The Agreement

By: John Isaac Jones

Narrated by: Susan Marlowe

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

"Follow love and it will flee; flee love and it will follow thee." (Old Chinese proverb)

When Alma Dawson, a middle-aged, hard-working single mother, sets out to get the tuition money for her daughter's last year of college, she never dreamed her entire world would be turned upside down. A poignant, inspiring story, this novelette is a testimony to a devoted mother's love!

©2012 John I. Jones (P)2017 John I. Jones

The power of a mother's love

Alma is a single mom who has successfully provided for her daughter and herself up until her daughter's last year in college. Extra college expenses for her daughter mean that Alma needs to come up with more money. She exhausts every option she can think of with no luck, until an acquaintance at the bank makes an offer that she can't refuse. The college expenses are paid now, but her agreement with the banker changes her life in ways she never foresaw.

Narrator Susan Marlowe is the perfect fit for this book. She gives appropriate voices to characters and tells the story so beautifully that you have no choice but to be drawn into Alma's world. John Jones is a master storyteller, giving us a glimpse into Alma's mind as she works with determination to meet expenses and then as she decides to accept the suggestion from the banker and the changes that means in her life.

Something I appreciated following in the story was the time Alma spent canning. When she was struggling to get by, canning was an important part of her life. Once a better job came along we read that vegetables were left rotting on the counter, but she didn't care. People change and priorities change. One thing that didn't change in this book was the love Alma had for her daughter.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is my honest opinion.

Enjoyed listening to this book

I enjoyed listening to this book and I enjoyed listening to the narrator.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Love Comes in Mysterious Ways

I enjoyed this short listen. It is about a struggling religious widow (Alma) who is trying to finishing pay for daughter’s education. She tried everything to get the money then has to resort to the unthinkable and this changes her life forever. It is about how far a mother will go for her child. I was given this audiobook by author and have voluntarily left this review. Also recommend his book Boone. Thank you!

What Would You Do? Thought-provoking…

Alma Dawson is a strapped for cash, a single mother trying to find a way to finance her daughters senior year of college.

She makes an agreement with a man – suddenly her way of thinking about things changes in almost every aspect of her life.

I didn't think that I would like THE AGREEMENT but I stuck with it and I am so glad that I did. It is a wonderful, short book full of thoughtful scenarios and evolving relationship rules.

Susan Marlowe's delivery was a bit slow, but after speeding it up it became perfect.

John Isaac Jones is an eclectic, talented writer. I do not know what genre to put him in because he writes short stories that really cannot be put into one category. I have enjoyed listening to ALL his work.

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Realistic, thought provoking.

This was a well written and realistic feeling story that left me with mixed feelings. ***Spoiler Alert*** While I'm not sure I could ever reconcile or get past someone taking advantage of my desperation get me to do something I am completely against, it does happen every day to many people. I think the fact that Bill acknowledges that it probably wasn't the best way to start a relationship with someone he claimed to love was good. And, I never got the impression that he was uncaring. I had issues with the daughter treating her mother as if because she was older no one would want her. Clearly that wasn't true. Bill wanted her, and no doubt others would too. I felt her daughter fed her mother's insecurities, wasn't very supportive, and expected way too much.

That said, this book is very relatable and makes you think. I'm surprised how much John Issac Jones fit into such a short period of time. There were things that I wish were maybe made clearer so we the reader wouldn't have to speculate and would know the characters a little better. But, overall it was a thought provoking read.

The narrator, Susan Marlowe, also did a great job. She's very easy to listen to and her characterizations and southern feel made listening enjoyable.

Enjoyable Listen

When Alma enters into an agreement to pay for her daughter's education, the last thing that she expects to find is her own happiness. Considering that the time period is the 60's, this probably would have been viewed as an even more scandalous arrangement than in today's society. Alma's decision took courage and she was determined to honor the choice she made. Her love for Darlene gave her the strength to endure the gossip and lose friends because nothing was more important than her daughter.

The novella was well written and gives the listener a lot to think about. It is a powerful story of love, sacrifice and strength. I was pleasantly surprised that a story of this length would be so enjoyable. It didn't feel chopped or incomplete. I just loved Susan Marlowe's southern accent and the way that she brought the characters and story to life. I would recommend The Agreement.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is my honest opinion.

Life can really be like a box of chocolates

As Forrest Gump so accurately described, one just never knows how any given circumstance in life will turn out. What may appear as a blessing can serve to be a curse, and an illicit agreement can turn into the missing piece in ones life.

Another poignant story woven together by John Isaac Jones. similar to his other short stories and Novellas, this one tells the tale of an average set of characters thrust into a realistic life situation that that calls into effect integrity, compromise, love, dedication, tenacity, ridicule, self righteousness, along with the pros and cons of small town life. In the end it is about a mother's love for, and dedication to, her daughter and to the lengths in which she she is willing to sacrifice. Truly a tale of love and redemption; albeit at a cost.

I would highly recommends this book to anyone that has an hour to spare on an uplifting story. The narration by Susan Marlowe is well done and fits the small town setting perfectly. Yet another fine work by this author. A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. My hope is that this review helps in your decision to obtain this book.

So relatable

I love how this story is written, it's powerfully easy to relate to and the emotions come through strongly.

It's an interesting take on life's habit of throwing a curve ball and a good reminder that it's important not to pass judgement on others or on situations because things don't always work as expected.

Fabulous characters, a strong setting and a lovely concept.

The narration is well done, I liked the character voices and the emotions of the story came across really well.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Great Quick Read

The Agreement by John Isaac Jones was a good read. Alma was just looking to get tuition money for her daughter's last year of college. What she didnt expect was to completely change everything that she's ever known. I enjoyed reading this and cant wait to read more by John Isaac Jones.

The Agreement

A mother will do anything for her child. When Alma enters into an unorthodox agreement to get the money for her daughters college tuition, she views it strictly as a business arrangement. Little did she know how much her life would change.

John Isaac Jones is a master storyteller!