Apples Never Fall

By: Liane Moriarty

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

2021 AudioFile Best Audiobooks

2021 Washington Post Best Books of the Year

From Liane Moriarty, the number one New York Times best-selling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, comes Apples Never Fall, an audiobook that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest.

The Delaney family love one another dearly - it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other....

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after 50 years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children - Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke - were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure - but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2021 Liane Moriarty (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Audiobook narrator Caroline Lee’s voice is an irresistible, visceral joy; like the best audiobook narrators, her delivery is endlessly malleable, shifting nimbly across accent, register and tone to create a sense that one is inside the story rather than peering in from the outside." (Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times)

"[Lee] adds a crisp warmth that makes for an easy and absorbing listen." (Alan Rosenberg, The Providence Journal)

"Australian narrator Caroline Lee is an amazing performer who digs so deeply into her characters' personas that listeners will become addicted to each witty, insightful, and gutsy one." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner)

OUTSTANDING.

Five perfect stars. And the narrator is exquisite. Another absolute triumph by Liane Moriarty. I loved it.

Not my favorite from this author.

I looked forward to this book’s release but am disappointed. It was a bit slow, none of the characters were especially compelling, and I think the narrator was not the best choice this time. Wish it wasn’t so. Maybe my expectations were too high?

Needed to be edited down.

Listened to this in a seventeen hour car drive. Time switches are not emphasized by narrator enough. Every chapter is a switch and she just quietly says “now” or “October” a little confusing. Narrator has a nasal voice that we had to get used to. Book is way too long and many parts are just boring with unnecessary details.

Entertaining till the never ending end

Starts out well, good story line if you like ‘people stories’. The ending goes wayyyy tooo long. Once the mystery is over, it’s chapter after chapter of endings of ‘happy endings’ that defy reality. It’s almost as if writer was not sure how to wrap it up. Comments about the reader’s voice & pitch; yes it’s a bit screechy, suitable for Joy but there is no variation from person to person, everybody sounds the same so poor performance from that perspective.

I can't

10 chapter's in and I had stopped. definitely not what I thought it would be

Amazing audio book

The narrator did an amazing job with all of the characters. It was a real pleasure to listen.

The story was also gripping and the level of detail was something that I enjoyed.

Listen

So good!! Story is wonderful, engaging , and current. Additionally the narration is great! I’ve never liked a voice so much.

Didn’t want this to end!

A beautifully told story (both in writing and in narration) about marriage and family. Wow- I could put this one down!

A masterfully told but very boring story.

This book created created a whole little reality that was so well fleshed out it like seems like I've met these people. Unfortunately the main character is incredibly boring and purposefully so, because that's part of the storyline. However, we have to sit through the fleshing out of her character and it is incredibly boring. The interesting part of the story doesn't even get explained at the end. I just wanted to finish the book and move on to something else.

avoid this title

horrible... don't know where to begin... a complete waste of time. could have written same book in 1 hour...