Lo vaianS
- 13
- reviews
- 3
- helpful votes
- 19
- ratings
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Us
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: Justin Salinger
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,813
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,636
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,631
Douglas Petersen’s family is on the brink of dissolution. His marriage of twenty-one years to Connie is almost over. When autumn comes around, their son Albie will leave for college. Connie has decided to leave soon after. But before everything falls apart, there's still the summer holidays to get through - a Grand Tour of Europe's major cities - and over the course of the journey, Douglas devises a plan to win back the love of his wife and repair his troubled relationship with his son.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great Story but….
- By lou58 on 13-10-14
- Us
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: Justin Salinger
An honest take on middle age divorce
Reviewed: 14-10-24
I think I'm getting addicted to David Nicholls' style of writing, it's so honest and up front. I have a feeling I'm going to read all of his books, pick them off one at a time. I identified with the family's romp around Europe, having attempted something similar with my teenage daughters and I can't wait to get travelling again... inevitably without them in the future. His wife and son were very difficult to like. A good quality and unpredictable read.
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Flowers for Algernon
- By: Daniel Keyes
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,932
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,721
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,725
Charlie Gordon, a floor sweeper born with an unusually low IQ, has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that doctors hope will increase his intelligence - a procedure that has been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon. All Charlie wants is to be smart and have friends, but the treatment turns him into a genius. Then Algernon begins to fade. What will become of Charlie? Read by Adam Sims.
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5 out of 5 stars
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He may forget himself but you never will
- By Kaggy on 05-09-17
- Flowers for Algernon
- By: Daniel Keyes
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
Clever
Reviewed: 04-10-24
Read the beginning, listened to the middle, read the end - had to really, because the author conveyed intelligence through spelling and syntax and I would have missed it all in the audiobook version. This book was obviously well researched and I found myself subconsciously measuring my own intelligence by my capacity to understand what was going on. The author was clever at conveying the rise and deterioration of Charlie's mind, but did I enjoy it? Not sure. Was I supposed to "enjoy" it? Not sure about that either, but maybe that wasn't the aim of the book. The overall mood was depressing, but it did provide food for thought.
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You Are Here
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: Lydia Leonard, Lee Ingleby
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,895
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,847
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,847
Marnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that increasingly feels like it's passing her by. Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship. But can it survive the journey?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great performances, such a funny and touching story
- By Clare M. on 01-05-24
- You Are Here
- By: David Nicholls
- Narrated by: Lydia Leonard, Lee Ingleby
It captures loneliness and social isolation
Reviewed: 20-09-24
In the hands of the right director (I'm thinking Joe Wright), with sensitive casting and spectacular cinematography, this book could become a quintessentially British film, capturing the wonderful tone of the countryside and its people.
But in the meantime we have the book, effortlessly well written (no padding!), a simple but gripping plot that made you feel like you were trudging along with Michael and Marnie in the rain and gloom.
It felt like a snapshot of today, with our overuse of technology, materialism, inability to communicate and deal with the current epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.
The performance was excellent too.
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The Secret Keeper
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Kathryn Drysdale
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
1961. On a sweltering summer’s day, while her family picnics by the stream on their Suffolk farm, 16-year-old Laurel hides out in her childhood tree house, dreaming of the bright future she can’t wait to seize. But before the idyllic afternoon is over, Laurel will have witnessed a shocking crime that changes everything. 2011. Now a much-loved actress, Laurel finds herself overwhelmed by shades of the past. Haunted by memories and the mystery of what she saw that day, she returns to her family home and begins to piece together a tale of three strangers from vastly different worlds.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful
- By Anonymous User on 09-10-24
- The Secret Keeper
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Kathryn Drysdale
An intriguing war story
Reviewed: 14-09-24
This was a great story, but it could have been told in a third of the time. I'm probably a victim of my times and have become an impatient reader, so padding is annoying and I read the end half way through :) Having said that Kate Morton is an amazing story teller and did what she does best brilliantly. I felt I was taken places and was lost in time, which is exactly what I want from a great book.
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2 people found this helpful
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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
- By: Gabrielle Zevin
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
A.J. Fikry, the grumpy owner of Island Books, is going through a hard time: his bookshop is failing, he has lost his beloved wife, and his prized possession - a rare first edition book has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. But one day A.J. finds two-year-old Maya sitting on the bookshop floor, with a note attached to her asking the owner to look after her. His life - and Maya's - is changed forever.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A cozy read
- By Anonymous User on 25-11-24
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
- By: Gabrielle Zevin
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
An unexpected love story
Reviewed: 30-08-24
I had to speed up the narration as it was a little slow and melodramatic, but also calming. The love story was refreshing because it was unusual. Possibly it was a little too saccharine in places, but give me too sweet over too violent any day. Are people who enjoy books more knowledgeable than those who don't? I certainly don't think so, but possibly the author does? Yes, I recommend reading this book, it was beautifully written.
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The House in the Cerulean Sea
- By: TJ Klune
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,445
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,301
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,302
Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At 40, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages. Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Couldn’t stop listening
- By Amazon Customer on 09-04-22
- The House in the Cerulean Sea
- By: TJ Klune
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
Absurd, positively so
Reviewed: 27-08-24
Reviewers describe it as "a big hug", that sounded exactly what I needed and it doesn't disappoint. Although not my genre at all, it is sprinkled with magical moments and has a clear, strong message throughout. It is absurd, but positively so and leaves you also wanting to find your own Cerulean Sea. Highly recommended. Narrator excellent (loved his choice of voices)
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A Month in the Country
- By: J L Carr
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 49
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
A damaged survivor of the First World War, Tom Birkin finds refuge in the quiet village church of Oxgodby where he is to spend the summer uncovering a huge medieval wall-painting. Immersed in the peace and beauty of the countryside and the unchanging rhythms of village life he experiences a sense of renewal and belief in the future. Now an old man, Birkin looks back on the idyllic summer of 1920, remembering a vanished place of blissful calm, untouched by change, a precious moment he has carried with him through the disappointments of the years.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful
- By Amazon Customer on 27-11-24
- A Month in the Country
- By: J L Carr
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
Pure escapism
Reviewed: 20-08-24
Catapulted into an idyllic English summer after the great war. A simple story that unreeled so much more in its quiet telling. Sensitive narration by an excellent Alex Jennings. This, for me, was the perfect book, a classic, a favourite.
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Beartown
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,084
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 991
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 989
Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest. For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together - or pulls them apart. Its isolation means that Beartown has been slowly shrinking with each passing year. But now the town is on the verge of an astonishing revival. A bright new future is just around the corner. Until the day it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act. It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Learnt a lot about ice hockey!
- By elaine blaus on 01-09-17
- Beartown
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: John Sackville
Brilliant
Reviewed: 17-08-24
Knew it would be good, but it was even better than expected. Backman certainly knows how to tell a story and the nuances of human nature.
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Water for Elephants
- By: Sara Gruen
- Narrated by: David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 340
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 312
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 311
Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. In the Depression era, Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers' "Most Spectacular Show on Earth". There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world: Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus' animal trainer); and Rosie, the seemingly untrainable elephant Jacob cares for.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A great story
- By Cath on 25-08-18
- Water for Elephants
- By: Sara Gruen
- Narrated by: David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones
The Greatest Show on Earth
Reviewed: 09-08-24
Great story, great tempo, brilliant narration. I particularly enjoyed the character portrayals and details. You could almost smell the circus.
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Tom Lake
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,147
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,084
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,083
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Lovely story
- By Anonymous User on 13-08-23
- Tom Lake
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
Wonderful Meryl Streep
Reviewed: 21-07-24
It's such a joy and a privilege to listen to Meryl Streep read an audiobook! The story itself was beautiful in its simplicity and worth holding out until the end.
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