Promise to Arlette
A Novel
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
3 months free
Promise to Arlette
Buy for $19.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Fiona Hardingham
-
By:
-
Serena Burdick
About this listen
With the scope of a saga and the heart of a thriller, this is an evocative historical novel following a married couple whose idyllic 1950s suburban life is threatened by the promises they made during World War II.
Sidney and Ida Whipple are living the suburban 1950s American dream, complete with two children and a white picket fence, which didn’t seem possible when they first met at the height of WWII in France. Reveling in the present, they can almost convince themselves that their past is behind them. But when their neighbors show off a newly purchased Man Ray photograph, Ida comes face-to-face with the person she loved and lost in the war: Arlette.
Only Ida knows the truth about the photograph, and why it can’t possibly be authentic. In an attempt to right past wrongs, she travels to California vowing to confront Man Ray. Sidney wakes to find his wife is missing, the photograph in question stolen, and all the secrets they’ve tried to bury come rushing back. With his daughters in tow, he travels after Ida, hoping to forge a new path together. Instead, their sojourn leads to a shocking discovery that could pull their family apart in this sweeping, unforgettable story about love and friendship, trust and betrayal, and how promises made, broken, and ultimately renewed, can determine our fate.
©2025 Serena Burdick (P)2025 Simon & Schuster AudioPeople who viewed this also viewed...
-
When Sleeping Women Wake
- A Novel
- By: Emma Pei Yin
- Narrated by: Vera Chok
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
1941. Following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous, if at times lonely, existence—mothering the son of her husband’s concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu. But when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the paths of Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu wildly diverge.
By: Emma Pei Yin
-
Days of Light
- By: Megan Hunter
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
From the author of The End We Start From, now a major film starring Jodie Comer, and taking inspiration from the influential artists and intellectuals of the Bloomsbury Group, Days of Light is a sweeping, sensual historical novel of art, desire, and faith set against the backdrop of a changing England.
By: Megan Hunter
-
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
- By: Kristin Harmel
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby, Kristin Harmel
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, it all went wrong.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful historical fiction story
- By Lori S. on 06-18-25
By: Kristin Harmel
-
The House of Two Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Louise Driscoll
- Narrated by: Antonia Salib
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Essex, 1887. Clementine’s ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at her father's Egyptian relic parties, which have become the talk of the town. But at one such party, the words she interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. As her childhood games about Isis and Nephthys—sister goddesses who protect the dead—take on a devastating resonance in her life, and tragedy slowly consumes her loved ones, she wonders what she and her father may have unleashed.
-
The Letter Carrier
- A Novel
- By: Francesca Giannone, Elettra Pauletto - translator
- Narrated by: Susan Vinciotti Bonito
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Salento, Italy, June 1934: A coach stops in the main square of Lizzanello, a tight-knit village where everyone knows each other. A couple gets off: The man, Carlo, a child of the South, is happy to be back home after a long time away; the woman, Anna—his wife—is a stranger from the North. Carlo’s brother is there to meet them, and he and everyone else can’t help but notice that Anna is as beautiful as a Greek statue. But Anna is not like the other wives. She doesn’t gossip or attend church. She reads books no one else has ever heard of.
By: Francesca Giannone, and others
-
Hazel Says No
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Berger Gross
- Narrated by: Emma Galvin
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
When Hazel Blum’s father gets a tenured job at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, a clothing designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town’s sprawling community.
-
When Sleeping Women Wake
- A Novel
- By: Emma Pei Yin
- Narrated by: Vera Chok
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
1941. Following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family has settled in Hong Kong, believing it to be protected under British occupation. As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a glamorous, if at times lonely, existence—mothering the son of her husband’s concubine, overseeing her daughter Qiang’s education, and directing their household of servants, including her long-time confidante, Biyu. But when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the paths of Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu wildly diverge.
By: Emma Pei Yin
-
Days of Light
- By: Megan Hunter
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
From the author of The End We Start From, now a major film starring Jodie Comer, and taking inspiration from the influential artists and intellectuals of the Bloomsbury Group, Days of Light is a sweeping, sensual historical novel of art, desire, and faith set against the backdrop of a changing England.
By: Megan Hunter
-
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
- By: Kristin Harmel
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby, Kristin Harmel
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, Annabel: take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, it all went wrong.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful historical fiction story
- By Lori S. on 06-18-25
By: Kristin Harmel
-
The House of Two Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Louise Driscoll
- Narrated by: Antonia Salib
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Essex, 1887. Clementine’s ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at her father's Egyptian relic parties, which have become the talk of the town. But at one such party, the words she interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. As her childhood games about Isis and Nephthys—sister goddesses who protect the dead—take on a devastating resonance in her life, and tragedy slowly consumes her loved ones, she wonders what she and her father may have unleashed.
-
The Letter Carrier
- A Novel
- By: Francesca Giannone, Elettra Pauletto - translator
- Narrated by: Susan Vinciotti Bonito
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Salento, Italy, June 1934: A coach stops in the main square of Lizzanello, a tight-knit village where everyone knows each other. A couple gets off: The man, Carlo, a child of the South, is happy to be back home after a long time away; the woman, Anna—his wife—is a stranger from the North. Carlo’s brother is there to meet them, and he and everyone else can’t help but notice that Anna is as beautiful as a Greek statue. But Anna is not like the other wives. She doesn’t gossip or attend church. She reads books no one else has ever heard of.
By: Francesca Giannone, and others
-
Hazel Says No
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Berger Gross
- Narrated by: Emma Galvin
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
When Hazel Blum’s father gets a tenured job at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, a clothing designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town’s sprawling community.
-
Before Dorothy
- By: Hazel Gaynor
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
Chicago, 1924: Emily and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago for the promise of their own American dream among the harsh beauty of the prairie. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world. Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have established their new home among the warmth of the farming community in Kansas. Aligned to the fickle fortunes of nature, their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Love love
- By Jewels on 06-22-25
By: Hazel Gaynor
-
Fulfillment
- A Novel
- By: Lee Cole
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Fulfillment tells the story of two half brothers—Joel, a successful academic and author, whose marriage is in deep trouble, and his younger sibling, Emmett, paralyzed by indecision and working in a shipping warehouse—who find themselves at their family home in Kentucky and upend each other’s lives in devastating ways.
By: Lee Cole
-
The Night Sparrow
- A Novel
- By: Shelly Sanders
- Narrated by: Gilli Messer
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Inspired by the real-life female snipers and interpreters in the Red Army during World War II, The Night Sparrow is a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.
By: Shelly Sanders
-
Work Nights
- By: Erica Peplin
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 1
Jane Grabowski hauls herself to her nine to five office job at New York City’s most acclaimed newspaper to sit in stale air under severe fluorescent lights and mask her rage by sending emails with too many exclamation points. Luckily, Jane has a reason to keep coming into the office: Madeline, the distractingly beautiful intern. Madeline has never dated a woman and is uncomfortable with labels, but with carefully timed lunch breaks and painstakingly crafted texts, Jane works her way into her life.
By: Erica Peplin
-
When the Music Hits
- A Novel
- By: Amber Oliver
- Narrated by: Ashley J. Hobbs
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Growing up in the Bronx, Billie Grand sought solace in music, finding herself in the pulsing beats, striking lyrics, and mesmerizing voices that saved her when money issues and familial strife proved deafening. When she finally lands a coveted A&R assistant role at Lit Music Productions, one of the largest music labels in the country, it initially seems like everything she’s dreamed of—sleek offices, exclusive parties, flashy dealmaking—and she can’t wait until it’s her turn to find the next breakout headliner.
By: Amber Oliver
-
These Heathens
- A Novel
- By: Mia McKenzie
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 3
Where do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if your small town’s midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia’s orbit.
By: Mia McKenzie
-
Blonde Dust
- By: Tatiana de Rosnay
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Pauline, a young chambermaid who works at the legendary Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nevada, is asked to step in for a colleague and clean Suite 614. Although she was told the rooms were empty, a dazed, sleepy woman appears before her. This is Mrs. Miller, aka Marilyn Monroe, whose stay in Reno coincides with the breakdown of her marriage to Arthur Miller and the filming of what was to be her last film, The Misfits.
-
Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell
- A Novel
- By: Gillian French
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Shaw Connolly is no stranger to trauma. As a fingerprints analyst, she’s one of the first on-site for crimes, including murder scenes and a mysterious string of arsons popping up throughout the rural Maine community her department serves. But the tragedy of her little sister’s disappearance sixteen years ago has always weighed on her the most; Thea is never far from her thoughts or dreams, and Shaw knows that her obsession with finding the truth about Thea is driving her husband away and impacting her two boys. Still, she can't let it go.
By: Gillian French
-
I Did Warn Her
- A Novel
- By: Sian Gilbert
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Imogen Church, Emma Fenney, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 2
The Ophelia is your typical billionaire yacht: ridiculously luxurious, owned by a ruthless money man, and staffed by a crew whose only job is to indulge the guests’ every wish. Model-gorgeous Sasha is a last-minute hire for a weeklong Atlantic crossing. She joins fellow stewardesses Jade, Imogen, Euphemia, and Lola. The Ophelia’s stewardesses are almost identical—blonde and model-gorgeous—and all were lured to the Ophelia by high wages and a chance to leave their problems behind when they set sail. But despite its sleek opulence, the Ophelia isn’t as heavenly as it seems.
By: Sian Gilbert
-
Lush
- By: Rochelle Dowden-Lord
- Narrated by: Isabel Adomakoh Young
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1
Four wine experts, each at a crucial point in their lives, arrive at a French vineyard estate for an unforgettable experience—but not the kind they expected. Avery gave up her hard-won but exploitative sommelier job to come, while wine prodigy Cosmo is trying to disguise that his life is in freefall. The chemistry between the pair is unmistakable, but so are the signs of danger. Millionaire Sonny owns a tacky wine brand and can’t help aggravating Cosmo, while caustic magazine writer Maëlys hovers with her pen poised.
-
The English Masterpiece
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5
As the recently promoted assistant to the Tate's Modern Collections keeper Diana Gilden, Lily helps plan a world-class Picasso exhibit to honor the passing of the great artist—and she's waited her whole life for this moment. The opening is beyond anyone's expectations—the lighting, the champagne, the glittering crowd, and the international acclaim—until Lily does the unthinkable. She stops in front of a masterpiece and hears her own voice say, "It's a forgery." The gallery falls silent.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fast-paced historical fiction masterpiece
- By Shannon C Jensen on 06-21-25
By: Katherine Reay
-
The Codebreaker's Daughter
- By: Amy Lynn Green
- Narrated by: Leah Horowitz
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
In the heart of the US capital, Dinah Kendall's role for the Office of Strategic Services isn't the thrilling espionage career she dreamed of. Instead, she spends her days crafting rumors aimed at undermining Axis morale. As Dinah navigates her duties, she uncovers a startling revelation: Her mother, Lillian, was once a codebreaker, cracking military ciphers during the Great War alongside some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The deeper Dinah dives into her mother's past, the more secrets come to light—including the heavy cost of high-stakes codebreaking.
By: Amy Lynn Green