All the Forgivenesses

By: Elizabeth Hardinger

Narrated by: Stephanie Einstein

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Growing up on their hardscrabble farm in rural Kentucky, 15-year-old Albertina "Bertie" Winslow has learned a lot from her mama, Polly. She knows how to lance a boil, make a pie crust, butcher a pig, and tend to every chore that needs doing. What she doesn't know, but is forced to reckon with all too soon, is how to look after children as a mother should...

When Polly succumbs to a long illness, Bertie takes on responsibility for her four younger siblings and their dissolute, unreliable daddy. Yet no matter how hard she tries to hold the family together, the task is overwhelming. Nine-year-old Dacia, especially, is resentful and stubborn, hinting at secrets in their mama's life. Finally, Bertie makes the only choice she can - breaking up the family for its own survival, keeping the girls with her, sending the boys off to their grown brothers, long gone from home.

Ever pragmatic, Bertie marries young, grateful to find a husband willing to take on the care of her sisters, and eventually moves to the oil fields of Kansas. But marriage alone cannot resolve the grief and guilt she carries over a long-ago tragedy, or prepare her for the heartaches still to come. Only by confronting wrenching truths can she open herself to joy - and learn how to not only give, but receive, unfettered love.

©2019 Elizabeth Hardinger (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Wonderful life story

This was an excellent book. While it was hard to listen to the things the family went through, it was very well written and true to what people of the time had to endure. Much of it relates to families now. Story of strong people and how their will and courage keeps them going. Excellent narration.

undecided

I couldn't decide what to rate this book. Parts of it were really good and other parts seemed to drag on and on. At some points I would've given it a 5 and others a 3. I'll say one thing I really didn't like. Throughout the entire book there were way too many "he said, she said, so and so said"! It drove me absolutely nuts! It didn't help the way the narrator said it. It was very 'matter of fact'. Overall, the narrator was good and I enjoyed her but the way she said all of the he said she said was really annoying. The book is worth a read but there were minor things about it I didn't like.

Well, the narration was fantastic

but there wasn't much of a plot. It just sort of drones on through the trials and tribulations of Bertie's difficult life. Surprisingly, given that that the story is told through her perspective, I found Sam to be the more defined and sympathetic character. The great narration saved this for me and kept me listening.

ZzZzzzzZzz

Bad writing, boring story. I couldn't even get through the third chapter before I finally (that's how it feels, anyway) decided to return this for something I could actually listen to.