In a Time of Distance
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Narrated by:
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Alexander McCall Smith
About this listen
From the beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a beautiful and transporting volume of poems brimming with warmth and humanity.
What matters most in life? For Alexander McCall Smith, it is friendship, love, and travel—the themes found throughout his work that have made him a cherished writer the world over. This first collection of McCall Smith’s poems reflects on these topics with all his characteristic wit and charm.
In this delightful work, McCall Smith takes us on a captivating journey from Africa to Greece, London, North America, Mumbai, and back home to Scotland, celebrating people, places, animals, and books. There are moments of sweeping insight and soaring feeling, and moments that will have you laughing along as they subtly shift your worldview. This inimitable writer shares his distinctively astute and good-natured observations on life, love, and beauty, reminding us of the deep satisfaction that can be found when we open ourselves up to the world with our whole heart, and watch as it takes on a kinder and gentler shape.
©2020, 2021 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2020, 2021, 2022 Alexander McCall SmithListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
This is one of the defining novels of English writer Julian Barnes. An entertaining melange of stories starting with a contemporary account of the launch of Noah's Ark takes us into unexpected areas of human foibles, activities, and tendencies.
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Not what I Expected
- By Mark on 02-20-08
By: Julian Barnes
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Demian
- The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the dramatic story of young, docile Emil Sinclair's descent - led by precocious schoolmate Max Demian - into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention and eventual awakening to selfhood.
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Demian
- By Debra on 12-08-08
By: Hermann Hesse
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Walking
- One Step at a Time
- By: Erling Kagge, Becky L. Crook - translator
- Narrated by: Atli Gunnarsson
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
A lyrical account of an activity that is essential for our sanity, equilibrium, and well-being, from the author of Silence.
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A delightful and essential book
- By Yogans on 05-02-19
By: Erling Kagge, and others
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Brida
- By: Paulo Coelho
- Narrated by: Linda Emond
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Brida, a young Irish girl, has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her to trust in the goodness of the world, and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch.
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Very disappointing
- By Jen Terry on 01-11-09
By: Paulo Coelho
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Conundrum
- By: Jan Morris
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
This remarkable memoir is the classic account of the transgender journey. It is all the more extraordinary because it is the life story of a figure who, it seemed, seamlessly and publicly charted a course through the English establishment - James Morris, outstanding journalist, historian and travel writer, famed for a peerless writing style. But all the while he was concealing a very different inner world: from the age of four he felt that, despite his body, he was really a girl.
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Beautiful memoir
- By Gabriel Smith on 07-25-22
By: Jan Morris
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The Three Marriages
- Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship
- By: David Whyte
- Narrated by: David Whyte
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
According to Whyte, we humans are involved not just with one marriage with a significant other. We also have made secret vows to our work and unspoken vows to an inner, constantly developing self. Whyte's thesis is that to separate these marriages in order to balance them is to destroy the fabric of happiness itself; that in each of these marriages, will, effort, and hard work are overused, overrated, and in many ways self-defeating.
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RARE SELF-HELP BOOK THAT ACTUALLY HELPS
- By Elizabeth on 03-05-09
By: David Whyte
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The Innocents Abroad
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In June 1867, Mark Twain set sail for Europe and the Holy Land. Twain recorded this adventurous trip and later turned it into The Innocents Abroad. This book became so popular overseas that it would propel him into an international star. The Innocents Abroad is Twain’s account of his thoughts of the Old World, including Paris, Venice, Pompeii, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, as well as many other noteworthy cities. His disbelief and wonder are told with humor that endeared Twain to American audiences.
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Big Mistake
- By Megg on 12-18-18
By: Mark Twain
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Small Graces
- The Quiet Gifts of Everyday Life
- By: Kent Nerburn
- Narrated by: Kent Nerburn
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Small Graces is a journey into the sacred moments that illuminate our everyday lives. In 20 elegant pieces, writer, sculptor, and theologian Kent Nerburn celebrates the daily rituals that reveal our deeper truths. Through the exploration of simple acts, Small Graces reminds us to chart a course each day that nourishes the soul, honors the body, and engages the mind.
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worth every minute spent listening
- By Jory on 02-25-18
By: Kent Nerburn
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Gift of the Red Bird
- The Story of a Divine Encounter
- By: Paula D'Arcy
- Narrated by: Paula D'Arcy
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Paula D'Arcy lost her husband and baby in a car crash, she began an inner search for a faith that was stronger than fear. In Gift of the Red Bird she shares her remarkable spiritual adventure. Grief, she shows us, is an ongoing, never-completed process, one that becomes woven into the fabric of the grieving person's spiritual life.
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Relatable story
- By Maryjane Hadaway on 07-15-19
By: Paula D'Arcy
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Val Eliot, a young woman working on an English farm during the war, meets Mike, a US Air Force pilot stationed nearby. When Val rescues a Border Collie named Peter Woodhouse, who is being mistreated by his owner, she realizes the dog would actually be safer with Mike. And so Peter Woodhouse finds a new home on the air force base, and Val finds herself falling in love.
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Cornelius P. "Fatty" O'Leary and his wife, Betty, plan a vacation in Ireland for his 40th birthday, where they will tour his ancestral homeland and relax in the countryside. Almost immediately, things go terribly wrong: the seats in economy class on the plane are too small; the country hotel's dinner spread and bathroom fixtures leave much to be desired; and the down-to-earth O'Learys find their fellow guests are more than a little snobbish.
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Everyone's Dinner Party
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Chance Developments
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- By: Alexander McCall Smith
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It is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words, but an old photograph can inspire many more. In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. Who were those people, what were their stories, why are they smiling, what made them sad?
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Several "I wish that I had written that..."
- By N. David Blocher on 01-20-17
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Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
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Alexander McCall Smith, the New York Times best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the recipient of two Booker Judges' Special Recommendations, delivers an intriguing collection of stories about dating. The emotions in these tales run from the thrill of finding happiness to the humiliation and loneliness of rejection.
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Not expected
- By Robin Nystrom on 07-09-07
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The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
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Nine-year-old Harriet Bean can't believe her ears. She has aunts - five of them! Why has her absent-minded father never mentioned them before? Armed with a faceless family portrait and musty old clues, Harriet begins the quest for her long-lost aunts. But are her detective skills sufficient to track down muscular Veronica.
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Surprised
- By J on 07-31-12
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My Italian Bulldozer
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Timothy Ackroyd
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
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When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative.
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Suffused with Wisdom and Humor
- By SW Clemens on 04-17-17
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The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
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Val Eliot, a young woman working on an English farm during the war, meets Mike, a US Air Force pilot stationed nearby. When Val rescues a Border Collie named Peter Woodhouse, who is being mistreated by his owner, she realizes the dog would actually be safer with Mike. And so Peter Woodhouse finds a new home on the air force base, and Val finds herself falling in love.
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wonderful
- By T. Bellan on 04-23-18
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Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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Cornelius P. "Fatty" O'Leary and his wife, Betty, plan a vacation in Ireland for his 40th birthday, where they will tour his ancestral homeland and relax in the countryside. Almost immediately, things go terribly wrong: the seats in economy class on the plane are too small; the country hotel's dinner spread and bathroom fixtures leave much to be desired; and the down-to-earth O'Learys find their fellow guests are more than a little snobbish.
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Everyone's Dinner Party
- By S. Spurlock on 10-28-15
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Chance Developments
- Stories
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie, Jamie Jackson, John Keating, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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It is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words, but an old photograph can inspire many more. In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. Who were those people, what were their stories, why are they smiling, what made them sad?
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Several "I wish that I had written that..."
- By N. David Blocher on 01-20-17
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Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations
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Alexander McCall Smith, the New York Times best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the recipient of two Booker Judges' Special Recommendations, delivers an intriguing collection of stories about dating. The emotions in these tales run from the thrill of finding happiness to the humiliation and loneliness of rejection.
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Not expected
- By Robin Nystrom on 07-09-07
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The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
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Nine-year-old Harriet Bean can't believe her ears. She has aunts - five of them! Why has her absent-minded father never mentioned them before? Armed with a faceless family portrait and musty old clues, Harriet begins the quest for her long-lost aunts. But are her detective skills sufficient to track down muscular Veronica.
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Surprised
- By J on 07-31-12
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My Italian Bulldozer
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Timothy Ackroyd
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative.
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Suffused with Wisdom and Humor
- By SW Clemens on 04-17-17
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The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the author of the phenomenally successful, New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mystery series, comes this spellbinding collection of African folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana.
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Keep in Mind That This is Not Mr. Smith's Work
- By Irish Eyes on 05-03-05
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The Perfect Passion Company
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Amy Alexander
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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As the new manager of the Perfect Passion Company, Katie’s mission is to help the lonely hearts of Edinburgh. With the assistance of her amiable and handsome office neighbor, William, she finds herself using a personal touch to find matches for the city’s lovelorn citizens. When an airline pilot comes to her looking for a woman to take care of him, Katie sends him to cooking school. The case of a hotelier with a particularly overbearing mother may require a delicate two-pronged approach.
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Weak story
- By Jeri B on 06-24-24
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The Sunday Philosophy Club
- An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.
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Advice For Prospective Listeners
- By DCinMI on 02-18-13
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The Private Life of Spies and The Exquisite Art of Getting Even
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- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this dual collection of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith brings his trademark humor and warmth to inventive tales of spying and vengeance. In one story, a spy dropped deep into enemy territory manages to disguise himself—quite convincingly—as a nun. In another, an invitation to join the Vatican Secret Service sends a prospective operative down a rabbit hole of controversy and confusion. A third story finds an author, on the brink of public ruin, seeing the error of his ways after an act of kindness saves the day.
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Brilliant
- By C. Gall on 12-12-23
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Portuguese Irregular Verbs
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the phenomenally popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and winner of the inaugural Saga Award for Wit, comes the first wonderfully entertaining novel starring Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, distinguished philologist, and frequently inept human.
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A Delightful Read
- By E. Pearson on 12-26-08
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44 Scotland Street: The Complete Series 1-5
- Full-Cast BBC Radio Adaptations of the Much-Loved Novels
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Crawford Logan, Carol Ann Crawford, Belle Jones, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Original Recording
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The complete BBC radio adaptations of Alexander McCall's bestselling series. Inspired by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, 44 Scotland Street started life as a serial in The Scotsman. It was a huge hit, and was soon novelised, adapted on stage and dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Collected here are all five radio series, in which we follow the interconnected lives of the residents of adjoining flats in a tenement in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town.
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Very entertaining
- By Anonymous User on 09-26-23
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Trains and Lovers
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the words of Alexander McCall Smith: "You feel the rocking of the train, you hear the sound of its wheels on the rails; you are in the world rather than suspended somewhere above it. And sometimes there are conversations to be had, which is what the overarching story in this collection is all about. It is a simple device: people brought together entertain one another with tales of what happened to them on trains. It takes place on a journey I frequently make myself and know well, the journey between Edinburgh and London. It is best read on a train, preferably that one."
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Loved It
- By sharon on 07-20-14
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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Lisette Lecat
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mma "Precious" Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.
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Transcends its Genre
- By Gene on 12-07-03
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Poetry
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bernard O'Donoghue
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this Very Short Introduction, Bernard O'Donoghue provides a fascinating look at the many different forms of writing which have been called "poetry" - from the Greeks to the present day. As well as questioning what poetry is, he asks what poetry is for, and considers contemporary debates on its value. Is there a universality to poetry? And does it have a duty of public utility and responsibility?
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Great Primer for Poetry Students
- By Drone Boy on 09-03-22
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The Pavilion in the Clouds
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old; her father Henry—owner of Pitlochry, a tea plantation—and her mother Virginia. The story centres around the Pavilion in the Clouds, set in the idyllic grounds carved out of the wilderness. But all is not as serene as it seems. Bella is suspicious of her governess, Miss White’s intentions.
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Get Over It
- By SW Clemens on 12-28-22
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What W. H. Auden Can Do for You
- Alexander McCall Smith
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: William Neenan
- Length: 2 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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When facing a moral dilemma, Isabel Dalhousie--Edinburgh philosopher, amateur detective, and title character of a series of novels by best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith - often refers to the great twentieth-century poet W. H. Auden. This is no accident: McCall Smith has long been fascinated by Auden. Indeed, the novelist, best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, calls the poet not only the greatest literary discovery of his life but also the best of guides on how to live.
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On the Power of Poetry, Mostly Auden's
- By Rich S. on 12-09-13
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44 Scotland Street
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The brilliant Alexander McCall Smith became an international sensation with his New York Times best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. His award-winning wit, made famous through that series, is fully on display in 44 Scotland Street.
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Smith's answer to Maupin
- By Amazon Customer on 10-23-05