Hidden Places

By: Lynn Austin

Narrated by: Ruth Ann Phimister

Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Fragrant blossoms herald spring, but the orchard is also a place of secrets and heartache. After the death of her husband Frank, Eliza is left with three young children and mounting debts. When a gentle stranger enters her orchard, she experiences a peculiar sensation of familiarity with the man. But will his unknown past jeopardize all that she has fought for?

Hidden Places is a Christy Award winner for excellence in Christian fiction.

©2003 Karen Ball (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Combines a strong spiritual story line with endearing, believable characters during the Great Depression." (Publishers Weekly)
"A wonderful fictional memoir with many twists and turns. Written with an overwhelming joyful approach, this story sparkles with life." (Romantic Times)

Austin is Wonderful

I've just discovered Christian Fiction. Figured romance novels with God sprinkled in. Just pray and you'll get your man. So wrong! This book and her others are filled with drama, real life issues, challenges that we all face in one way or another. It shows how God moves in the background, how things that appear coincidental are truly scripted by God. I'm a King and Koontz fan and still am entertained and moved by this author.

Hidden Places

I truly enjoyed this audiobook. The character is a widow who falls on hard times and thru the support of her family and neighbors, finds a solution to her hard times. There is a love story thrown in that is really sweet. I had a hard time cutting it off when I got to my destination.

Heartwarming

I really enjoyed this story and loved the characters. Well most of them! It was long so I felt I got my money's worth. I thought the person reading it did an excellent job and would listen happily to anything else read by this reader.

One of My Faves

I had this in my Wish List for quite awhile, and couldn't decide if I really wanted it. I'm glad I finally got it; it was really great. I loved all the characters, and the way they were presented. The story flowed in a logical way to an ending I hadn't figured on, and way too soon. I found myself wanting to really get to know these folks. I highly recommend this book.

Captivating

This book had me hooked from the start. It was nicely written and very interesting. Will probably purchase the actual book as a gift because it was so good. The reading was excellent as well!

Hidden Places

This audio book was exceptional. The story keep your attention and the reader did an excellent job of making the characters come alive. There was humor in this story as well as a message about life and how it always goes on. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone ready for a great story.

Well written story with many unexpected turns

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It captured me from the very first chapter and kept my interest throughout the entire book! The author has a way of keeping you in suspense and not giving away the ending until the very last chapter. The characters became very real and I could feel their pain, their disappointment and their hopes and dreams as I listened. The only thing that I was not very fond of was the narrator. The voices of the characters were not especially well done, but the book held such a great story that I had no trouble listening and anticipating what each chapter would bring. I would highly recommend this book. It has some very good biblical principles that we would be wise to ponder.

Rough listen

The story is okay but the details often become monotonous. I found myself fast forwarding through some of the descriptions, especially Eliza's life in the circus. The narrator was a distraction for me. Eliza is in her twenties for much of the story yet the narrator sounds like she is in her late seventies or eighties. All of the characters sound the same which made it difficult to follow dialogue between them. At times it was hard to figure out which character was speaking. The audio also picked up the narrator licking her lips or swallowing - not sure exactly what the noise was but it was distracting. Definitely will not listen to this narrator afain.

Very inspiring story

This is a great story of love and heartache. I don't normally like stories that have sad things that happen and there were several times where I teared up a bit but overall the story was upbeat and full of hope. Near the beginning you are sure you've figured what will happen; but you didn't! I love how the author jumped around to each person's story. So during each story you got a better glimpse of what was happening. And the lessons of God's true love really touched me. I will be recommending this book to my book club!

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

Would you listen to Hidden Places again? Why?

I just listened to it for the third time and I am sure I will listen to it again!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Aunt Batty. She was utterly delightful and so full of love.

What does Ruth Ann Phimister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings their personalities to life.

If you could take any character from Hidden Places out to dinner, who would it be and why?

All of them.

Any additional comments?

This is a beautiful uplifting book.