The Chosen One

A Novel

By: Carol Lynch Williams

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia

Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father's three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

©2009 Carol Lynch Williams (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Narrator Jenna Lamia brings passion and dignity to Kyra, her sisters, and even the strict elders who want all the girls for themselves...Lamia's voices sounds believably young and brings surprising gravity to this ripped-from-the-headlines story.” —AudioFile

“Narrator Jenna Lamia's searing, poignant performance will stay with listeners long after the book ends as she draws listeners in and never lets go, making them feel as if Kyra is living with them as they hear her story...Outstanding.” —Sound Commentary

“Jenna Lamia strikes just the right note between innocence and a growing sense of rebellion in her characterization of Kyra...” —Kirkus Reviews

Really engaging

A quick listen and a really engaging story. I didn't realize the book is meant for the YA market until I listened to the interview with the author at the end. Well written and well narrated.

Powerful

This is a powerful story, there are parts that are hard to get through. It shows the ugly and difficult times some kids go through and the dark parts of life people don’t want to talk about. It also shows how small things matter and make a difference in a persons life.

This book is well written and the story is wonderfully dark. The voice actor captured the main characters personality perfectly. The performance was wonderful, however, I did have a hard time setting the stereo system in my car to get the audio quality easier to understand do to the frequency of the vocals. I do have a low quality sound system and audio quality for higher voices sucks. But, when listening with headphones quality is great.

I will be listening to this book again in the future!

Great Read-total surprise

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not a book I would usually read. But the story captured me from the start. Jenna Lamia brought the story to look life.

The chosen one

Very good definitely made me think I was there I enjoyed it very much. I hope to read more like this

Amazing!

This book was amazing! Williams took on (and conquered) the daunting task of putting a sympathetic face on the sometimes reprehensible (certainly in this book) practice of polygamy. And she does this in a YA novel, to boot. So, Kyra is born within a polygamous sect, but has dreams of the outside world thanks to the Mobile Library on Wheels that gives her a tenuous connection to another lifestyle.

When her dirty-old-man-uncle comes a-calling for her thirteen-year-old hand, she knows she needs to find a way out. This isn't Big Love we're talking about here people, or Sister Wives. This tale is more like a storyline you would see with the were-panthers of True Blood.

The Prophet (the group's leader) has slowly eroded away the colony's freedoms (like reading any book but the Bible) and has a standing, armed God Squad to keep people in line. Murder happens just often enough to keep everyone towing the line for God.

What I found immensely compelling about The Chosen One wasn't the big developments, but the small moments. I wanted Kyra to hightail it out of there ASAP, but I slowly understood why she kept choosing to stay despite everything. Her family (all three Mothers, multiple siblings and Dad) are there. They are a different family, but they are hers and they love each other deeply. Yes, her parents made horrible choices that subsequently led to her present circumstances, but they adore her, their family and their community.

Williams has created a beautiful tale that sheds light on the underground world of polygamous sects. Kyra is a strong, young heroine you want to hug, take in, root for and protect. She is simply amazing.

Excellent YA Novel

Jemma Lamia's narration was excellent, as always. The author captures the feelings of a teenage girl so well that I remembered some of my own feelings of those years, although certainly not in the same circumstances! I liked that the author showed a split between the main character's loving family and the sect leadership who act brutal and what we would consider crazy. It was very well done and I couldn't stop listening. I would like to know what happened next, as others have said.

My favorite female narrator!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Chosen One to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the printed version, however Jenna Lamia is such a fabulous narrator I don't think I would have enjoyed the story as much if she were not reading it to me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending left me longing for a sequel.

Which character – as performed by Jenna Lamia – was your favorite?

Kira and Joshua were my favorite characters. The others were either perpetrators of evil or those willing to tolerate it in the name of "God".

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I don't think my reaction was extreme, but I know that the story and characters will stay with me for a long time. The injustice and abuse that women have to endure in the religious society that the author describes are horrifying.

Any additional comments?

The story builds dramatically, impossible to stop listening at the end.

wow

What a wonderful (and disturbing) story. It was so well written and narrated. I usually listen to books as I drive to and from work and errands and while doing chores. I kept finding myself sitting still, mesmerized, instead of folding laundry...hiding in the closet from my family...pulling over to parking lots at key points in the story to concentrate...and cheer on the young heroine!

Taking a break from this story was hard to do.

I thought this was going to be just another book just another story, but to my surprise it grabbed me from the very beginning.
The author made each word meaningful without having to many words, she keeps you interested.
The reader of this audio book is perfect for this book.
What I also liked about this book was that it draws you into the characters, and especially Kia, I found my self emotionally feeling the pain of the characters, the pain of that baby being dipped in ice water was so wicked; by the end of the story I was sobbing feeling the pain from what the two boys and the girls family had to go through, it’s a story that will stay in my mind for quite a while.
This story also I am afraid... is not too far from the truth.

A surprisingly enjoyable read!

I know little about polygamy other than newspaper stories or the outrageous Big Love show on HBO. I hope that this type of sect no longer exists, but I suppose it is possible, or even probable. It was interesting to hear the author interviewed at the end of the audiobook.

I have a soft spot for stories written from a girl-turning- woman perspective, and I really enjoyed that she used reading to experience the "outside world". I will definitely recommend this book to young readers that I know, but you don't need to be young to appreciate the story.