenty of heart and compassion. Biro’s ambitious dive into the mysteries of family origins will move readers." --Publishers Weekly
"Physician and author Biro examines the secrets that people carry and how they shape and distort the ways one sees the world. A story of interconnection and the boundaries that too often keep us apart." --Booklist
"This Magnificent Dappled Sea by David Biro is a deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that both entertains and provokes thoughtful reflection. The kind of literary work that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf." --Midwest Book Review
What listeners say about This Magnificent Dappled Sea
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sally Sue
- 04-06-22
Touching story
I enjoyed Luca's story and learning more about what happened to Jews in Italy during WWII. I didn't care for the parts about abortion, and I did feel at times there were some slightly anti Catholic and Christian subtleties that I didn't like. The ending was just ok.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NAP13
- 03-02-24
loved the story
dissapointrd woth the ending. frlt a bit rushed compared to the detail of the beginning and middle.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pat Garrett
- 09-13-21
Will grab your heart…
This was a slow starter - thought at first I was wasting my time. However, once getting into the meat of the story I had a hard time putting it down. You will not forget Luca, Nina and Joseph. Cassandra Campbell was the perfect narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carol Toler
- 04-21-21
Unforgettable
I loved the way the author weaved these rich, diverse characters together in a multi-layered story. I can’t stop thinking about the places and the people. Loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jen K
- 07-25-22
So much potential
I loved the first part of this book, but the ending just fell flat for me. The narration was great, and the story kept my interest until the last hour or so, then it felt like it just rambled without adding anything to the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ak47
- 12-11-20
Wonderful
Loved this story. The narrator captured each character and had me hanging on every word. This is a wonderful story. Kudos to the author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DQwannaB
- 04-25-21
Truly fantastic
What a wonderful riveting story. I highly recommended, even if you don't care for historical aspects normally.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura H.
- 07-02-22
Heartwarming tale full of surprises
This story is about a boy’s life story in Italy. It starts out serious as he battles a life-threatening illness but his family origin is speculated upon as his life unfolds. The innocence and imagination of this young boy is woven with the dangers of a serious illness. His relationship with his nurse, who helped him to battle this illness, often tells the story as his life unfolds. Definitely a worthwhile listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cathy
- 11-08-20
It could have been 5 stars
This book had me enthralled for the first three quarters but then petered out. The story just sort of faded away with no difinitive ending. I was disappointed as it had started out showing promise of being an outstanding story. Cassandra Campbell was excellent, as always.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
38 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- mamasophie
- 04-23-21
Magnificent storytelling from David Biro
David Biro's "This Magnificent Dappled Sea" sheds light on a lesser known chapter of history and how one event can forever change lives. Well developed characters and a masterful narrator make it unforgettable.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!