Fourteen Days

A Collaborative Novel

By: The Authors Guild, Margaret Atwood, Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Shayna Small

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in a Lower East Side tenement in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive collaborative novel from the Authors Guild, with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of New York neighbors has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice—from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Tommy Orange and Celeste Ng.

One week into the COVID-19 shutdown, tenants of a Lower East Side apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbors gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants—some of whom have barely spoken to each other—become real neighbors. In this Decameron-like serial novel, general editors Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston and a star-studded list of contributors create a beautiful ode to the people who couldn’t escape when the pandemic hit. A dazzling, heartwarming, and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days reveals how beneath the horrible loss and suffering, some communities managed to become stronger.

Includes writing from: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capó Crucet, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Pat Cummings, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Douglas Preston, Alice Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, Caroline Randall Williams, De’Shawn Charles Winslow, and Meg Wolitzer!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Margaret Atwood (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Wonderful and surprising collection of stories

although the stories are written by a number of different authors they are interwoven seamlessly. I was riveted by each story and the surprising ending. Highly recommended.

I didn’t expect the ending

The narrator isn’t good at all at changing their voice. Nearly every voice sounded the same. Other than that, this was great! I really enjoyed every last bit of it! Listen!!

Holy WOW!!!!

Excellent!!! Incredible story telling, riveting, enchanting, unique!
I can’t write my review in detail as I would like due to a disability in my hands. So I’ll just say this. one of the best and most haunting books I’ve ever read. And they killed that ending… AMAZING. I was in tears.

Unique and engaging - this one will stick with me.

Truly one of the most unique books I've come across in a long while. I'm not generally attracted to collab books, as I feel like different writing styles will be apparent and interrupt the flow of the story. However, this was expertly done in a way that emphasized and celebrated the different writing styles by having each character written by a different author. The entire book is a series of short stories, but because they are woven together so well, it feels like a cohesive novel. Some of the individual stories were less interesting to me than others, but knowing that one plot wouldn't take over the book made it easy to keep going. Really glad I stumbled over this one - I feel like it will stay with me for a long time.

Fast paced!

I loved all the stories and can't believe it was compiled from so many different authors.

People’s look on things

I enjoyed. It was a little different than I expected but well worth the read.

Great ending

It was a little slow in spots but overall a very good book. I enjoyed the characters and their sometimes shocking stories. It did an excellent job of conveying the mood, atmosphere and feelings of the early days of the covid pandemic.

This, all of this.

Like many others the COVID 19 pandemic has lingered in my mind like a nightmare that I still find hard to believe wasn't just that. This book is sublime. It brings together so many different voices that in the end sound eerily familiar. This book hit all the right spots with me. The loneliness, the horror, the disbelief and even sometimes the humor. I loved it, all of it

Reflections

The depth of this book defies definition. As a reader I was transported back in time to the not so distant past and allowed to reflect without judgement upon my own experiences and the events of my life in the pandemic lockdown.
These very real characters jumped off the pages of this book. I was wholly enthralled. Wonderful!!

Unique, fascinating novel written by different authors - a great story

I usually buy books I already know something about, but this novel called to me. I'm v glad I bought it. It's about 14 days during covid lockdown in a NY Lower East side tenement building. The narrator is the building's new superintendent, a fairly young woman, who gets to know her neighbors when they begin to gather on the rooftop each evening to share stories. Each chapter is written by a different author, ranging from Margaret Atwood to RL Stine. As a whole, the authors create a compelling story, yet almost every chapter could also stand alone as a short story. Most of the stories are hard to put down.. While they address important issues such as income inequality, race, gender,& the experiences of immigrants from many places, this book is not a polemic. Rather, it's a beautiful tapestry of writing by highly talented & creative story tellers. I will be listening to it again & again for the sheer beauty of the language & wonderful tales.