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An American Marriage (Oprah’s Book Club)
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3 out of 5 stars
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This is not a fair review. Doesn’t work in audio format.
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Born a Crime
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 112,866
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 104,522
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One of the comedy world's fastest-rising stars tells his wild coming of age story during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. Noah provides something deeper than traditional memoirists: powerfully funny observations about how farcical political and social systems play out in our lives.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book and perfect narration
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,390
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,885
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Profoundly moving and gracefully told, Pachinko follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them. Betrayed by her wealthy lover, Sunja finds unexpected salvation when a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and bring her to Japan to start a new life.
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4 out of 5 stars
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wonderful book
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Publisher's Summary
Oprah’s Book Club 2018 Selection
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit.
Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward - with hope and pain - into the future.
Critic Reviews
"Narrators Eisa Davis and Sean Crisden skillfully portray Celestial and Roy.... In Part One, the narrators read the couple's letters so intimately that the listener may feel like an intruder.... As every wedding vow is tested, the narrators breathe intensity into Jones's riveting prose." (AudioFile)
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars7,623
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4 Stars3,454
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3 Stars1,394
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2 Stars315
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1 Stars150
Performance
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars7,872
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4 Stars2,621
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3 Stars934
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2 Stars249
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1 Stars105
Story
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars6,820
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4 Stars3,031
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3 Stars1,333
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2 Stars380
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1 Stars179
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa N. Haynes
- LANSDOWNE, PA, US
- 03-01-18
Loved the Story, but...
Any additional comments?
The book started slow and I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it and that would have been a pity because I have enjoyed all of Tayari Jones' work. Fortunately, the story picked up and I did enjoy it. My only big criticism is with the narration. The male narrator's depiction of Celestial or the other female characters didn't work for me. I found myself wondering how it would have worked if Sean Crisden and Eisa Davis narrated those passages together.
93 of 98 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- emankcin
- 07-01-18
don't get the hype
I was not impressed with the overall story and especially character development. Too much of the story is untold, the protagonist hardly changes even with everything that changes in his life and the wife's actions are completely off from the "strong independent women" the author tries to paint her as. No spoilers but all she does is what the men in her life push her too, she let's others fight her battles and is so passive...yet the author keeps saying what a strong modern women she is. I couldn't get past that to enjoy the book.
74 of 78 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Kristen R King
- 05-04-18
So many “WTF” moments
Prepare to be underwhelmed. The only thing I truly enjoy about this book is that the characters are nuanced, neither all good nor all bad. There’s no one to really root for, it’s just a story about the complications of love and commitment.
Narration is good.
Ultimately, this story is OK. I just found myself throwing up my hands at so many points. It was like watching your trainwreck of a best friend repeat their relationship woes. It was like listening to the whiny excuses of ratchet individuals.
134 of 143 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Cindy Morris
- 05-11-18
Unredeemable characters
I found the story to be slow, monotonous and repetitious. I lost interest in the characters because they were hopelessly flawed to the point that I stopped caring about what happened to them. The best parts of the book were the beginning and the ending. The middle could have used a lot of editing.
141 of 151 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- KENNESAW, GA, United States
- 02-15-18
It was okay. Not what I expected.
The story was interesting but lack substance and depth. I kept thinking i missed something.
39 of 44 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gran-Gran78
- 02-12-18
All in One Day...
I listened to the entire book in one day...9 hours straight. I have never been captivated by a novel in my 40 years of life. I could see each word as they were narrated... especially Eisa's narration.
When the gentleman narrated the women's parts, it didn't feel as authentic, yet their performances were phenomenal. I want to thank my former school mate, Lashawnda, for recommending this read.
48 of 55 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- NMwritergal
- Albuquerque, NM
- 02-11-18
Glad such a worthy author got the Oprah bump
I stumbled upon Jones' Silver Sparrow a few years ago and really liked it--more than this one, actually, though I did like this one. So often, really good authors (often authors of color) are totally overlooked, and you have to do a fair amount of hunting to find them amongst thousands upon thousands of books.
Jones managed to take really depressing and difficult subjects (the over incarceration of black men and wrongful conviction alongside the issues of marriage, children, fractured families, racism, and so on) and treat them in such a way that you get it--it's real--but you don't feel like opening a vein.
Roy was the most compelling and interesting character to me and the audio narrator bumped it up a notch. I wish there had been a different narrator for Celestial. While Davis was fine I was really craving Bahni Turpin, Angela Dawe, or Robin Miles, all of whom would have brought Celestial to life better.
Too often these days, authors write unlikable or really flawed narrators but write them in such a way that you can't relate, can't understand. In this novel, all three main characters are flawed (though nobody is downright unlikeable) yet you can still relate to each and understand why they are the way they are and do the things they do. That's no small feat to pull off.
I was rooting for all three main characters even though I couldn't imagine that it would turn out well for all of them!
35 of 40 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- calvin
- Michigan
- 02-10-18
Love Letters To Life and Beyond.
An American Marriage is much more then the title suggest. A beautiful layered story told in an exchange of Love Letters. The narration was outstanding and the concept made this book a page turner. Highly recommended!
49 of 58 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mia Garret
- 02-12-18
Unexpected
Shocking, beautiful, Human. This story rips apart fairytales and challenges what we believe is “real” between two people who decide to be married. I will probably listen again soon.
26 of 31 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- CharDae Bownes
- 03-01-18
great read
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars but the ending disappointed me. I guess I wanted nor, expected more, I'm not really sure. it was a great read all in all never took a liking to the female character Celeste. the entire book she grated my nerves. I would still recommend this book.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs A Obozuwa
- 02-09-18
Fantastic Read!
An amazing tread of events with powerful emotions expressed on all levels. The Author’s description is very captivating. X
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GIWI
- 06-11-18
Touching
it is impossible not to love this book! Funny, sad, romantic and tragic. The vocal performances were exceptional!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Zara
- 03-12-18
Narrators are incredible
The narrators really bring this story to life. This book stands out for the character perspectives of black Americans and their feelings towards a system rigged against them in America. Really eye opening and riveting.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bohobo
- 02-24-19
Just perfect.
Beautiful language all the way through. I can only compare the writing to Toni Morrison's, which is, of course, the very highest of praise.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Musicista
- 02-22-19
COMPELLING LISTEN
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to An American Marriage. An intimate story which made me feel like a voyeur. Delicious! I can see why it was selected for Oprah's Book Club. I thoroughly enjoyed and thoroughly recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Masonia
- 01-31-19
Liked it
I liked this book more than I expected too. I liked the ending, it seemed realistic to me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Geraghty
- 01-21-19
fantastic book
I loved this book from start to finish, the audible narrative was amazing and made the book even better.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-09-19
Exciting start & finish, but disappointing overall
I was really looking forward to this book based on the good reviews.
The novel got off to an exciting and compelling start, but I felt that the majority moved sluggishly towards an ending that was foreshadowed from the outset.
Some parts of the narrative were incisive and authentic, but the reliance on conventional gender roles jarred with me. The male protagonist’s arrogance and sexism in particular distanced me from a character I felt I was supposed to like.
Regarding the narration, I found it strange that so much of the female protagonist’s voice was read by the male voice artist. This rendering was often childlike and pleading, which undermined Eisa Davis’ cool, convincing tones.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Campbell
- 12-20-18
Wow!!!!
I absolutely loved every word, every sentence. I could not stop listening. Roy's voice!! That America accent!! Wow! Amazing! 10/10 I was glad to actually run into a good book written about black people. We are deep.. Definitely. This hit home hard. I am gutted it had to end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-28-18
Fantastic!
Didn’t want it to end. Loved this everything about this book, I will definitely be picking it up again in the future.
Love the narrators, they really brought the story to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melinda - YarnderWoman
- 08-24-18
Powerful and wonderful
A beautifully written story of terrible injustice and what relationships mean. The writing is superlative and the narration extraordinary. Such a beautiful book that has been brought to life in such a fantastic way.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Luis G. Portillo
- 08-01-18
Misleading title
I thought that a novel with a title l”An American Marriage” wold be more epic. Middle section drags, but the performances are great, I cared about Roy and Celestial because narrators made me care.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sam C
- 05-21-18
Stirs emotions
I wasn’t sure what to think about this story. I didn’t like the main character Roy but the feelings the author portrays are very raw. An excellent book. I couldn’t wait for the start and end of the working day to listen to it on the commute
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Maria Brooks
- 05-09-18
Maria
Beautiful, well paced and deep. Excellent performances by the readers. More than an expose on marriage - it’s the American dream under the microscope
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-15-18
Favourite of the year
I’m looking forward to more from Tayari. This story is brilliant. Thank you for a very enjoyable and enlightening experience.