-
Waiting to Begin
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
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 $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: what would you risk for a shot at happiness?
1984. Bessie is a confident sixteen-year-old girl with the world at her feet, dreaming of what life will bring and what she’ll bring to this life. Then everything comes crashing down. Her bright and trusting smile is lost, banished by shame - and a secret she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life.
2021. The last thirty-seven years have not been easy for Bess. At fifty-three she is visibly weary, and her marriage to Mario is in tatters. Watching her son in newlywed bliss - the hope, the trust, the joy - Bess knows it is time to face her own demons, and try to save her relationship. But she’ll have to throw off the burden of shame if she is to honour that sixteen-year-old girl whose dreams lie frozen in time.
Can Bess face her past, finally come clean to Mario, and claim the love she has longed to fully experience all these years?
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
An Ordinary Life
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body - but her mind is alive with memories. London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice.
-
-
Captivating story
- By RB on 05-30-21
By: Amanda Prowse
-
To Love and Be Loved
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbors. It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was.
-
-
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but…..😬
- By Jeannette or Carl Zeiler on 03-07-22
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Things I Know
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thomasina "Hitch" Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B. But she also wants more. To see the world. To own her own home. To fall madly in love. But those are fairy tales, and if her life is a fairy tale, then she’s the ugly duckling. Her deformed lip, her crooked limbs and her weak heart have kept her from taking chances. But that’s about to change. When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met.
-
-
This story was lovely.
- By Anonymous on 06-16-24
By: Amanda Prowse
-
Picking up the Pieces
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Nora and her British Army officer husband, Gordy, pack up yet another home and leave the sun of Cyprus for the drizzle of England, she can’t shake a feeling of regret—at her failure to follow her own dreams, but also, if she’s honest, at having ended up an officer’s wife at all, drifting through a life of temporary homes and temporary relationships.
-
-
Mixed feelings…
- By K. Laubach on 06-22-23
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Day She Came Back
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient - she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim's funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead. As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.
-
-
The perfect non-romantic down-to-earth heart-breaking novel
- By Parents of three on 07-13-21
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Light in the Hallway
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nick’s wife Kerry falls ill and dies, he realises for the first time how fragile his happiness has always been, and how much he’s been taking his good life and wonderful family for granted. Now, he suddenly finds himself navigating parenthood alone, unsure how to deal with his own grief, let alone that of his teenage son, Olly.
-
-
Lovely story and narration
- By Beth B on 02-25-20
By: Amanda Prowse
-
An Ordinary Life
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body - but her mind is alive with memories. London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice.
-
-
Captivating story
- By RB on 05-30-21
By: Amanda Prowse
-
To Love and Be Loved
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbors. It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was.
-
-
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but…..😬
- By Jeannette or Carl Zeiler on 03-07-22
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Things I Know
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thomasina "Hitch" Waycott loves living and working on the remote family farm and B&B. But she also wants more. To see the world. To own her own home. To fall madly in love. But those are fairy tales, and if her life is a fairy tale, then she’s the ugly duckling. Her deformed lip, her crooked limbs and her weak heart have kept her from taking chances. But that’s about to change. When Grayson Potts comes to stay, he’s unlike anyone Thomasina has ever met.
-
-
This story was lovely.
- By Anonymous on 06-16-24
By: Amanda Prowse
-
Picking up the Pieces
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Nora and her British Army officer husband, Gordy, pack up yet another home and leave the sun of Cyprus for the drizzle of England, she can’t shake a feeling of regret—at her failure to follow her own dreams, but also, if she’s honest, at having ended up an officer’s wife at all, drifting through a life of temporary homes and temporary relationships.
-
-
Mixed feelings…
- By K. Laubach on 06-22-23
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Day She Came Back
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient - she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim's funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead. As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.
-
-
The perfect non-romantic down-to-earth heart-breaking novel
- By Parents of three on 07-13-21
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Light in the Hallway
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nick’s wife Kerry falls ill and dies, he realises for the first time how fragile his happiness has always been, and how much he’s been taking his good life and wonderful family for granted. Now, he suddenly finds himself navigating parenthood alone, unsure how to deal with his own grief, let alone that of his teenage son, Olly.
-
-
Lovely story and narration
- By Beth B on 02-25-20
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Art of Hiding
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nina McCarrick has it all: a loving husband, two beautiful boys, a well-appointed home and more time than she knows what to do with. Life is perfect. Until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.
-
-
The Art of Hiding
- By barbara on 11-27-19
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Girl in the Corner
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling. Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years.
-
-
excellent
- By Stephania Barthel on 01-04-19
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Idea of You
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With her 40th birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter dares to hope that she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn't be more perfect. But the reality of becoming parents proves much harder than Lucy and Jonah imagined. Jonah's love and support is unquestioning, but as Lucy struggles with work and her own failing dreams, the strain on their marriage increases. Suddenly it feels like Lucy is close to losing everything...
-
-
Heartfelt but Not My Cup of Tea
- By Steph's Romance Book Talk on 11-29-18
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Coordinates of Loss
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Rachel Croft wakes up on her family’s boat in Bermuda, it’s to sunshine and yet another perfect day…until she goes to wake her seven-year-old son, Oscar. Because the worst thing imaginable has happened. He isn’t there. In the dark and desperate days that follow, Rachel struggles to navigate her grief. And while her husband, James, wants them to face the tragedy together, Rachel feels that the life they once shared is over.
-
-
LOVELY AND TRAGIC
- By Kindle Customer on 04-23-24
By: Amanda Prowse
-
My Husband's Wife
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a week Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings. She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the North Devon cliffs and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters and her house by the sea. But then her husband unexpectedly leaves her for another woman and takes the children. Now she must ask the question: what is left in her life? Can Rosie find the strength to rebuild herself? More importantly, does she even want to?
-
-
Narrated by the author,. . .
- By Kelly on 01-23-17
By: Amanda Prowse
-
How to Fall In Love Again
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Carolyn Bonnyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kitty Montrose is packing up her house and the memories that go with it. Under this roof, she's seen her children grow up, her grandchildren arrive, and her marriage come and go. Kitty knows better than most that the twists and turns of life can bring joy, despair and everything in between. But when she was a little girl, she had hoped for more. She dreamed of finding her true soul mate. Someone to laugh with, cry with and share her twilight years.
-
-
Finally I Found My New Favorite Author!
- By Retail Therapist on 12-30-20
By: Amanda Prowse
-
The Food of Love
- By: Amanda Prowse
- Narrated by: Amanda Prowse
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya Braithwaite knows she is lucky. Nineteen years of marriage to a man who still warms her soul and two beautiful teenage daughters to show for it: confident Charlotte and thoughtful Lexi. Her home is filled with love and laughter. But when Lexi's struggles with weight take control of her life, everything Freya once took for granted falls apart, leaving the whole family with a sense of helplessness that can only be confronted with understanding, unity and, above all, love.
-
-
Powerful and emotional
- By Beth B on 03-04-20
By: Amanda Prowse
-
Reluctantly Home
- By: Imogen Clark
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pip Appleby seems to have it all, with her prestigious job as a human rights lawyer and her enviable London home. But then a tragic accident stops her life in its tracks, and in an instant everything changes. Retreating to her family’s rural farm and the humble origins she has been trying to hide, Pip is haunted by what she has done. When she discovers the diary of actress Evelyn Mountcastle in a box of old books, Pip revels in the opportunity to lose herself in someone else’s life rather than focus on the disaster that is her own. But soon she sees parallels....
-
-
Special reads
- By Kindle Customer on 09-21-21
By: Imogen Clark
-
The Night of Many Endings
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Almarie Guerra, Janet Metzger, Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned at a young age and witness to her brother’s decline into addiction, Nora Martinez has every excuse to question the fairness of life. Instead, the openhearted librarian in the small Colorado community of Silver Ridge sees only promise. She holds on to the hope that she’ll be reunited with her missing brother and does what she can at the town library. It’s her home away from home, but it’s also a sanctuary for others who, like her brother, could use a second chance.
-
-
so lovely
- By LindaMercury on 10-26-21
By: Melissa Payne
-
Beyond the Moonlit Sea
- A Novel
- By: Julianne MacLean
- Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Graham Halstead, Reba Buhr
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Olivia Hamilton is married to the love of her life, Dean, a charismatic pilot who flies private jets for the rich and famous. But when he vanishes over the Bermuda Triangle, Olivia’s idyllic existence unravels. After years of waiting, Olivia must eventually let go of the fragile hope that her beloved husband might still be alive.
-
-
Fantastic book! Loved it!
- By Tasha Lynn on 07-05-22
By: Julianne MacLean
-
A Spanish Sunrise
- A Novel
- By: Boo Walker
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adjusting to the death of his wife hasn’t been easy on Baxter Shaw—or on their eight-year-old daughter, Mia. Baxter has left his band and abandoned his dreams to focus on being a single father, but it’s not enough: Mia’s exhibiting escalating behavioral problems. And neither has been able to face the past head-on...until the past reaches out to them. After surprising results from a DNA test, Baxter and Mia journey to southeastern Spain to connect with their mysterious roots.
-
-
The Spanish sunrise
- By Cathy Hoffman on 08-30-22
By: Boo Walker
-
Impossible To Forget
- By: Imogen Clark
- Narrated by: Bronwen Price
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just turned eighteen, Romany is on the cusp of taking her first steps into adulthood when tragedy strikes, and she finds herself suddenly alone without her mother, Angie, the only parent she has ever known. In her final letter, Angie has charged her four closest friends with guiding Romany through her last year of school—but is there an ulterior motive to her unusual dying wish? Each of the four guardians possesses an outlook on life that Angie wants to give her daughter as a legacy.
-
-
Rather Boring...
- By M. Hutton on 08-05-22
By: Imogen Clark
What listeners say about Waiting to Begin
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Annette McGill
- 06-12-21
another great book by Amanda Prowse
loved it! listened strait thru on audible. couldn't stop listening! One of her best stories....
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sandy
- 07-15-21
very enjoyable
I absolutely enjoyed it. captivating. I would love a sequel. Amanda Prowse is a terrific author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sonogirl
- 11-15-21
A really great and true to life story
I really connected with Bessie and her adult life. This is a true to life, heartwarming story of the kind of damage that can happen as a teen that you carry with you through adulthood. The author was the perfect person to read this story!! Beautifully narrated! 10 stars.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J Tate
- 03-21-22
Overall a good boik
The story line was a little slow at times but I still enjoyed the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 08-15-21
Absolutely Brilliant
Thank you . Thank you. Thank you for writing such a wonderful story. It's shot right up to the top of now being one of my two favorite books of my life. listening to you read your own story made it all the better. Bravo. Well done! And Bloody Brilliant! Touched my life. my heart and my soul in all the right places. I do so hope and pray for the next part to come to life and light.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brenda Martin
- 01-22-23
A very moving story
A story that’s written in a very relatable & plausible way about how a day in your life can change your whole trajectory. It’s about secrecy and the strong loving bonds of family. It takes you on emotional journey, with a satisfying ending.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 09-09-21
Amanda Prowse never disappoints
Amanda Prowse's books often deal with painful and difficult subjects, but they are dealt with so beautifully that they make me feel more connected to the rest of humanity and less alone. She has become, within just a few years, my favorite author of all time. I look forward to reading or listening to anything of hers. This book was as good as the rest. The characters are imperfect humans just like the rest of us and I am in awe of the author's ability to keep creating such vivid female characters.
Thank you Amanda Prowse for your lovely stories. They bring me hope for myself and others.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vanessa Y
- 07-24-21
Loved, Loved, Loved this book!
I love all of Amanda Prowse’s books. She is a great author & narrator. I love that she narrates her own books, because who other than the author would know where & how to put emotions in certain places. The characters are always so developed that u feel u know them. The emotions of how a character is feeling is so well articulated that I’m either crying or laughing with them, to me that makes a good book. But whether listening or reading it myself, Amanda Prowse writes great books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CMV
- 07-19-21
Sweet Story
I finished this book in just a few days. I thought some parts were sad, and I found myself identifying with how Bessie felt about her marriage in general. This story really kept my attention, and I wanted to see how it ended. I liked the ending and felt like this was one of the better books I’ve listened to lately.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SuzieQ
- 12-31-21
Touching
Wonderful story. I enjoyed all the highs and lows of the family dynamics, the friendship between Bessie & Michelle. I also found the characters very believable. it was easy to laugh and cry with them.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!