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Commonwealth
- Narrated by: Hope Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
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Editorial reviews
Editors Select, September 2016 - The day I get to start a new novel from Ann Patchett is like Christmas to me. I can't wait to open the gift of her lyrical writing and then am sad when the book is over and wish I could relive the magic of experiencing it for the first time. My Christmas came early this year, as I got the chance to read Commonwealth ahead of publication, and will come again on September 13 when I listen to the marvelous actress Hope Davis perform the story. Davis narrated Patchett's last novel, and the return of this powerhouse combination is sure to have Commonwealth - a smart, funny, and heart-wrenchingly relatable story of two families coming together over the course of 50 years - at the top of the best seller and Best of 2016 lists. Diana, Audible Editor
Publisher's summary
The acclaimed best-selling author - winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize - tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives.
One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly - thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.
Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond that is based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows up between them.
When, in her 20s, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another.
Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.
Featured Article: 10 Great Contemporary Fiction Authors
If you like well-written novels that prioritize compelling timely storylines with artful prose and structure, then this is the genre for you. So, why is it called "contemporary"? Because it’s fiction set in the real world, in times contemporary to the date it was published, and the stories deal with real-world issues. Representing a diversity of backgrounds and nationalities, here are our picks for the best writers of contemporary fiction over the last 50 years.
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A grim tale of unrecovered co-dependency
- By Charles on 04-05-05
By: Ann Patchett
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The Dutch House
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Tom Hanks
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother.
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Not my favorite Patchett
- By Regina on 12-07-19
By: Ann Patchett
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Taft
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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John Nickel is a black ex-jazz musician who only wants to be a good father. But when his son is taken away from him, he's left with nothing but the Memphis bar he manages. Then he hires Fay, a young white waitress, who has a volatile brother named Carl in tow. Nickel finds himself consumed with the idea of Taft - Fay and Carl's dead father - and begins to reconstruct the life of a man he never met. But his sympathies for these lost souls soon take him down a twisting path into the lives of strangers.
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Patchett's Novel's all Available on Audio Now
- By Murmansk on 09-26-19
By: Ann Patchett
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What Now?
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Ann Patchett
- Length: 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on her lauded commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College, this stirring essay by best-selling author Ann Patchett offers hope and inspiration for anyone at a crossroads, whether graduating, changing careers, or transitioning from one life stage to another. With wit and candor, Patchett tells her own story of attending college, graduating, and struggling with the inevitable question, "What now?"
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A commencement message for life
- By Annie M. on 06-17-08
By: Ann Patchett
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All the Flowers in Paris
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Jio
- Narrated by: Kim Bubbs, Saskia Maarleveld, Mark Deakins, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together - though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.
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Hallmark Movie Story
- By Imamomof4 on 11-24-19
By: Sarah Jio
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The Dearly Beloved
- A Novel
- By: Cara Wall
- Narrated by: Kathy Keane
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Charles and Lily, James and Nan. They meet in Greenwich Village in 1963 when Charles and James are jointly hired to steward the historic Third Presbyterian Church through turbulent times. Their personal differences however, threaten to tear them apart. Charles is destined to succeed his father as an esteemed professor of history at Harvard, until an unorthodox lecture about faith leads him to ministry.
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God Is Real
- By Becky on 10-12-19
By: Cara Wall
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These Precious Days
- Essays
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Ann Patchett
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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“Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart.
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Heartfelt Essays, Beautifully Performed
- By Brent Holcomb on 11-23-21
By: Ann Patchett
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Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe
- A Novel
- By: Heather Webber
- Narrated by: Stephanie Willis, Bethany Lind, Nicholas Techosky
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café. It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.
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Relaxing, interesting, sweet.
- By Josie Cochrane on 07-27-19
By: Heather Webber
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A Few of the Girls
- Stories
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Sile Bermingham, Jayne Entwistle, John Lee, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From Maeve Binchy’s earliest writings to the most recent, her work is filled with wisdom and common sense and also a sharp, often witty voice that is insightful and reaches out to her listeners around the world and of all ages. Whether it is one of her best-selling novels or a short story, Maeve shows us that times may have changed, but people often remain the same: they fall in love, sometimes unsuitably; they have hopes and dreams; they have deep, long-standing friends whose secrets are shared; they go on holidays and celebrate new jobs....
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Narrated with a lisp?
- By denise on 05-05-16
By: Maeve Binchy
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The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
- By: Kelly Harms
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City. Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and - with a little encouragement from her friends - a few blind dates.
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Enjoyable narration. Story is an easy read.
- By Em Jay Reads on 07-18-19
By: Kelly Harms
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The Friends We Keep
- By: Jane Green
- Narrated by: Jane Green
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known one another since college. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and they never found the lives they wanted - the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible. Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man. Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with in college, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.
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Story was ok, narration was awful
- By Colleen on 06-10-19
By: Jane Green
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When All Is Said
- A Novel
- By: Anne Griffin
- Narrated by: Niall Buggy
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual - though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story. Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories - of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice - the life of one man will be powerful and poignantly laid bare.
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"Grief is the price we pay for love" Qn Eliz II
- By Will on 03-14-19
By: Anne Griffin
What listeners say about Commonwealth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ruth M. Penson
- 09-19-16
A must read for Ann Patchett fans
This is my favorite of all Ann Patchett's books!!!
I love her stories, but this is the best of them all. The narration by Hope Davis is perfection.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Lissa Goldman
- 09-29-16
Ann Patchett is a masterful writer
I eagerly awaited this new novel by Ann Patchett. While it took a few chapters for me to become engaged with the story, once I did I couldn't let go. The descriptions of blended families and multiple marriages are so spot on I had tears in my eyes , both from sadness and from laughing. Anne Patchett is, in my opinion, one of the great American writers of this generation. I just wish my book club would choose one of her books!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Brenda Barnes
- 10-07-16
Complexities of Relationships
First, I must say that the timeline shifts and the changing narrators made this a little harder to listen to. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it rather than listened to it. Still, the story captured the complexities of relationships and how chance encounters affect our whole lives. The narrator nailed the voice if Beverly - I could see that character, and that made the story for me.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Curlz
- 09-30-16
Loved the Character Development
Where does Commonwealth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 10
What other book might you compare Commonwealth to and why?
Diana Gabaldon books, specifically "Outlander" as far as being character driven.
Have you listened to any of Hope Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No I have not.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
"Commonwealth" of course.
Any additional comments?
This was a difficult listen at the beginning based solely on format. There were a lot of characters in the beginning to keep track of. If I'm listening, it means I don't have a pen and paper to jot down important info to keep characters straight. I would recommend that the listener read the first chapter to lock down the characters (what I finally did) and then enjoy the listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-14-17
Enjoyable
it was an interesting and entertaining story. With it jumping around between the characters and the decades, it made it a little tricky to follow, but I enjoyed it.
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- JillyJD
- 01-26-17
Too Short!
Loved this book. LOVED Hope Davis. I was surprised when it ended. I felt like there were many more Keating/ Cousins stories to tell that I would have liked to hear.
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- Colette F
- 01-01-17
Oranges?!? In June?!?
Any additional comments?
Bougainvillea without thorns? These two egregious botanical errors from an author raised in southern California got me off to a bad start with this book. As a huge fan of Bel Canto and State of Wonder I was really looking forward to this book. But the large cast of characters left most of them underdeveloped and subsequently hard to get inteterested in. Hope Davis' deadpan delivery was for once appropriate to the material. I found the famous author pick up scene at the Palmer House especially tiring. I did finish it and found some issues compelling, but will hope for better luck next time.
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- camakay
- 12-10-17
pretty good
but didn't like it as much as bel canto. bel canto felt more magical.
narrator was decent but didn't love the way she narrated women's dialogue. she made a lot of the women's voices sound silly, or comically feminine, Whereas, her regular speaking voice was pretty nice. But I felt like it made the female characters sound silly.
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- lunarchi
- 12-12-16
Great Listen!
Any additional comments?
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite author’s. I love her writing and Commonwealth was not a disappointment. The story involved divorce, dysfunction, two families and the children of those families.. For me, Commonwealth illustrated the feral quality of neglected children and how that feral-ness follows children into adulthood. The setting and the children bounce between California and the Commonwealth of Virginia, hence the title. I listened to this as an Audible book, but I’m sure I would have enjoyed it equally reading. Definitely a great listen and/or read!
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- Mary Kathryn Flynt
- 12-14-16
Loved!
Book was one of the best I've ever read. Characters were so relevant and so well written. And I will now listen to any book Hope Davis reads. She was perfect.
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