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Stoner
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
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Italy, 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear. Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real and imagined, in the flames of the burning stake.... Neilsville, 1978. Peter Balsam has come to this sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High School - something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the town...while a dark order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval ritual.
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The Chosen
- By: Chaim Potok
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Though they've lived their entire lives less than five blocks from each other, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders exist in very different worlds. Reuven blends easily into both his secular Jewish faith and his typical American teen life, while Danny's conservative Hasidic clothes and appearance make him stick out in any crowd. Their improbable friendship teaches them that the differences separating people through cultures and generations are never as great as they seem.
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truly rates overused "classic" label
- By connie on 11-05-08
By: Chaim Potok
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The Last Summer
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Jane Wymark
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Clarissa is almost 17 when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled.
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The Last Summer Delivers
- By Carmen dela Cruz on 05-22-16
By: Judith Kinghorn
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In Malice, Quite Close
- By: Brandi Lynn Ryder
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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French ex-pat Tristan Mourault is the wealthy, urbane heir to a world-renowned collection of art - and an insatiable voyeur enamored with Karen Miller, a 15-year-old from a working-class family in San Francisco. Deciding he must 'rescue' Karen from her unhappy circumstances, Tristan kidnaps her and stages her death to mask his true crime.
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In malice,Quite close
- By Wendy on 09-06-11
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Reflection
- By: Diane Chamberlain
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty years ago, a terrible tragedy shattered the tranquility of the small Pennsylvania Dutch town of Reflection. The residents of the village have never forgiven the one woman they blamed for what happened - Rachel Huber. After the incident, Rachel left the town and cut off all ties there. But when Rachel receives the news that her estranged grandmother, Helen, is ill and needs her care, she returns to Reflection.
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How did I ever miss this book!!
- By joni on 04-16-16
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A Great Deliverance
- Inspector Lynley, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
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Into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an ax in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry".
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good debut novel
- By Stevon on 11-11-19
By: Elizabeth George
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The Magus
- By: John Fowles
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 26 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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John Fowles’s The Magus was a literary landmark of the 1960s. Nicholas Urfe goes to a Greek island to teach at a private school and becomes enmeshed in curious happenings at the home of a mysterious Greek recluse, Maurice Conchis. Are these events, involving attractive young English sisters, just psychological games, or an elaborate joke, or more? Reality shifts as the story unfolds. The Magus reflected the issues of the 1960s perfectly, and it continues to create tension and concern today.
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One of the best novels that I really think I hate.
- By Darwin8u on 01-29-14
By: John Fowles
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Domina
- By: Barbara Wood
- Narrated by: Marion Castle
- Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Beautiful and courageous, Samantha Hargrave dares to dream that she will become one of the first female doctors - and surgeons - in America. Born in the slums of London and possessing a special gift for healing, Samantha struggles to enter the all-male medical profession. When her ambition encounters hostile rejection in England, she sails to America, where she meets an eccentric doctor who takes her on as an apprentice.
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Really bad.
- By Anonymous User on 12-29-17
By: Barbara Wood
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The Ambassador's Daughter
- By: Pam Jenoff
- Narrated by: Joanna Daniel
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
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Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all. Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job.
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Book 0 in the series
- By Stevon on 12-12-17
By: Pam Jenoff
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The Distant Hours
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins
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Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.
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Right Mood At The Right Time
- By Simone on 11-13-12
By: Kate Morton
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The narration changed my interpretation
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Recently divorced, Merilee Talbot Dunlap moves with her two children to the Atlanta suburb of Sweet Apple, Georgia. It's not her first time starting over, but her efforts at a new beginning aren't helped by an anonymous local blog that dishes about the scandalous events that caused her marriage to fail.
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Try Flight Patterns or The Sound of Breaking...
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Ok book, but not a thriller
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Charlotte was supposed to be looking after the children, and she swears she was. She only took her eyes off of them for one second. But when her three kids are all safe and sound at the school fair, and Alice, her best friend Harriet’s daughter, is nowhere to be found, Charlotte panics. Frantically searching everywhere, Charlotte knows she must find the courage to tell Harriet that her beloved only child is missing. And admit that she has only herself to blame.
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wow!
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What listeners say about Stoner
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Colleen
- 07-05-15
Quietly Captivating
So many if the other positive reviews were dead on, each sentence was precisely needed and from the literary stand point (of just a casual reader) it seemed perfectly written. Nothing about this story would typically appeal to my interests or peak my curiosity, but the story and the narrator had an i breaking hold on my attention. I found myself never wanting to miss a sentence, rewinding at times and turning it off if I could not give it my full attention. With some audiobooks there are missed parts that I personally will push on through without concern for what was missed, but I was very drawn to this story and the protagonist.
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- SamanthaG
- 10-27-14
A Sad Story
Where does Stoner rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Well, do you want a number? In which case, i have no idea. Depressing, but compelling enough that I kept listening and had empathy (extreme) for the protagonist.
Would you be willing to try another book from John Williams? Why or why not?
Yes. The writing was very good and the depiction of emotions was right-on. I didn't realize at the outset that this was written in the '60s. Don't know why that should matter, but I was surprised. I didn't encounter any clues that this was written 50 or so years ago since most of it involved introspection and rang true in any time.
Have you listened to any of Robin Field’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No I have not, but I thought his performance was perfect.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Any additional comments?
A depressing but compelling book. It engendered so much empathy for this "every man."
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- Jan
- 10-11-14
This started slow but grew on me.
Despite both my mother and husband recommending this book, for the first hour or so I thought it was dull. It never is exciting but it has a ring of truth to it. There are situations and feelings very well portrayed by the author. If you are looking for action and adventure this book is not for you. If you are interested in a familiar quiet life of sadness you may enjoy this book.
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- Susan B
- 07-19-21
Loved this book!
This is the life story of a shy and unassuming man. It’s set in the early to mid 1900s and reflects the values and societal norms of that time. He was of my parent’s generation and It provided much insight into their thoughts and attitudes. For me it was a reflection on what we have lost and gained as a society. It’s also a wonderfully compelling story!
The prose is absolutely beautiful and the performance was perfect! I believe it’s definitely worth a second listen.
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- AmazonFanForLife
- 07-11-21
Amazing!
Even though this book was far from my usual Psychological Thriller genre, I gave it a go, and Wow! I found myself raptured, even staying up late to continue listening. It is so beautifully and heartfelt written that you can almost FEEL the lifelong struggles of the main character. I was sad that I went through it so fast, I listened a second time. I definitely recommend!
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- Bruce Rowe
- 10-29-21
A beautiful and little known gem
I almost didn't even hover over this book as its title is so underwhelming...and of course I thought it must be about some lost and addicted "stoner" from the 1970s or '80s. However, when I read the description it intrigued me enough to give it a whirl, and I am very happy that I did.
It grabbed me immediately and held me. John Williams' style, and in fact the characters, plot, and setting, reminded me most of Willa Cather (especially in the way both authors capture what Thoreau once called "lives of quiet desperation"). The last chapter called to mind the last chapter of Cather's "Death Comes to the Archbishop"...both marvelous descriptions of the process of a lingering death. Other authors and works that are similar include Georges Bernanos's "The Diary of a Country Priest" and Wright Morris's "A Life."
The title character shares what many Audible listeners have: a love of language that they can't explain exactly but that drives them through their lives. Like William Stoner, I am a college English professor who was drawn to teaching because of my love of words. Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, which captures Stoner's imagination, though he can't explain it--can't even put a finger on it--is utterly life-changing for him. He drops his pursuit of an Ag-Tech degree to pursue words down the page.
Fascinatingly, he's just about the only character in the book, except his nemesis, who has this response. The other English professors and students seem to have other motivations. There are intrigues and academic battles that those of us who teach will feel with a keen awareness and familiarity...it's not always peaceful behind ivy-covered buildings and walls. The mendacity and cowardliness and mercenary behavior depicted is sadly real. But Stoner remains true throughout to his integrity and is quietly and stoically a brave man.
The characters (except one) are remarkably drawn, from Stoner himself to his friends and colleagues to his pitiable and pitiful and bitter wife, Edith, and most especially his lover, Katherine. Their love is genuinely drawn and comes to such a muted ending (that again involves campus politics).
The one character who isn't well drawn, who has no voice at all, in fact, is the African American farmhand, Tobe. Williams displays that characteristic of white writers that Toni Morrison discusses in her groundbreaking essay "Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination" (highly recommended!). He does not see, and therefore gives no animating principles to Tobe, who could have been fully fleshed out and allowed to speak. He does, after all, play a pivotal part in the novel: he replaces Stoner when Stoner decides not to return to the family farm, and as such becomes a surrogate son to Stoner's long-suffering, dirt poor parents. He finds Stoner's father collapsed in the field, carries him home, puts him to bed, and fetches the doctor. And he continues to run the farm for nearly a decade after Stoner's parents die in close succession until Stoner can find a buyer.
Lots of opportunities there for Tobe to get the full treatment that almost every other major and minor character gets. Here's what we don't know about Tobe: what he looks like; how old he is; whether or not he's married; what he does in the evenings; where he comes from; what he likes and doesn't like; etc. What we do know: his racial identity; his job; his loyalty; a few things he does. In none of the scenes that involved so much action are we allowed to hear his voice. Never does Stoner engage him in a conversation to thank him for rescuing his father or to discuss the fate of the farm. Probably these things would have happened, but we just don't get to see them. I am listening to Shelby Foote's remarkable "Follow Me Down" and it suffers from the same issue: African American men described as "having no expression" or "faces like masks" (language that you find in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"). Yes, Shelby, they do have expressions; you just can't read them because you don't "see" them (see also Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man").
Williams is clearly a man of his time and were he alive and writing today I am sure he would take this missing element into account. However, compared to William Faulkner, who really did flesh out his African American characters, or Harper Lee with her treatment of Tom Robinson and Calpurnia, Williams and Foote and many other white writers simply fail in this regard.
That said, I highly recommend this book.
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- Suzanne
- 10-24-21
One of the saddest book’s I’ve read in a long time
Although some of the reviewers’ comments gave me pause, I decided to listen to the book anyway. Given the story line, the narrator was a perfect choice. In the beginning I felt like his voice was monotonous but realized that it was the perfect vehicle for the story as I continued to listen. The story speaks to human experience and existential issues. I’m not sure how to recommend it other than to say that it affected me deeply.
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- LISA BRACEY
- 01-07-22
Well written and well narrated
I can’t find any fault in the writing or narration. Still I must admit that I only listened until the end because I had read so many excellent reviews. The story was completely melancholy, gloomy and dreary until chapter 14. Then there was hope for something more, but too soon everything was back to the original tone.
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- Carlos
- 01-26-22
Wonderful book
William Stoner is a character designed to make you wonder about the choices we’ve made in life and the choices we don’t get to make. This is a heartwarming tale about the many mistakes and regrets we accumulate throughout our lives, yet those same failures are what shape us into the people we are today. There are lessons to be learned, moments to share happiness with the characters and lessons which are only learned by experience.
This book has become a must read for me. Great depiction of the midwestern lifestyle and life as an academic. Hats off to the author for this marvelous story!
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- Mark
- 04-11-22
Quiet novel that stayed with me
William Stoner, a Missouri farmer living with his parents, is sent to college to learn more about agriculture. At college, he is drawn to his English Lit classes, and changes his course of his study and the course of his life. This novel is slow moving, but the main character and his early/mid 19th century era comes alive. Stoner is a college teacher with a love of learning. This novel follows him through the many ups and downs in his life - marriage, family, love, learning, and school politics. I liked Stoner and found him so believable. I didn't know how much I liked this book until the end, when I was aware of how moved I was by the end of his life. This book might not be for everyone, but I loved this about a quiet but rich life.
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