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Pearl
- Narrated by: Laura Brydon
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
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The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir
- By: Lesley Allen
- Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Biddy Weir is a quirky girl. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, and with a father who's not quite equipped for the challenges of modern parenting, Biddy lives in her own little world, happy to pass her time painting by the sea and watching the birds go by. That is, until she meets Alison Flemming. Because there are a few things about Biddy that aren't normal, you see. And Alison isn't afraid to point them out to the world. All of a sudden, Biddy's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. If only there was someone to convince her that, actually, everyone's a little bit weird....
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The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir
- By George Criticos on 08-10-20
By: Lesley Allen
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Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
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Charming and Inspiring
- By David P on 09-05-22
By: Claire Keegan
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The Night She Disappeared
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Jewell
- Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite place for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.”
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Oh my… gave me chills
- By Kelly on 09-10-21
By: Lisa Jewell
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
- By: Mark Haddon
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. He doesn't like to be touched or meet new people, he cannot make small talk, and he hates the colors brown and yellow. He is a math whiz with a very logical brain who loves solving puzzles that have definite answers.
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A Different View of the World
- By Alan on 05-19-04
By: Mark Haddon
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Among Others
- By: Jo Walton
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.
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Subtle Character Piece
- By Eoin on 09-15-11
By: Jo Walton
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The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Elaine Claxton
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life was forever changed by a tragic event 12 years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's swimming pool. Almost without her realizing it, her life has shuddered to a halt.
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Sweet Story
- By Nancy Briggs on 12-14-19
By: Ruth Hogan
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The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted
- By: Robert Hillman
- Narrated by: Daniel Lapaine
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1968 in rural Australia and lonely Tom Hope can't make heads or tails of Hannah Babel. Newly arrived from Hungary, Hannah is unlike anyone he's ever met - she's passionate, artistic, and fiercely determined to open sleepy Hometown's first bookshop. Despite the fact that Tom has only read only one book in his life, the two soon discover an astonishing spark. Recently abandoned by an unfaithful wife - and still missing her sweet son, Peter - Tom dares to believe that he might make Hannah happy.
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Listener beware
- By Little old lady from Iowa on 06-11-23
By: Robert Hillman
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Lanny
- By: Max Porter
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington, Clare Corbett
- Length: 4 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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There’s a village an hour from London. It’s no different from many others today: one pub, one church, redbrick cottages, some public housing, and a few larger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might anywhere, speaking of loving and needing and working and dying and walking the dogs. This village belongs to the people who live in it, to the land and to the land’s past. It also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort, a mythical figure local schoolchildren used to draw as green and leafy, choked by tendrils growing out of his mouth, who awakens after a glorious nap.
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Narration is a masterpiece
- By Amazon Customer on 08-24-19
By: Max Porter
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The Shadow Lines
- By: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Raj Varma
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Opening in Calcutta in the 1960s, Ghosh’s radiant second novel follows two families - one English, one Bengali - as their lives intertwine in tragic and comic ways. The narrator, Indian-born and English educated, traces events back and forth in time, through years of Bengali partition and violence, observing the ways in which political events invade private lives.
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Narrator Doesn't Know How to Pronounce
- By Amazon Customer on 08-27-11
By: Amitav Ghosh
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A Spell of Good Things
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Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. Because his father has lost his job, Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers, begging when he must, dreaming of a big future. Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician.
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Horrible ending
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What listeners say about Pearl
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cecilia Vonderheide
- 10-09-23
Excellent and creative writing
Enjoyed tremendously reading this sad story of loss told so poetically and with unforgettable rawness.
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2 people found this helpful
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- E.K. Lanier
- 08-06-23
Superb
Excellent story over generations after young mother disappeared. Love the language capturing the dimensions of the grief of a daughter who blames herself. . Wonderful last few chapters.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Nancy
- 05-09-24
Beautiful writing; sometimes went on too long
This book is elegantly structured, beautifully written and read. Very tender, poignant portrayal of a child puzzling her way through the loss of her mother. Vivid, compelling descriptions of places. In my view the book could have benefited from further editing. There were two or three chapters that did little to deepen the story or move it along. I began to lose empathy with the narrator as she aged and did not seem to mature.
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- Barbara S
- 10-08-23
a meditation of memory, grief, and motherhood.
The 2023 Booker Prize Longlist nominee, “Pearl” is a quiet, yet powerful meditation on grief, motherhood, and memory. Marianne, the protagonist and narrator, tells her life story which is marred by tragedy: when she was 8-years-old, her mother vanished. She left Marianne and her baby brother Joe. For a bit, Marianne felt responsible because all the adults were asking her where her mother could be, as if Marianne inadvertently lost her. Author Sian Hughes brilliantly writes young Marianne; she’s confused and struggles to make sense of her mother’s disappearance.
Marianne was homeschooled. She spent all her youth with her mother, Margaret. They raised chickens and had a makeshift garden. After her mother disappeared, Marianne struggled emotionally. She cannot reckon with her feelings of abandonment and takes out her frustrations on her own body.
A memory Marianne treasures is when her mother recited the medieval poem “Pearl” which is a story of grief…a man lost his Pearl, sees her in his dream and jumps into water to get to her, only to awaken. Margaret is a name that means Pearl. Marianne’s fuzzy memory tries to bring back her Pearl.
Marianne becomes a mother and continues to wonder why her mother left her. The story begins with adult Marianne reflecting on her mother after she herself becomes one. It is these musings, these memories of struggles that allows Marianne to see the beauty of her life, the kindness and patience of her father. As an adult, Marianne sees her mother as a person. As she processes through her fuzzy memory, and with the help of a plot twist, she allows for an alternative view of her mother.
Hughes shines in showing how experiencing a loss at a formative age is emotionally damaging.
I listened to the audio narrated beautifully by Laura Brydon.
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5 people found this helpful
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- CB
- 09-10-23
Perfect
Very moving account of grief, longing, and love. The poetic prose adds a wonderful quality to the story. The narration by Laura Brydon was beautiful.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tommy
- 04-16-24
Motherhood, time, and grief
We are affected by our mothers whether they are good, bad, or missing. They leave an indelible mark upon us. Excellent story dealing with themes of grief, loss, mental health, and love.
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