-
The Abstinence Teacher
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 10-16-07
- Language: English
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $31.93
People who bought this also bought...
-
Mrs. Fletcher
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Finn Wittrock, Carrie Coon
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 866
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 796
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 791
Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A 46-year-old divorcée whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. Before long, Eve's online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mrs. Dalloway
- By newyorkaise on 08-10-17
-
Little Children
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 339
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 203
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 202
Tom Perrotta's thirtysomething parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the Internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Distracting...
- By Ashley on 11-06-08
-
The Leftovers
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 1,165
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,023
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 1,037
What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?That’s what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The title is the best part
- By Pamela Harvey on 09-03-11
-
Nine Inches
- Stories
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: William Dufris, Andi Arndt, Tom Perrotta, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Tom Perrotta’s first book, Bad Haircut, consisted of linked stories featuring a shared protagonist. Now, nineteen years later, he has written and compiled his first true short story collection. This twelve story book features a group set in Perrotta’s trademark suburban setting, focusing on the fissures in families and unexpected connections among members of typical American communities, including “Senior Season” and "Nine Inches".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
great short stories capture modern day life
- By Mark on 06-30-14
-
Mrs.
- By: Caitlin Macy
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 84
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 83
In the well-heeled milieu of New York's Upper East Side, coolly elegant Philippa Lye is the woman no one can stop talking about. Despite a shadowy past, Philippa has somehow married the scion of the last family-held investment bank in the city. And although her wealth and connections put her in the center of this world, she refuses to conform to its gossip-fueled culture. Then, into her precariously balanced life, come two women.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not worth it...
- By Elizabeth on 03-16-18
-
The Locals
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Dee
- Narrated by: George Newbern, Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 73
A rural working-class New England town elects as its mayor a New York hedge fund millionaire in this inspired novel for our times - fiction in the tradition of Jonathan Franzen and Jennifer Egan. Here are the dramas of 21st-century America - rising inequality, working class decline, a new authoritarianism - played out in the classic setting of some of our greatest novels: the small town. The Locals is that rare work of fiction capable of capturing a fraught American moment in real time.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A LONG Boring Journey That Ultimately Goes Nowhere.
- By kimberly on 08-17-17
-
Mrs. Fletcher
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Finn Wittrock, Carrie Coon
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 866
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 796
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 791
Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A 46-year-old divorcée whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. Before long, Eve's online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mrs. Dalloway
- By newyorkaise on 08-10-17
-
Little Children
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 339
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 203
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 202
Tom Perrotta's thirtysomething parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the Internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Distracting...
- By Ashley on 11-06-08
-
The Leftovers
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 1,165
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,023
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 1,037
What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?That’s what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The title is the best part
- By Pamela Harvey on 09-03-11
-
Nine Inches
- Stories
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: William Dufris, Andi Arndt, Tom Perrotta, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Tom Perrotta’s first book, Bad Haircut, consisted of linked stories featuring a shared protagonist. Now, nineteen years later, he has written and compiled his first true short story collection. This twelve story book features a group set in Perrotta’s trademark suburban setting, focusing on the fissures in families and unexpected connections among members of typical American communities, including “Senior Season” and "Nine Inches".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
great short stories capture modern day life
- By Mark on 06-30-14
-
Mrs.
- By: Caitlin Macy
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 84
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 83
In the well-heeled milieu of New York's Upper East Side, coolly elegant Philippa Lye is the woman no one can stop talking about. Despite a shadowy past, Philippa has somehow married the scion of the last family-held investment bank in the city. And although her wealth and connections put her in the center of this world, she refuses to conform to its gossip-fueled culture. Then, into her precariously balanced life, come two women.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not worth it...
- By Elizabeth on 03-16-18
-
The Locals
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Dee
- Narrated by: George Newbern, Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 73
A rural working-class New England town elects as its mayor a New York hedge fund millionaire in this inspired novel for our times - fiction in the tradition of Jonathan Franzen and Jennifer Egan. Here are the dramas of 21st-century America - rising inequality, working class decline, a new authoritarianism - played out in the classic setting of some of our greatest novels: the small town. The Locals is that rare work of fiction capable of capturing a fraught American moment in real time.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A LONG Boring Journey That Ultimately Goes Nowhere.
- By kimberly on 08-17-17
-
The Burning Girl
- By: Claire Messud
- Narrated by: Morgan Hallett
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 115
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 118
A bracing, hypnotic, coming-of-age story about the bond of best friends, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Emperor's Children. Julia and Cassie have been friends since nursery school. They have shared everything, including their desire to escape the stifling limitations of their birthplace, the quiet town of Royston, Massachusetts. But as the two girls enter adolescence, their paths diverge and Cassie sets out on a journey that will put her life in danger and shatter her oldest friendship.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Notable more for the ideas an insights than story.
- By Edward J Bridge on 11-05-17
-
Little Fires Everywhere
- By: Celeste Ng
- Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,497
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,507
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,480
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Boring and Drawn Out!!!
- By M. Ryder on 10-05-17
-
The Female Persuasion
- A Novel
- By: Meg Wolitzer
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 108
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at 60 and a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, is a figure who inspires others to change the world and make the most of themselves. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer - madly in love with her devoted boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place - is awestruck.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Quitting 3 hours in and returning it
- By NMwritergal on 04-07-18
-
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- A Novel
- By: Gail Honeyman
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,010
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12,152
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,107
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Completely fine? No... Completely AWESOME
- By Janna on 07-15-17
-
The Queen of Hearts
- By: Kimmery Martin
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus, Catherine Taber
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 128
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 115
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 116
Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early 20s, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they're happily married wives and mothers with successful careers - Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic book!
- By Steph on 02-25-18
-
Manhattan Beach
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Egan
- Narrated by: Norbert Leo Butz, Heather Lind, Vincent Piazza
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,726
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,496
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,488
Anna Kerrigan, nearly 12 years old, accompanies her father to the house of a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. Anna observes the uniformed servants, the lavishing of toys on the children, and some secret pact between her father and Dexter Styles. Years later her father has disappeared, and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that had always belonged to men.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I usually love Jennifer Egan, however...
- By D. Thomas on 11-10-17
-
The Recovering
- By: Leslie Jamison
- Narrated by: Author
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 33
With its deeply personal and seamless blend of memoir, cultural history, literary criticism, and reportage, The Recovering turns our understanding of the traditional addiction narrative on its head, demonstrating that the story of recovery can be every bit as electrifying as the train wreck itself. Leslie Jamison deftly excavates the stories we tell about addiction - both her own and others' - and examines what we want these stories to do and what happens when they fail us. All the while, she offers a fascinating look at the larger history of the recovery movement and at the complicated bearing that race and class have on our understanding of who is criminal and who is ill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Really good.
- By Robert N. Driscoll on 04-06-18
-
Young Jane Young
- A Novel
- By: Gabrielle Zevin
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 171
Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss - who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married - and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the congressman doesn't take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late-night talk show punchline; she is slut shamed and considered a blight on politics in general. How does one go on after this?
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
DNF not for me
- By em g on 01-15-18
-
My Absolute Darling
- A Novel
- By: Gabriel Tallent
- Narrated by: Alex McKenna
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 919
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 857
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 854
Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At 14, she roams the woods along the Northern California coast. The creeks, tide pools, and rocky islands are her haunts and her hiding grounds, and she is known to wander for miles. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous. Turtle has grown up isolated since the death of her mother, in the thrall of her tortured and charismatic father, Martin.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Talented writer that needs direction
- By Mel on 09-08-17
-
The Arrangement
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Dunn
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 944
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 874
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 870
Lucy and Owen, ambitious, thoroughly-therapized New Yorkers, have taken the plunge, trading in their crazy life in a cramped apartment for Beekman, a bucolic Hudson Valley exurb. They've got a 200-year-old house, an autistic son obsessed with the Titanic whose verbal ticks often sound like a broken record, and 17 chickens, at last count.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story!
- By Teresa on 05-16-17
-
Brass
- A Novel
- By: Xhenet Aliu
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer, Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 29
A waitress at the Betsy Ross Diner, Elsie hopes her nickel-and-dime tips will add up to a new life. Then she meets Bashkim, who is at once both worldly and naïve, a married man who left Albania to chase his dreams - and wound up working as a line cook in Waterbury, Connecticut. Seventeen years later, headstrong and independent Luljeta receives a rejection letter from NYU and her first-ever suspension from school on the same day. Instead of striking out on her own in Manhattan, she's stuck in Connecticut with her mother, Elsie - a fate she refuses to accept.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant Writing!
- By colin mcginnis on 02-10-18
-
The Woman in the Window
- A Novel
- By: A. J. Finn
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8,571
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,922
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 7,892
Anna Fox lives alone - a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times...and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble. And its shocking secrets are laid bare.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
An excruciating listen.
- By Debra on 01-12-18
Publisher's Summary
Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school. She believes that "pleasure is good, shame is bad, and knowledge is power". Ruth's younger daughter's soccer coach is Tim Mason, a former stoner and rocker whose response to hitting rock bottom was to reach out and be saved. Tim belongs to The Tabernacle, an evangelical Christian church that doesn't approve of Ruth's style of teaching. And Ruth in turn doesn't applaud The Tabernacle's mission to take its message outside its doors. Adversaries in a small-town culture war, Ruth and Tim instinctively mistrust each other. But when a controversy on the soccer field pushes the two of them to actually talk to each other, they are forced to take each other at something other than face value.
The Abstinence Teacher exposes the powerful emotions that run beneath the surface of modern American family life and explores the complex spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people. Elegantly written, it is characterized by the distinctive mix of satire and compassion that have animated Perrotta's previous novels.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
3.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars60
-
4 Stars95
-
3 Stars74
-
2 Stars23
-
1 Stars10
Performance
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars35
-
4 Stars44
-
3 Stars18
-
2 Stars3
-
1 Stars2
Story
-
3.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars24
-
4 Stars34
-
3 Stars32
-
2 Stars8
-
1 Stars6
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Kelley
- CA, United States
- 01-13-08
Same and Better
If you've read "Little Children" you'll recognize both the form and the content of this book -- but we can forgive the safety of repetition (or the obsessiveness of it) when the works become fuller and truer as they go. And this one does.
If you are ambivalent (or negative) about religion, you'll find the story scratches your itch nicely without being so insulting to the practice that you feel guilty about feeling good. It comes close or course, but Perrota cleverly side steps any sense of lynching by making all of his characters (pro and anti) equally imperfect and tricky to love.
Also Campbell Scott's voice is a huge turn on.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Marmotty
- New York, NY, United States
- 10-10-11
Wonderful reader/ performer
Campbell Scott is a wonderful, subtle, intelligent actor. He alters his voice just enough to bring the characters alive, without ever overdoing it. I loved the novel, but I think Mr Scott is an inspired actor/reader
Annick
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Gypsy Wife
- Back on Boogie Street
- 03-17-08
Not for everyone!
This is a story that is not for everyone. It's well written and I liked how the characters interacted, influenced one another, and evolved. But the parts dealing with the ultra-conservative religious folks were sheer torture for me. And the narrator's voice is so soft and monotoned as to evoke drowsiness. I would have liked a narrator with more variety of tone and voice.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
- nevina
- CT, United States
- 09-10-08
Why bother?
I found this book pointless. The story went nowhere. The characters were unsympathetic and one dimensional. Not one of them was likeable. I suppose it did have something going for it because I did listen all the way to the end. I hoped the author was "going somewhere" with the story. I was wrong. My reaction to this audio offering when it ended was, "well, there is 10 plus hours I'll never get back"! Definitely NOT credit worthy
4 of 7 people found this review helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Megan Byrne
- 08-28-17
Ugh
Wow. Super dull and pretentious. The only thing worse than the story was the monotone narrator who apparently has something against inflection.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Andrea
- Linz, Austria
- 04-10-11
mildly controversial
Two adults struggling with their respective beliefs: The sober drug addict Tim doubts his savior, Jesus, and down to earth, single-mom Ruth is confronted with her teenage daughter's interest in religion and church. Current non-liberal religious tendencies in North America are displayed as well as the typical suburban life.
Perrotta avoids any judgement. He uses a flashlight instead of putting this sensitive subject in the limelight. This approach makes it an easy read. Supporting characters are sometimes cliched but the main characters are well developed and likable.
Excellent narration.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Loreen
- Gorham, ME, USA
- 10-13-08
I'll never do Perrotta again
The book kept me interested the entire time because I was hoping the characters' lives would improve. However, the book stopped suddenly and the characters are worse off at the end than the beginning. I will never do Perrotta again because the end left me feeling like I had wasted my time.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lynn
- 11-14-15
interesting characters
great story, love the depth of character, did not like the ending. wish there would have been more clarity for Reese and Tim, as well as Tim and Carrie
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Peggy
- Revillo, SD, United States
- 11-26-11
Left me unsatisfied
I thought this book would be interesting contrast between characters with different values. There was minimal development of the characters. The ending was sudden, and left me unsatisfied. Not what I expected.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Jessica
- Lawton, OK, USA
- 12-12-08
Horrible Audio, Great Book
The reader for this audio book is appalling, but the book itself is very good. I read it once before, but I wanted the audio for gym and house cleaning use. I would recommend the book, but definitely not the audio edition.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful