Carolina Moon

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Dean Robertson

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a novel of redemption and suspense, as a woman haunted by the unsolved murder of her childhood friend returns to her small South Carolina hometown....

Tory Bodeen grew up in a run-down house where her father ruled with an iron fist and a leather belt - and where her dreams and talents had no room to flourish. Her one escape was her neighbor Hope, who lived in the big house just a short skip away, and whose friendship allowed Tory to be something she wasn’t allowed to be at home: a child.

Then Hope was brutally murdered, and everything fell apart. 

Now, as she returns to Progress with plans to settle in and open a stylish home-design shop, Tory is determined to find a measure of peace and free herself from the haunting visions of the past. As she forges a new bond with Cade Lavelle - Hope’s older brother and the heir to the family fortune - she isn’t sure whether the tragic loss they share will unite them or drive them apart. But she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try. 

But living so close to those unhappy memories will be more difficult and frightening than Tory could ever have expected. Because Hope’s murderer is nearby as well....

“Roberts may have achieved her personal best in this tense Southern Gothic. As atmospheric and unsettling as a Tennessee Williams play.... This is romantic drama at its best.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

©2004 Nora Roberts (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

Critic Reviews

"This is romantic drama at its best." ( Publishers Weekly)

AWFUL narrator for romantic fiction

The narrator sounds just like Janet Reno. Terrible choice for a romantic novel. Although I appreciate the non-use of fake accents.

Grating Narrator

I really enjoyed the story and am a long-time Roberts fan, but the narration of this book just grated on me. Being a southerner myself, I appreciate the appropriate accent, but the voice quality and dramatic effect were just awful. I am so sorry about it. Wish I could hear the book with another voice.

Good and Bad

This is a good book, I like the plot of the story and was not surprise who the killer was. The bad part is the narrator. The narrator read with NO emotion. She is reading the story as if she is bored. If you can get pass the narrator, please listen to the book.

Carolina Moon

I am a great fan of Nora Roberts. Her book (of corse) is good. Her reader, however, is the worst I've ever heard. I would advise never to use this one again.

WOW

What an intense book. And the ending. WOW Didn't care for the narrator. Couldn't differentiate between characters. Otherwise, a very good book.

Ignore narrator, listen to the story.

What did you love best about Carolina Moon?

I enjoyed the interaction between all the characters. The story line is very interesting and kept me listening.

What other book might you compare Carolina Moon to and why?

I think Nora Roberts Sanctuary. It has similar suspense and character dynamics that keep it interesting.

Would you be willing to try another one of Dean Robertson’s performances?

I would prefer not. There just wasn't any emotion. I couldn't tell the difference in many of the characters and there were many times that a sentence blended with the next one so it was hard to make sense of what was being said.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It may have been with someone else reading.

Any additional comments?

I have many Nora Roberts (as well as many other authors) and even if you have a strong story, if the narrator doesn't do a good job, it detracts considerably from the book.

Narration elevates the experience

Okay, Okay....so a lot of people really disliked Dean Robertson's narration of Carolina Moon. I absolutely loved it. Robertson is an old-fashioned reader, a storyteller. She doesn't act parts, doesn't change her voice and doesn't tell you what to think. She gets out of the way of the story and lets it flow in her honey-southern voice.

It's not a great story. It's early Nora Roberts- you can see everything-even the red herrings- coming a mile away. But it's Nora Roberts, a master of sustaining both the story and your interest. It's a great pairing- like pizza and a really good Cote du Rhone, Robertson's reading style made this listen a memorable experience.

good book, poorly read

I almost didn't get past the first chapter or two of this audiobook, as the reading really annoyed me. It is fast and sentences are strung together. The reader doesn't have the best voice to listen to either. However, I continued because I didn't want to waste my money. I began to get past the voice and hear the book. The book itself is good. Nora describes things in a way that you can picture the scene. The characters are well-developed. If you can get past the voice, you will like this book.

Terrible narrator

I really enjoyed the story line, but the narrator didn't fit. It was hard to get past the way she narrated, and sometimes difficult to determine which character was speaking.

carolina moon

Excellent book.Held my interest all the way to the end. I thought I knew how it would end but was I supprised!

Terrible narration!!

Would you try another book written by Nora Roberts or narrated by Dean Robertson?

Nora Roberts - yes! Dean Robertson - definitely NOT!!! The name is male, but the voice is female - what a surprise!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Faith - she is an "in your face" kinda gal, but definitely has a softer, sweeter side.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The cadence and inflections were OFF. She read it as though she was reading a scientific treatise instead of an emotional novel. Won't buy another book narrated by this one.

Was Carolina Moon worth the listening time?

The story was wonderful - full of surprises, and the characters were interesting, but the narration ruined the book for me.

Any additional comments?

I just wonder if anyone actually listens to the performances by these narrators before the books are released. If so, new listeners with a more discerning ear need to be hired for that job!

Enjoyable

An enjoyable story. but the narrator doesn't quite have the full character defination that I feel she was aiming for. This is most noticable for some of the minor characters, as they can some time blur together with the similar tones. But her range for the main characters old and young is certainly spot on.

Unexpected twist

Any additional comments?

The story is enjoyable with an unexpected twist to it but it can be quite hard work to listen. the narrator's reading is ok but often seems rushed, almost as if trying to keep to a certain number of words per minute. There is not much difference in the voice between different characters, which is fine and infinitely preferable to poorly done accents, however when coupled with the deadpan and slightly rushed delivery can make it hard to follow some of the conversations between characters. On the whole, I enjoyed the book but if I reread it, will probably do so in print.

good story. Narrator's voice is REALLY annoying

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I really have trouble listening to voices that are irritating or have something so distinct that you cannot differentiate between the characters. She is croaky and hoarse and it carries thru to every character.

Audio wasn't for me

I love this story. Have from the first time I watched the made for TV movie of it. Even though the story has some dark themes it is a wonderful read. Full of love and family and friendship. I cannot recommend the book and all its vibrant characters enough (cade and wade are wonderful book boyfriends)
However the reason for less stars is the audio. As I've said I have read the book and watched the movie countless times. I have lived in Progress and fell in love with the Lavelle siblings for over ten years now as it is a frequent re read. But the audio... Not for me. While they tries with sound effects I didn't like it. As I listened I felt like I was being read to by a tired grandmother which was comforting at times but it gave no life no passion. She used the same tone when couple were arguing as they were talking every now and then randomly using emotion and jarring me from the over all performance. It was all bad she does have a wondeful voice but she didn't bring it to life the way the audio for Tribute performer did. I couldn't tell the difference between any of the characters most of the time.
The story was still wonderful. I'm still bursting with love and a kind of bittersweet feeling when the story ends but the audio just wasn't for me. I still recommend to everyone as you will love the story or Tory Cade and Fatih no matter how you experience it.

Great story, dreadful narrator!

I love Nora Roberts and her story’s are fun, emotional, exciting and detailed. I learn while reading and can go back a read them over as they are so enjoyable. In most cases the audible versions have been great and the narrators have done a good job of bringing the characters to life. This woman however from start to finish sounded bored! Bored of the subject and the job she was doing. I felt like a bored teenager listening to a bored teacher reading a passage she was just desperate to finish, so read too quickly and with only the most limited effort to infuse emotion into the words. I’m sorry, but the only good thing I can say about this performance was that her accents where pretty good. 🤷‍♀️

Carolina moon

The. Book was brilliant. The only issue I had was that the narrator talked to fast. It was like she was in a race.

Terrible Narration

The narration makes this story borderline impossible to follow. Love Nora Roberts, but will avoid Dean Robertson in the future. A shame - I normally listen to books multiple times but this one is relegated to the “Nope” pile.

Poor narrator

The story was very good as are all Norah Roberts books that I have listened to. The narrator was very poor, half of the time I found it hard trying to separate the people as they all sounded alike. What a pity, if it had bee done with another narrator I would have given it five stars, and if the story hadn’t been as good I would have returned it.

Good story, shame about the reader

This is a story that is bound to enthrall. The reader is not! A dull boring voice that does no justice to the book.