Blue Willow

De: Deborah Smith

Narrado por: Kymberly Dakin

There had always been MacKenzies and Colebrooks on the land known as Blue Willow, their histories entangled like the graceful branches of the rare willow tress that thrived there. Artemas Colebrook and Lily MacKenzie shared more than that history, their souls bound to each other and to the land the day the boy held tiny Lily minutes after her birth. But the tragedy that has brought Lily back to the small farm where she spent her childhood has also made Artemas's brothers and sisters her bitter enemies. Torn between family loyalties and their shared sense of destiny, Artemas and Lily must come to terms with a childhood devotion that has turned to bittersweet desire, a passion that could destroy all they have struggled for - even Blue Willow itself.

©1993 Deborah Smith as Leigh Bridger (P)2012 BelleBooks, Inc.

very well written and narrated.

I have listened to two books by this author and narrator they were both very enjoyable.

Secrets, Redemption and Love

Lily and Artemas, two kids thrown together by the strangest of circumstances one Georgia day . . . when he literally "caught" her . . . as she was born, quickly, before any doctor could arrive . . . Lily the daughter of farmers on the farm adjoining the estate of Artemas' parents, (hateful, self-centered, abusive parents, who had frittered away the family fortune) . . . So began the tale of the handsome young prince, who escaped to the woods and farm to visit Lily, his princess every chance he could, promising one day to return for her for good . . . Artemas' parents sent him away to boarding school . . . the the letters began, years and years of letters, all the while, Artemas taking care of all his younger brothers and sisters, and trying to save his own home and the family business . . . and trying to be more, be BETTER than the parents who brought him into the world . . . Blue Willow is a good (long) story, about generational curses, children suffering from the sins of their parents, and learning to heal. The narration could have been better . . . as I started to listen, there was a dreary sound, almost pouting, that I found distracting. I thought the southern accent of Lily was great though. I also could have done without the over descriptive sex scenes, which I was surprised to hear in Deborah Smith's book. Overall, though, the book was very good.

An Amazing Story

This was one of my favorite books that I’ve read in many years. The story was brought to life by the true to life characters. It came to life by the well written tale of love, good, bad, ugly and restoration. The narration painted a lovely exciting novel.

Awesome

Great book, kept my attention all the way to the end, amazing audio delivery, loved it. Will be reading again, every chapter was received amazingly do recommend you give it a read.

I could not get past the narrator

I have always loved Deborah Smith. This was very different than others I have read. Seems like it was written by someone else, especially with the graphic sex scenes which were atypical. The story is monotonous and does not draw me into the story. (perhaps because of the narrator) Maybe if I could read the book instead of listen I would be able to becomeengrosed in the story. As an educated southerner the accents were nowhere near Southern. The voices of each did not match the characters and the sing song narration kept me more focused on the narrator than the book. I wish there was a way to convert the audible to kindle format so It would not be a total loss.

Can You Say "Dysfunctional Families" ??

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not sure, but it will not be from one of Deborah Smith's books. I had previously listened to "When Venus Fell" by this author - an abridged version (3 hours on tape) and enjoyed it, but OMG !! - 19 hours of screaming, cursing, whinning, "plowing" over the same ground (no pun intended), scheming, one tragic Colebrooks/MacKinzies issue layered on top of another is too much suffering for me to endure.

What didn’t you like about Kymberly Dakin’s performance?

The phony, hillybilly imitation of her Southern "accent." The major characters in this book were educated people but in her narration, Lily and Artemas never "speak" an intelligent sentence.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Only if you enjoy a modern day version of the Hatfields and McCoys.

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your money or a credit on this one.