The Rent Collector

By: Camron Wright

Narrated by: Diane Dabczynski

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Mean Chey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the ill-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money - a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman's journey to save her son and another woman's chance at redemption. It demonstrates that even in a dump in Cambodia - perhaps especially in a dump in Cambodia - everyone deserves a second chance.

©2012 Camron Wright (P)2013 Shadow Mountain

A heartwarming story of perseverance amid harsh conditions.

This amazing book is heartwarming. To spite a difficult life, this couple pushes on to make a life for their child. In the end, you can see how being a good person pays off.

A Gem

Out of the stench of a Cambodian dump arises a heart wrenching and uplifting story of a young woman and the woman known as The Rent Collector. A mysterious past shrouds the old woman who drinks rice wine to assuage her guilt and regret. She treats her tenants with scorn until one day she recognizes in the hut of the young woman a book which she eagerly begins reading. The illiterate young woman persuades her landlord to teach her to read,hoping literacy will help her to find a way to heal her sick child.
A bond between the two begins to form and is nourished by the goodness and tenacity of the young woman and the softening of the old woman’s heart.
This an engaging read with an appropriate ending.
The narration is perfect.
Highly recommend for adults of all ages.

not at all what I expected

enjoyed the story and the format for the most part. I just found the ending interesting but a little lackluster. a couple twists and turns and a few surprises.

Beautiful Story

A wonderful story about resilience and finding the beauty in even the worst of circumstances.

Give It a Chance

This hasn't been my favorite book, but overall, it's a good story. The story started off slow and I found the characters frustrating. It was also a bit predictable. At first I thought I'd be returning it, but decided to keep going. By the end, the writing had improved and the overall story was much better.

Some positives:
* It provides some different perspectives on life.
* Introduces you to some different ways of thinking, even if they are frustrating.
* Simple writing. I think the book could easily be read and understood by someone in 6th grade on up.
* Was a touching story, even though it was a bit cliché.

Some negatives:
* Story is really simplistic, which made it less captivating.
* The narration took some getting used to and detracted from the story.
* Found the character's personalities to be a little too conveniently crafted to tell the story, which made it harder to identify with them.

Makes you think.

Would you listen to The Rent Collector again? Why?

Yes, I would listen again. The audiobook really makes you think about what's important in life and makes you re-evaluate your priorities.

What does Diane Dabczynski bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator perfectly brings out the characters' voices and tones and gives such humanness to the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. A very pleasant listen.

Great finish

Struggled through the first 1/2 of this book and loved the 2nd 1/2. Never quite got used to the reader's inflection or constant breathy, surprised, reading style.

Meaningful parts

The narrators character voice drove me CRAZY! The story was pretty good but not amazing.

Loved it!!

I was not expecting the book to be like this but it was an amazing surprise. I would recommend this to anybody.

Moving, life affirming.

The audible book is excellent! I can’t imagine only reading it. There are feelings inside me that fill my heart from this book. This story tells how literature is our saving grace.