Testimony

A Novel

By: Anita Shreve

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Eve Bianco, Ellen Archer

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices - those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal - that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in Testimony a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Read by a full cast.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2008 Anita Shreve (P)2008 Anita Shreve

Sad story

I enjoyed listening to this well-written story up until music was in the background. As someone who uses hearing aids I carefully choose audios that with voices I can hear. Then all of a sudden, music is introduced and the voices become muffled. I wish this would not happen and recording companies heard my request.

Horrifyingly Current !

This was a book I couldn't stop listening to. The lives of young people changed forever by a single evening. Anita Shreve has again hit upon a topic that impacts the hard realities of current life.

Worth a listen

Not the sort of book I normally read.The reviews caught my interest so I gave It a try.It is well written and well narrated.I recommend it to young people their parent and involved grandparents.It was refreshing to have a story sympathetic to the boys involved.

Could Happen Anywhere

A story that could happen in real life in any community, school or university with the same painful results. Sad, quick read with a predictable ending.

Very good book with interesting cast

Would you listen to Testimony again? Why?

I love the way it is narrated by a voice for each character. The music works well too. It's more than just an audio book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Testimony?

Lot's of them. Of course the end but I liked the narration for "the girl" whose name eludes me. I wondered if that personality came across so well in the book.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The varied cast of characters.

Who was the most memorable character of Testimony and why?

Probably Mike. Mostly because he had the quality in which you liked him and disliked him, he was sympathetic and annoying at the same time.

Any additional comments?

It's a good book to listen too.

Exceptional!

A difficult yet poignant story that is relative to everyone who is caring and empathetic, especially if you have experienced an event you wish you could have “erased”. Decisions and consequences are the theme and the author engages everyone. Profound, sad, realistic, and epoch. Beautiful narration.

Narration weirdness

I agree with a few of the other reviews- some of the narrations on this recording were a little annoying and distracting (specifically, Silas's chapters drove me nuts). However, this definitely didn't ruin the whole book for me; I found it generally engaging and thought-provoking. A good story with at least one terrible casting choice.

Very Dissappointing

This just didn't catch me. I appreciate trying to get out the perspectives of all relations in this type of story, but it doesn't work for me. Maybe that is why I am losing interest in Jodi Piccoult's books lately.

The story goes from one person to another, from one time setting to another ...it is confusing when listening to it and might work better in print. But beyond that, it went nowhere.

The narration changes didn't bother me. All did well to present their character.

The ending was especially dissappointing. It wasn't a happy ending (which is okay for me), but it seemed like it jut left you hanging. No one got off scott free, in the end.

I would strongly reccommend other books by Anita Shreve, but not this one.

Good Story, Dizzy Narration

This is a review of the director's choice of narration. Having different narrators for different characters/POVs is nothing new and often works. This is the first book I've listened to where the different characters read as if reading a play, but with the inclusion of "he said," or "she said" being spoken by the character whose POV we are in. This technique works in other audiobooks, namely those by Orson Scott Card because I think the director chooses in those books to omit the "he said" and let it read like a play or dramatic reading.
That being said, this is an entertaining and well written book. If you want to experience this book, I don't recommend this format.

fascinating people profiles

I adore Anita Shreve's books. They are always deep profiles of what goes on inside a person's mind. very twisty, never loses my interest.