• Murmuration

  • By: TJ Klune
  • Narrated by: Kirt Graves
  • Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (480 ratings)

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Murmuration  By  cover art

Murmuration

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Kirt Graves
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Publisher's summary

In the small mountain town of Amorea, it's stretching toward autumn of 1954. The memories of a world at war are fading in the face of a prosperous future. Doors are left unlocked at night, and neighbors are always there to give each other a helping hand.

The people here know certain things as fact:

Amorea is the best little town there is.

The only good commie is a dead commie.

The Women's Club of Amorea runs the town with an immaculately gloved fist.

And bookstore owner Mike Frazier loves that boy down at the diner, Sean Mellgard. Why they haven't gotten their acts together is anybody's guess. It may be the world's longest courtship, but no one can deny the way they look at each other.

Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.

But something's wrong with Mike. He hears voices in his house late at night. There are shadows crawling along the walls and great clouds of birds overhead that only he can see.

Something's happening in Amorea. And Mike will do whatever he can to keep the man he loves.

©2016 TJ Klune (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about Murmuration

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A well-realised fantasy and love story

I have exceptionally low expectations when it comes to gay literature, with past experiences showing that most are either poorly written or an excuse to air soft porn fantasies. It was with great surprise and ample relief therefore, to discover T J Klune’s most excellent fantasy love story that could encompass any persuasion.

The town of Amorea is lost in time, quite literally. For the residents, there is no memory of anything outside of the town’s borders and, for those curious enough cross that line, they are left with no memory of who they are or where they are from until they return to the city limits.

In Amorea, it is September 1954, and yet Dean Martin’s hit song, That’s Amore, has only been out for a year, alongside more modern hits. Bookstore owner Mike, is having flashbacks of mobile phones and other non-existent technology, along with memories of a life he never led.

Mike’s impossible dream may be a former life, or it may be his current life where he pines for the much younger Sean who shows equal interest in him. In a town where doors are never locked, the controlling Women's Club of Amorea is determined to aid their blossoming romance.

Murmation is both a love story and a double mystery, revolving around the town itself and Mike’s disjointed memories.

T J Klune has developed an interesting world full of detailed characters and heartfelt moments, both pleasurable and fearful. The story is told by narrator Kirt Graves, who expresses the angst, confusion and elation of the central characters. While he doesn’t create a lot of character voices, his characterisations are sometimes subtle but always distinct, allowing the listener to recognise who is speaking. His voice is pleasing and well-suited to the central protagonist.

As a romance, Murmation makes a great mystery and, as a mystery, it makes a great romance. T J Kune offers the best of both worlds. This and my other audiobook reviews can be found on my site at SaidNotRead dot wordpress dot com. If you enjoy gay or lesbian literature, you’ll find other titles also reviewed.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

5 stars!!

Holy. S h ! t.
TJ Klune is brilliant.

I listened to this book on audio and I have to give props to Kirt Graves - he really did a stellar job bringing this story to life.

I have no idea how to review this book other than to say I freaking loved it.

It started out...confusing. I had no idea what the EFF was going on. It felt like I might be losing my mind.

But the hints of the romantic side of the story kept me interested. I didn't want to give up because I didn't want to miss the romance.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but here's what I love about this story:
~ It's a slow burn.
~ It's very trippy.
~ It's magically crafted.
~ It's SO romantic. Like, so so romantic.

I'm working my way through all of TJ Klune's stories. He's amazing and I'm so glad I get to read his books.

Bottom line: don't let the "paranormal" or trippy parts of this book get in the way of picking it up. Keep reading (or listening) because once I got into it, I was HOOKED. I talked about this book to my husband, my 13 year old son, my coworkers, EVERYONE. It would make an awesome movie!

one click now!!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love this book!

Let me say that I loved this book and the main characters and found it to be a fascinating read. It's hard to say much about this without spoilers. It starts out with a man walking along the road who has apparently lost his memory and is trying to figure out who he is and where he comes from. He then comes to a small town called Amorea and after he enters the town he begins to remember who he is and everything else about his life. It turns out that his name is Mike and he owns a bookstore in the town where everyone knows everyone else and he's in love with a man who is 13 years younger than him named Sean. Mike is also a big man where as Sean is more moderate sized if anything on the small skinny side. Although they seem to be an unlikely pair the chemistry between them is endearing. They are both so in love with each other and protective of each other that the rest of the town knows about them, approving of their relationship. Mike however, seems to see and hear things that aren't there creating a mystery to be solved. Along with this Mike also realizes that the town is unusual because it lacks certain things like cars and children. To say much more would be to give away the mystery wrapped up in the book. Most of the book consists of Mike trying to figure out this mystery of the town and what is real and not real. The book touches on psychological themes such as schizophrenia and delusions. At the heart of it however the book is a love story between the two main characters and how they will overcome the obstacles that threaten to come between them. I read the audio version of this book with Kirt Graves as the narrator and he does an excellent job with all the voices. I've listened to other books that he has narrated and at first he comes off as a little dry but once you get used to his style he is great. This book gets five stars from me for both the story and the narration. It has a very unique premise and I would recommend it to anyone who is into MM romance.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not Favorite

This isn’t my favorite TJ Klune, but still worth listening to. The world building was expertly created. The ideas or storyline was intricate and a bit scary. I understand why the people were created with a flat, immaturity, but it also kept me from attaching to them. All in all, I can still highly recommend this book. Just don’t expect the fantasy and comedy of ALSH or the heart wrenching stories of Wolfsong and Into The River I Drown. This is more about the story and world than it is the people.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration, mediocre story.

I love, love, love TJ Klune's books. I absolutely love the narration of the books as well. This book, however, felt forced. The story just seems jumpy. I had trouble keeping concentration. I've listened to almost a every book available by TJ Klune, TWICE. But I can already tell you that I have no interest in listening to this book a second time.

I'm not a writer, but as someone who loves to read (and listen) to serial books, and authors with similarly themed books (such as Klune), this book feels like writer's fatigue. It felt like there was always a struggle to keep the story arc moving in an entertaining direction. And honestly, it fell flat.

TJ Klune usually does an excellent job of creating a story about how it could be or should be or taking fantasy and making it believable in terms that can related to by the modern reader. This book lost that believability for me.

Kirt Graves did an excellent job narrating. If Wolfsong was a 10 for his narrating, this was a 9. You have no doubt who's narrating as his voices are distinctly his.

I'm glad to have listened to the book, as it's an interesting story idea, but I was honestly left sorely wanting. I'm surprised that this low level of a book would come from TJ Klune this far into their career. I would recommend any other book to a friend, except this one.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An absolutely brilliant and engaging listen!

This was absolutely brilliant!
I found this to be a very fascinating and engaging listen.
The plot and the storyline itself drew me in. The characters were well fleshed out and wholesome.

TJ Klune's work never ceases to amaze me. The world building was descriptive and original.
I absolutely loved this book.

The audio delivery performed by Kirt Graves was an enthralling and highly enjoyable experience .

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The voice actor made it all

I've grown to hunger for Klune's writing...like a symphony his images and themes flow in and out of the narrative.
Unlike a symphony, I couldn't tell where the ending would fall. Would it be happy or sad? Would I be content or confused? I can tell you I was not disappointed.
I did see the story's trope for what it was half way through the book, but Klune added so much flavor and creativity to this well worn idea that I loved it.
And Kirt Graves...what can I say about Graves...I fell in love with his reading. The voices for each of the characters were so distinct that, at times, I felt like I was listening to a recording of the actual dialog and not Graves. Narration. His voice is the star of this audible.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Total Mind F**k

Would you listen to another book narrated by Kirt Graves?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

I think this is one of the greatest mind f**k stories I've ever read, and the second time around raised even more questions about what the hell was really happening and what the ending was all about.

It is a story where you don't know what's happening, or why, or where the story is taking you and it's just a ride you have to hold on for, and hope that you’ll make it out the other side intact...but it ends up being totally worth the effort.

Kirt Graves' narration is more than just serviceable to the story, especially in the voice-over parts, which is done exceedingly well. Graves excels in bringing the emotion of the story to the surface, playing it sometimes so subtly it just washes over the listener, but making the whole audio an experience.

It's in the conversation areas where I felt like Graves was a bit stilted and lacked the smoothness I'd have liked to hear. Klune writes the conversations between characters brilliantly, and I didn't feel like Graves ultimately captured how rapid-fire and fluid the dialogue is overall.

I think this might be one of those stories where you either love it or hate it. I don't think there will be much middle ground.

While it's not a book filled with passion, it is packed with a kind of romance. The kind of romance where one person is your home and you'd do anything, anything, for that person.

--
Mike reaches out and touches Sean’s cheek. His heart is very full, and he’s having trouble choosing what words to say. Finally, “I would do it again.”
“What?”
“All of this. To get here. If I had to, I’d do it all over again.”
--

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable

This book changes the perspective of how you look at others and is there really a way to get a second chance at love and how far would you go to. The parallels keep you guessing, it bring out romance in a way and perspective that I thought was genuine and honest. As the story unfolds and you learn more about Murmuration it makes sense and it opens up doors in a great way. All I have to say is that I was satisfied with how it ended.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A heavy, stressful and sad read.

This book was stressful and a tearjerker. It was consistently gut wrenching and gave me anxiety reading because of how much life there was in the writing. I enjoyed my time, but there were very little moments of relief from either tragedy or anxiety inducing drama.

I couldn't get into the romance plot at all in the beginning. The situation, the weirdness going on in the world, it just had me at the edge of my seat so much that the romance sorta just made me uncomfortable because I had trouble figuring out what was going on. Like i was on this journey with this guy, feeling his pain and confusion with this world hes in, not knowing what's going on, i was more worried about his safety and wanting to figure out what the heck was going on in the background.

This made this book incredible to be able to get all these emotions out of me like that. It was so well described, the details made everything easy to visualize even when there are scenes that rip this guy into another world, you can still visualize easily whats happening without getting confused.

Its been a while since i stayed up all night trying to finish a book because the story was getting intense. This is definitely one of those books that will keep you up.

My main complaint was, i just wish there was more light moments to help balance the tone. It felt very doom and gloom way too often that I sorta struggled to get through it at times. The characters were addicting though and the life breathed into the mystery behind the plot and a developing romance was enough to convince me to power through it.

The world building was amazing, as well as the characters. Everything felt so alive and well thought out, like this was a living breathing world with characters that had depth to them.

I believed in the romance by the end and my chest hurt for what was going on. I was in a very sad mood when the book ended but still appreciative of the story.

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2 people found this helpful