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The Telling Room
- A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
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Editorial reviews
Publisher's summary
Audie Award Finalist, Non-Fiction, 2014
In the picturesque village of Guzmán, Spain, in a cave dug into a hillside on the edge of town, an ancient door leads to a cramped limestone chamber known as "the telling room". Containing nothing but a wooden table and two benches, this is where villagers have gathered for centuries to share their stories and secrets - usually accompanied by copious amounts of wine.
It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti found himself listening to a larger-than-life Spanish cheesemaker named Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras as he spun an odd and compelling tale about a piece of cheese. An unusual piece of cheese. Made from an old family recipe, Ambrosio’s cheese was reputed to be among the finest in the world, and was said to hold mystical qualities. Eating it, some claimed, conjured long-lost memories. But then, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong.... By the time the two men exited the telling room that evening, Paterniti was hooked. Soon he was fully embroiled in village life, relocating his young family to Guzmán in order to chase the truth about this cheese and explore the fairy tale-like place where the villagers conversed with farm animals, lived by an ancient Castilian code of honor, and made their wine and food by hand, from the grapes growing on a nearby hill and the flocks of sheep floating over the Meseta.
What Paterniti ultimately discovers there in the highlands of Castile is nothing like the idyllic slow-food fable he first imagined. Instead, he’s sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery, a blood feud that includes accusations of betrayal and theft, death threats, and a murder plot. As the village begins to spill its long-held secrets, Paterniti finds himself implicated in the very story he is writing.
Equal parts mystery and memoir, travelogue and history, The Telling Room is an astonishing work of literary nonfiction by one of our most accomplished storytellers.
A moving exploration of happiness, friendship, and betrayal, The Telling Room introduces us to Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras, an unforgettable real-life literary hero, while also holding a mirror up to the world, fully alive to the power of stories that define and sustain us.
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- Unabridged
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The first-born son of his generation, Peter Balakian grew up in a close, extended family, sheltered by 1950s and '60s New Jersey suburbia. He was immersed in an all-American boyhood defined by rock 'n' roll, adolescent pranks, and a passion for the New York Yankees that he shared with his beloved grandmother. But beneath this sunny world lay the dark specter of the trauma his family and ancestors had experienced: the Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians.
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Great book!
- By Lm on 06-27-13
By: Peter Balakian
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The Eight
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Neville
- Narrated by: Susan Denaker
- Length: 25 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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New York City, 1972: A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward.
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Best Plot-Driven Novel I've Ever Read
- By Tango on 09-08-13
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
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The Winemaker
- By: Noah Gordon
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of The Physician and Shaman now comes this story of a young man - the grapes he grows, the wine he fashions, the women he loves, and his struggle against an evil that seeks to destroy him. Josep Alvarez is a young man in the tiny grape-growing village of Santa Eulália, in Northern Spain, where his father grows black grapes that are turned into cheap vinegar. In Madrid, an assassination plot creates a storm of intrigue that sucks into its vortex a group of innocent young farm workers in Santa Eulália.
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Inspiring, true to life
- By Cody W. on 12-18-20
By: Noah Gordon
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Driving on the Rim
- By: Thomas McGuane
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The unforgettable voyager of this dark picaresque is I. B. "Berl" Pickett, M.D., whose die was probably cast the moment his mother thought to name him after Irving Berlin. Other insults piled on apace thereafter: the spasms of Pentecostal Sunday worship; the social debilitation of following his parents' itinerant rug-shampooing business; the erotic initiation at the hands of his aunt. It's hard to imagine what would have become of him had he not gone to medical school.
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Delightful
- By Roy on 01-05-11
By: Thomas McGuane
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Letters from Paris
- By: Juliet Blackwell
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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After surviving the accident that took her mother's life, Claire Broussard worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days, she feels something lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful sculpture that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II. At her grandmother's urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the centuries old mask-making atelier where the sculpture was created.
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love story, a mystery, a historical novel, or all
- By Bonnie on 11-15-16
By: Juliet Blackwell
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Street Without a Name
- Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria
- By: Kapka Kassabova
- Narrated by: Emily Gray
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Kassabova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and grew up under the drab, muddy, gray mantle of one of communism’s most mindlessly authoritarian regimes. Escaping with her family as soon as possible after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, she lived in Britain, New Zealand, and Argentina, and several other places. But when Bulgaria was formally inducted to the European Union she decided it was time to return to the home she had spent most of her life trying to escape. What she found was a country languishing under the strain of transition. This two-part memoir of Kapka’s childhood and return explains life on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
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Good start, but ended up not liking the author
- By Giselle on 11-02-21
By: Kapka Kassabova
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Remember Us
- My Journey from the Shtetl Through the Holocaust
- By: Vic Shayne, Martin Small
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Remember Us is a look back at the lost world of the shtetl: a wise Zayde offering prophetic and profound words to his grandson, the rich experience of Shabbos, and the treasure of a loving family. All this is torn apart with the arrival of the Holocaust, beginning a crucible fraught with twists and turns so unpredictable and surprising that they defy any attempt to find reason within them. Through the eyes of 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Martin Small, we learn that these priceless memories that are too painful to remember are also too painful to forget.
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A Tragic and Rich Life, With Lessons For All
- By still reading on 03-17-16
By: Vic Shayne, and others
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The Winemaker's Daughter
- By: Timothy Egan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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When Brunella Cartolano visits her father on the family vineyard in the basin of the Cascade Mountains, she's shocked by the devastation caused by a four-year drought. Passionate about the Pacific Northwest ecology, Brunella, a cultural impact analyst, is embroiled in a battle to save the Seattle waterfront from redevelopment and to preserve a fisherman's livelihood. But when a tragedy among fire-jumpers results from a failure of the water supply - her brother Niccolo is among those lost - Brunella finds herself with another mission.
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Obviously Not Read By A Washington Resident
- By John C Schuyler on 04-24-19
By: Timothy Egan
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The Patriots
- A Novel
- By: Sana Krasikov
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, George Guidall
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Florence Fein grows up in Brooklyn in the 1930s, in a family that is gaining a foothold in the middle class. At City College she becomes engaged politically with the left-leaning student groups, and eventually, in the midst of the Depression, she takes a job with a trade organization that has a position for her in Moscow. There, she falls in love with another expatriate American and has a son. Soon after, Florence is sent to a work camp and her son to an orphanage.
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Point of View of characters, past and present collide
- By Angela Adams on 01-29-19
By: Sana Krasikov
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A Tale of Love and Darkness
- By: Amos Oz
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 23 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the story of a boy growing up in the war-torn Jerusalem of the 40s and 50s in a small apartment crowded with books in 12 languages and relatives speaking nearly as many. His mother and father, both wonderful people, were ill-suited to each other. When Oz was 12 and a half years old, his mother committed suicide - a tragedy that was to change his life. He leaves the constraints of the family and the community of dreamers, scholars, and failed businessmen to join a kibbutz.
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His life was interesting, but not his memoir
- By DR Harle on 01-27-19
By: Amos Oz
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Freddy and Fredericka
- By: Mark Helprin
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling, critically acclaimed author Mark Helprin's work has drawn favorable comparisons to an elite group of literary legends, including James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, and Thomas Mann. Helprin's sheer comic brilliance shines in this ingenious farce.
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Can't rate it high enough (and I'm a tough grader)
- By Annette on 09-06-05
By: Mark Helprin
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Bad Indians
- A Tribal Memoir
- By: Deborah A. Miranda
- Narrated by: Deborah Miranda
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This beautiful and devastating book - part tribal history, part lyric and intimate memoir - should be required for anyone seeking to learn about California Indian history, past and present. Deborah A. Miranda tells stories of her Ohlone Costanoan Esselen family as well as the experience of California Indians as a whole through oral histories, newspaper clippings, anthropological recordings, personal reflections, and poems. The result is a work of literary art that is wise, angry, and playful all at once, a compilation that will break your heart and teach you to see the world anew.
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Bad recording
- By Aspyn Maes on 09-18-21
What listeners say about The Telling Room
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mel
- 08-07-13
The Original Canned Cheese
My husband doesn't understand how I can sit in front of the TV watching people preparing food; I tell him we're even because I don't understand how he can sit and watch two men pummeling each other with their gloved fists. This conversation came about as I watched *Cheese Slices'* Will Studd hiking through a little Spanish hillside in Castile to a remote village called Guzman in pursuit of a rare sheep's milk cheese preserved in olive oil. A cheese made throughout history by one family and prized among turophiles. Fellow Foodies will understand this passion. On a personal note, I am of Castilian/French ancestry, so I felt some connection to this particular cheese hunt and was intrigued -- to which my husband countered, "My grandfather was a boxer." Days later, The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge... appeared on Audible and I realized the "Piece of Cheese" was the same Páramo de Guzman I had seen Will Studd search out and hedonistically enjoy.
That cave was the "Telling Room", a family's bodega or "el contador," once used as a place to age the precious cheese, and to count and record the farmer's harvest. Later, the rooms were used as a gathering place to tell stories and drink copious amounts of the local wine. It is from this Telling Room that Paterniti draws out the tale of a family's cheese and two friends that battle over that cheese, lusted for by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Gorbachev, Reagan, and called by Harrod's of London, "the world's greatest piece of cheese."
Paterniti, who has an MFA in Creative Writing, is a skillful storyteller that writes with intense passion. He claims the research for this book changed his life, which is obvious in his almost loving attention to detail. (Apparently the book contains page after page of footnotes.) His own obsession with the tale of the cheese seemed like an engrossing tale -- until he introduces the reader to Ambrosio. As someone once said, "I thought I liked the chamber music until the orchestra started to play." Ambrosio is a character of Shakespearean dimensions, fueled by his love for his land, gossip and legends, and gallons of wine. His zest for life is exhilarating (even a very funny, but not irreverent, rustic soliloquy on defecating), everything becomes a shadow to his simple radiance. The story takes on a romantic fairy tale-like quality in his presence. "My name is Ambrosio Melinos de las Heras. You stole my cheese; prepare to die!"
The contrasting stories of an American journalist researching an article, and a Spanish farmer bent on revenge are tightly entwined. The book is verbose and became a little cumbersome as Paterniti painstakingly laid out his family's step by step acclimation to Spain and their personal story thread. The author uses whole chapters to tell a few paragraphs of a story, and I found myself rushing ahead to the villages of Spain and Ambrosio's story. A case of an author writing a character so well that he is outshone by his own brilliance. Readers who love the written word will enjoy...Foodies should at least look for an abridged edition. Not truly a food-themed book, hence the love, betrayal and revenge, but still enjoyable, and executed with talent and heart.
[**As for the cheese? Paterniti described the taste to the Chicago Tribune's Bill Daley: "The cheese was carrying so much metaphysical weight, it was such a product of the land. It connected me to the place....It was such a strong cheese. I didn't expect it. I couldn't eat any more of it. It was overpowering. It was such a reflection of who Ambrosio is." (You can experience his verbosity in this answer.)
*I was unable to find the cheese at any deli nearby for a tasting. The World of Imports has this description: "Páramo de Guzman is an innovative raw sheep's "cheese in a can." It is made on the banks of the Duero River in central Spain. Aged for 12 months for a piquant, sheepy flavor and a firm, slightly granular texture, it is them preserved in extra virgin olive oil -- in a can, no less. The yellow-green oil soaks into the pores of the cheese, giving it a bright olive tint and easy eating texture. From this oil come a typical Mediterranean aroma along with a citrus edge in the flavor profile. Currently sells for $22 lb."]
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24 people found this helpful
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- benefit
- 11-16-14
Unbearable narration.
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No. The narration made it impossible for me to stick with this book. The reader was over the top and stilted--cringe-worthy. He mispronounced a number of words and was just wrong for the book. Maybe he'd be good with self-help books, but not literature.
What did you like best about this story?
Terrific story and well written.
How could the performance have been better?
The narrator read this as though he was reading a storybook to children. His delivery was just too emotive...I tried to block it out so I could hear the words, but it was too much for me. I want to point out, however, that many Audiobook readers appeared to like the narration, so it just may be a style that doesn't work for me. I like a flatter, quieter reading so that I am hearing the words, not the narrator's PERFORMANCE of them. This narrator was like a very bad actor in a high school play...again, that's how it came off to me. Best to listen to a clip first.
Was The Telling Room worth the listening time?
Not sure. Depends on whether you can accept the narrator's style. Would recommend reading the print version, though. I think it's probably a wonderful book.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Gallstone
- 08-12-13
Interesting story ruined by the narrator
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not quite at the level of Simon Winchester but similarly I liked that the story blended recent events with historical facts and interesting asides. I would recommend this book to a friend in print form.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Include a wedge of Paramo de Guzman cheese!
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The narrator has no clue how to pronounce Spanish. Even simple words like "bella" (pronounced beya (correctly) , not bela (as pronounced by the narrator) ) are mispronounced. This might not be a significant issue for someone that does not speak Spanish but if you do or even have a basic understanding, you will be very disappointed and increasingly aggravated as the story progresses.
I fail to understand why a bilingual narrator was not chosen (there must be many) or at the very least why the present narrator was not coached.
The narration severely detracted from the story.
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7 people found this helpful
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- KB
- 10-16-13
A little too long but good nevertheless
Is there anything you would change about this book?
First time I've found the reader to detract. Too much artifice/contrived in words chosen.
What did you like best about this story?
Humor, learned a lot about Spain, history of Spain and world incorporated in to story,
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of L.J. Ganser?
ANYONE.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
No.
Any additional comments?
Too long - not enough pace in story. Too much digression and redundant.
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5 people found this helpful
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- TX lilbit
- 08-12-13
too bad another author didn't scoop this story
What would have made The Telling Room better?
narrator dreadful - like the worst kind of sportscaster. Very clear he read this book through for the first time when it was recorded.
What could Michael Paterniti have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
overheated incoherent writing packed with cliches - author completely self-involved. Less blabbing about awful author and his boring personal journey as a writer, and more about cheesemaker.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
weird parsing choices, blaring and boring delivery, wanted to slap him.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Telling Room?
I would have given the story idea to a different author.
Any additional comments?
I love foodie stories. I hated this author and this book. My personal nightmare would be sitting next to this self-obsessed hack of a writer at a dinner party.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Sofia P.
- 06-23-15
No excuse for horrible pronunciation of Spanish
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not the audio version. The pronunciation of Spanish is painful to listen to.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Telling Room?
I live in Spain and love how the author captured the Castillian spirit.
Would you be willing to try another one of L.J. Ganser’s performances?
No
Do you think The Telling Room needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Not necessarily. "The cheese is dead."
Any additional comments?
It's so sad about the Spanish pronunciation because the use of the Spanish language in the book is very good. Spanish is extremely easy to learn how to pronounce. Unlike English, you can easily read Spanish one you know the sounds of the alphabet and their simple rules for accentuation even if you don't have a clue about the meaning. Don't let Ambrosio listen!
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2 people found this helpful
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- R. B. Rothwell
- 08-16-13
Amazing in so many ways
What made the experience of listening to The Telling Room the most enjoyable?
The author bounces back and forth between history lessons and present day stories and then ties them together flawlessly.
Have you listened to any of L.J. Ganser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, I haven't; but this one was very good.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but it would have been too long.
Any additional comments?
I would say this ranks in the top 5 books I've ever "read." It may even be number one. I found myself very emotionally involved. The writing was brilliant and the reader was very talented.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Heather
- 11-01-13
A vivid and craftily woven story
Would you listen to The Telling Room again? Why?
Probably not, but just because I don't really do that
What did you like best about this story?
I felt like I really got a great feel for the characters and the town
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1 person found this helpful
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- Heidi
- 09-27-13
So Boring
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No. There is no story
Has The Telling Room turned you off from other books in this genre?
no
How did the narrator detract from the book?
no
Could you see The Telling Room being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
no
Any additional comments?
It just went on and on. Couldn't wait for it to be over
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1 person found this helpful
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- melissa.weers
- 09-02-13
great book
Where does The Telling Room rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
a book that is about how a food can move you. very enjoyable
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
you want to listen to the book all the way in one sitting if you have time
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1 person found this helpful