Vicki

I did recommend it to a coworker as I had been raving about having read the Flowers in the Attic series years ago and just purchased it as one of the BOGO deals so I could see if the audible experience would be different. She seemed interested particularly when I explained how hearing a story is very different than just reading a story and how it really brings the story alive with all the drama, humor, and emotions that is such a wonderful part of this book.

I have to say I don't think I've read any books similar to the Flowers in the Attic series other than other V.C. Andrews books! She always has the same recurrent theme which can be disturbing to some but the books are so well written and I have always enjoyed them.

I really enjoyed the way she brought all the characters to life, the nuances in her speech for each different character and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading this book many years before. I felt like I knew each character and I particularly enjoyed the way she distinguished between Carrie and Cory, since they were very young children, it was so sweet when they interacted with their older siblings. Ms. Bresnahan's voice was such a perfect match for all the different character, I know I will listen to this book again.

Yes, not only did I want to listen to the entire book in one sitting, I immediately went to audible to see about purchasing the other books in the Flowers in the Attic series and was so disappointed that they are not available. I'll put in a plug here; if audible has contact with narrators on potential projects, I would love to hear this narrator do the entire series.

I would, and actually, have. Its always interesting to read books that have been made into movies and trying not to confuse the two. My friend read the book as opposed to listening and she said it took her awhile to finish. I am a fan of scary stories and this one had some good moments, I think listening made the difference. I did want to thump Eleanor in the head a couple of times, ok, more than a couple of times for being so weak and put upon. I think there could have been a better tie in as to why 'the house' wanted Eleanor, I was not clear even after Dr. Montague explained the history of the house. But who wouldn't like the dare of staying in a haunted house to see what spooks come to the forefront! Well, ok, not me, but I always enjoy stories like this.

This is the first book by Shirley Jackson I've listened to, actually the first one I've read as well.

Suspenseful, creative, and spooky just at the right moments!

I'm definitely not inspired to go spend the night in a haunted mansion trying to see what ghosts I can bring out of the woodwork! But I did enjoy the concept though the ending left a little to be desired.

One thing I did note and since I have not read the actual book, but there was an issue with the chapters. I tend to not let things like this weigh in when I'm reading/listening to a book but it was noticeable. The narrator would say Chapter 3 or 4 etc and you'd be on Chapter 8, then you'd be back to 3 or 2. It was noticeable enough to comment on but again, I don't know if this is the way the book is written or if the narrator lost her place or what. Its a minor thing, didn't really detract from the story, but note it if these kind of things bother you.

Very, very good but too, too short! The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars!

I'd have to say the moment when the narrator begins telling about the rattlebag and you're thinking....any moment now...

I really enjoyed the narrator's accent, it lent a nice, mysterious air to the book.

I did listen to it in one setting, again, too short, and I would love for the story to continue! You are literally left hanging!

I always enjoy my audible books so much but I'm pretty much leaning toward this being the best audio book I've listened to ever! To me, I am not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much if I'd read it as opposed to listening to it. To have the author of the book narrate her story for me with all the nuances she intended and the speed of the prose and I think this contributed to how much I enjoyed this book because I was not imposing my own 'voice' in the narration which, I think, might have made the book feel a little flat. Elizabeth Gilbert is just a wonderful narrator and I felt I took this journey with her from the start to the finish!

Early on, it would have to be when Elizabeth realizes she must take this journey to save herself. This is the scene where she is curled up on the bathroom floor and realizes she no longer wants to be married. I particularly enjoyed as well the moment when Elizabeth is lamenting the endless chanting of the guru gita (the one drawback of listening is I have no idea if I'm spelling this right but if you've listened, you'll know what I'm talking about) and she absolutely hated it and then ended up continuing this practice somewhat in Indonesia.

There is no way to narrow that down. In Italy, I thoroughly enjoyed the description of the food and I loved the bits of Italian thrown in as well as the Italian accent in some of the dialogue as well. In India, I was captivated by the detailed descriptions the author gave of the ashrams and the Indian culture and how ritualistic her days were and I imagined how peaceful and self fulfilling it must have been to spend her days like this. My absolute favorite dialogue was when Elizabeth has a discussion with her roommate about how to meditate and she asks her if her roommate was bored because Elizabeth just could not get the hang of it and her roommate says, "Ahh, bored already, Liz? We've only been doing this about 11 seconds! And then, I had a moment when I thought the two of them were having another discussion when I realized Elizabeth was 'talking to herself' and it just was so real to me since I can recall thinking, ok, I'm going to relax and focus on being relaxed and did I remember to pay my bills this month or wonder what I should cook for dinner? It was absolutely entertaining to read! I had to remember how Hollywood sometimes changes things and as I had seen the movie as well, I would find myself periodically waiting on scenes that never came or that were somewhat different in the book. Finally, in Indonesia, I loved listening to the author's description of the Balinese culture and I was amazed at her bravery in traveling to these countries and just adapting to the people, the cultures, the food, I just don't know if I'd be able to set out on an endeavor such as this. I loved the developing relationship of Elizabeth and Phillipe, her Brazilian lover.

Its interesting but I almost would have to say I preferred listening to just a little each day. I have an hour per weekday of listening time so it takes me awhile to finish a book this way. But I really found myself thinking about Elizabeth's journey and kind of going over in my mind what I'd listened to each day.

I think the best part was the idea David Henry had that he could spare Nora and Paul's heartache by having a daughter, a sister, who had down's syndrome, and perhaps dying young, just like his own sister did, and the realization the reader has even before the end of the book that the guilt he carried, the grief Nora and Paul carried, created such a discontent in their lives that they almost seemed to suffer through it, rather than actually live it. And Phoebe, by comparison, living with Caroline Gill, though she had issues and challenges, truly enjoyed her life. I knew the basic premise of the book but was amazed that David chose to tell Nora and Paul that Phoebe died as opposed to just not telling them she had been born. And the more time that passed, as Caroline shared Phoebe's life through letters and photos, the more difficult it became for him to share his secret. I really did think he would tell Nora and was shocked when he passed away suddenly. It makes you wonder if their lives would have been better, certainly different, if David had not made that choice. I was appalled at the view society seemed to have of down's syndrome back then, set in the 1960's, two scenes in particular; when Caroline and Al take Phoebe to the E.R. and when the nurse views Phoebe's noticeably 'downs' features she asks them if they really wanted her to call the doctor, giving the notion they should let nature take its course and two, the struggles Caroline went through to make sure Phoebe had the same opportunities in education as any child, something that we truly take for granted these days. I loved the way the story was told in parallel sections, by time frame, bouncing from David, Nora and Paul's lives to Caroline, Al and Phoebe's lives.

I'm drawing a blank here; I truly don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one. I'll have to think on it, maybe edit my review later here.

This was the first book I've listened to by this narrator and at first, because her voice seemed somewhat childlike, it was a little disconcerting to listen to. But as the character's evolved through her voice, I realized how talented she is; the story just came alive. You could feel Nora's grief and later her discontent with her life as she engages in numerous affairs; you could feel Caroline's patience and strength as she worked so hard to make sure Phoebe had a good life; with Paul, you go from his carefree innocence evolving into teenage angst and finally into the young man he becomes; David, who in one instant without though, changed the course of their lives by making the decision to have Caroline take Phoebe away, then telling the lie of her death to Nora and Paul, thereby making it impossible to come clean; and finally Phoebe, with her childlike innocence, even as a young woman, as she makes her plans to move into a group home, keep her job and marry Robert. I truly could go on about each character; I truly enjoyed Ms. Kadushin's narrating.

I did find out there was a made for TV movie about this book that I plan to track down. I guess something about leaving well enough alone or how much effort went into telling a lie to avoid an unhappy life and the end result being an unhappy life and assuming because someone is not 'normal' means their life won't be worth living when listening to this book, you can feel Phoebe's joy in every day of her life.

I could listen to Mercy again in a few years. The story line was very different and really made you think.

In some regards, yes, the plot did have some surprising twists. You can read the book jacket and find out that Jamie McDonald shows up in the town of Weelock (not sure of spelling here) and notifies his cousin, Cameron McDonald, the town's police chief, that his wife is dead and he killer her.He then adds she asked him to do so but its actually the coroner who reveals the suffering her body had undergone during cancer treatments. People are divided and Cameron's wife, Allie, is fully in Jamie's corner. Secretly, I believe Cameron was, too, since he hired Jamie an attorney. The book has two story lines because at the same time Jamie appears with his bombshell, a strange woman, Mia, shows up in town and is hired by Allie to work in her flower shop. An attraction blossoms almost immediately between Cameron and Mia and I felt dislike for Cameron for pursuing this attraction while I also was sympathetic towards him for trying to help Jamie, though not publicly.

I have listened to books by this narrator before and she brings the characters to life, I really felt more in tune to them by listening to the story rather than reading it. Its one of the things I love the most about audible books.

I had various emotions throughout the book; shock as Jamie recounted he and Maggie's last days together, even though I knew a mercy killing was the basic plot of the book. I felt frustration for Allie as she tried so hard to make things so calm and peaceful and smooth for Cameron that she kind of faded into the background. I was thoroughly at odds when Cameron and Mia began their affair and I felt Cameron's shame and Allie's fury when both his mother and Allie discovered the affair. The book ended the way I wanted with Jamie's trial. I think mercy killing is a hard issue but Picoult shared it in such intense detail that I could see how you could do something like this because you loved someone so much you didn't want them to suffer anymore.

Dark, spellbinding, and suspenseful.

There were so many, but since I felt particularly sorry for the Narrator, the new wife, whom they never name, and how she allowed everyone to recognize Rebecca as the continuing mistress of Manderly over her own wishes, I guess I'd say at the point after the fancy dress ball, near the end, when she actually spoke up and let her wishes be known regarding something so simple as the meals. It was at that point, when she realized her pre-conceptions of Rebecca were wrong in regards to Maxim, that she became the mistress of Manderly.

I'd have to say the wife, the Narrator, again, I couldn't help it with her being the main character and what's interesting is at the point in the book when you realize Rebecca is not the wonderful person they make her out to be, even though you find out what happened to her, not going to spoil it here, I really wanted everything to work out for the Narrator and Maxim, I truly wanted it all to work out so that no one else found out what had happened so they could be happy. The actual Narrator, Anna Massey, did an exceptional job, I loved listening to the character's voices and their various nuances, and her beautiful accent, it's one of the best features of listening to an audible book. The Narrators do such a great job of bringing the characters to life. I'm going to add here that Mrs. Danvers, wow, was an exceptionally creepy character, almost like a stalker to Rebecca, the scene where she and the wife are in the West Wing of Manderly and she is showing the wife Rebecca's belongings....yowzer!

I really did, it would always be so nice to just listen through to the end, especially at certain suspenseful parts where you are about to learn something new and secret about the characters.

I always try and add a comment here if I purchased an audio as part of a promotion or rec'd it as a gift because this is when I try something new because I'm receiving a promotional gift or sale. This was part of a BOGO deal, two books for one credit, and I'm so very glad I purchased this book. When I reviewed that it was written in 1935, maybe 1938, I was amazed that I had not taken a chance on reading a Daphne du Maurier book before now. Another thing I love about audible; I always find I'll chance a listen on a book that I might not read otherwise.

I really enjoyed the back handed way Dr. Snow managed to counsel these men without them knowing it! We all know sometimes men in general are not too keen on opening up to strangers, and a woman, to boot, but they all managed to open up to Dr. Snow.

I really liked how each individual story was a complete story, no unfinished endings.

Hmm, I really enjoyed Dr. Snow, of course, and was thrilled to realize I already had two other M.J. Rose books in my kindle collection. But I also particularly liked Cotton and am interested in knowing if his character really owns a bookstore! I'll be researching that for sure. That was my favorite story overall.

It would have to be the moment when the husband of a patient threatened Dr. Snow and her daughter and she was compelled to seek the advice of John Rain, knowing what his specialty was but thinking she could do what was necessary to keep her daughter safe. It was interesting that Rain, an assassin, had such insight into Dr. Snow to do what needed to be done but not necessarily crossing that line since her conscience would have been on the line.

I got this audible book as part of a Christmas in July promotion, awesome, I just really enjoy the books offered on audible and the promotions and sales they make available to customers.

Yes, I do and mainly because many of King's books are so long! I read The Stand and It so I'm comfortable reading a lengthy novel but a friend of mine who had the CD version of Bag of Bones said she really enjoyed that version. Bag of Bones was the first book I purchased via audible and I cannot describe the experience of listening to Stephen King with his unique voice tell this story. To steal what King said in the Q&A at the end, I feel I fully experienced this book via audible as you are forced to 'read' the book at the narrator's speed as opposed to that 'skimming' we sometimes tend to do and with the actual author of the book narrating, well, he knows which passages he wants to emphasize or highlight, pause etc.

Its really hard to pick but I'll go with Mike; cheating, I know, since he is the main character but he is flawed and likable at the same time. You feel his pain as he grieves for Jo and you see how his feelings grow for both Kyra and Mattie.

Gosh, I listened to this book in Dec 2011/Jan 2012 and I enjoyed many of the scenes which are now running together but strangely enough I have to say I really liked the scene(s) where Mike communicated with the 'refrigerator people' that so creeped me out as I listened to King describe it not to mention the scene where Mike set up the recorder at night to see what he might capture audibly. I don't like scary movies per se but something about the 'scary' scenes in Bag of Bones, being read to me by Stephen King, just gave me an enjoyable shiver. I really can't narrow it down anymore than that!

Again, really hard, but I really admired Mattie, she had is so hard but maintained her honesty and freshness and though I won't spoil it for someone who has not read the book, I had to take a break right after that pivotal scene, I just could not believe it! And actually, I really enjoyed the story of Sara, too, hearing her story unfold and how it all related to what was happening in the book.

If you get a chance to listen to Bag of Bones, take it; you will not be sorry!

Beautiful, Haunting, and Peace

I just discovered this author about two months ago and have enjoyed all three books I've read. I think The Mermaid Garden is closer to The French Gardener rather than The Perfect Happiness. Her ability to bring the story to life, the longing of the 'star crossed' lovers, you feel their passion and inevitably their pain as so far, the characters don't end up together and I did enjoy the ending of The Mermaid Garden more even to the wrapping up of two secondary characters; I look forward to reading my next Montefiore book.

Ms. Linder's narration was absolutely amazing! It was incredible to experience the story with each character brought to life by the subtle changes in her voice. I'm not a big reader of "romance" books so I appreciate the suspense the author adds to each chapter. The story unwinds in current time (2009) and the past and it was very enjoyable when the story came together, merging the two time frames. I think it brings the character's more to life to listen to a book as opposed to reading a book and Ms. Linder had the most beautiful accent which added even more to the experience.

I always ponder this question as I always want to just sit and listen to all of my books without even a pause but I have to say since I only listen when I drive I have no trouble picking right back and I always feel like I'm getting back with 'old friends' as I pick up the story again.