A Hearing Heart

By: Bonnie Dee

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The heart conveys messages beyond what ears can hear.

After the death of her fiancé, Catherine Johnson, a New York schoolteacher in 1902, travels to Nebraska to teach in a one-room school. When violence erupts in the sleepy town, Catherine saves deaf stable hand Jim Kinney from torture by drunken thugs.

As she begins teaching Jim to read and sign, attraction grows between them. The warmth and humor in this silent man transcends the need for speech, and his eyes tell her all about his feelings for her. But the obstacles of class difference and the stigma of his handicap are almost insurmountable barriers to their growing affection.

Will Catherine flaunt society's rules and allow herself to love again? Can Jim make his way out of poverty as a deaf man in a hearing world? And will the lovers overcome a corrupt robber baron who has a stranglehold on the town? Romance, sensuality, and adventure abound in this heartfelt tale.

©2012 Bonnie Dee (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Wanted to love it, but merely appreciated it

I was hoping this book would be just as amazing as “Bone Deep”, but I just couldn’t get into it. I forced myself to finish the entire story and in the end it was worth it, but I couldn’t stand the main female character. This might be a spoiler, so be warned, but she pretty much strings him on until the very last hour of the audiobook. The whole book she only cares about what society would think and treats him like crap, only changing her tune when he is in imminent danger.
Now I absolutely LOVE the main male character, and the way Bonnie Dee portrays the male characters in this book and “Bone Deep” as an underdog who works hard to better himself is great and refreshing from many other romance novels. But if the MFC was more open and stood up for their relationship like in her other book it would have been much better.

Narration is the issue.

I really like the story, which I've read. However, I couldn't listen past chapter one on the audible version . The narrator is achingly slow and monotone, I kept hoping that at any minute she might speed up and throw in a bit of emotion, but sadly no...

beautiful story, try to overlook narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If that friend loved Bonnie Dee as much as I do. Love the time frame. If not, maybe not, not with out listening to the narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Hearing Heart?

The tender care the main character shows towards the love interest. During this time, and her standing it would have been easy to turn the other way.

What three words best describe Natasha Soudek’s voice?

monotone, unsparing,

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

love story of the old west

Any additional comments?

This is one of those that I would have done better with reading myself, I think. The narrator just was lacking something that I felt my own 'inner voices' could have added.

However, the story was simple beautiful, which didn't surprise me. Bonnie Dee is an amazing word smith no matter what genre or era she's tackling.

Have to speed up the audio

The narrator speaks so slowly it’s excruciating. I found that 1.2x is the speed that makes it sound most normal. The story was decent, though a little predictable.

Excellent story easy listening believable

I enjoyed this title and would like to see more of this authors work on audible Plus I would recommend this to any adult.

Loved the idea behind this book and showing how the classes were just the same.

I loved the plot of this book. How Catherine and Jim worked through all the stigma and the hardships of life in those times.

Narration

This book was read extremely too slow. I had to speed it up 1.3x I am only a few chapters in. I hope I'll be able to finish