The Hourglass

By: Tracy Rees

Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens, Imogen Church

Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

2014. Nora has always taken success for granted, until suddenly her life begins to fall apart. Troubled by anxiety and nightmares, she finds herself drawn to the sweeping beaches of Tenby, a place she's only been once before. Together with a local girl, she rents a beautiful townhouse and slowly begins to settle in to her new life. But Tenby hides a secret, and Nora will soon discover that this little town by the sea has the power to heal even the most painful memories.

1950. Chloe visits Tenby every summer. She stays with relatives, and spends the long, idyllic days on the beach. Every year is the same, until she meets a glamorous older boy and is instantly smitten. But on the night of their first date, Chloe comes to a realisation, the aftermath of which could haunt her forever.

The Hourglass is a moving novel about finding love even after it seems too late and the healing power of a magical place by the sea.

©2017 Tracy Rees (P)2017 WF Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"Tracy Rees writes from the heart." (Kathryn Hughes, author of The Letter)

Buy it!!!!

Such depth of character and a meaningful story that unfolded perfectly. Bah to everyone who didn’t like the ending, it was exactly as it should be, it ended as it began and that’s all you need to know in order to realize that everything works out. I’ll give it a month and probably listen again.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great story, well delivered

The story line and narration were both superb. This delivery had some of the most consistent and accurate accents. Even male dialogue was well delivered. The scenery was beautiful and the characters were richly woven into a charming storyline.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

A new author to love

As a fan of Kate Morton I was pleased to find Tracy Rees.
The characters where well formed the story while not a cliffhanger kept me entertained throughout.
The narration was spot on as I am a big fan of Imogene church second only to Caroline Lee.
I plan to read Florence Grace in the near future.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another Good One By Tracy Rees

I did not enjoy this book by Rees as much as her other two....mainly because of the narration. The voice for Chloe and the other teens in Wales went from cloying to shrill and
the Welsh accents were a little hard to understand. The narration for "Nora " was fine.
I liked the story a lot and the character development was good.
However I must say I am a little tired of the style of writing that jumps back and forth between
generational characters. I wish authors would go back to a straight forward style and just tell the story the way Ann Tyler, Rosamunde Pilcher or Nevil Shute does.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lovely Book

I enjoyed this book and the narration. Oddly, I was unaware that there were two narrators, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment. Being an American I had to check out the reviews to figure out Llew was spelled as it was and I learned something new, but I will never be able to pronounce the word.

Detailed but good

I really have enjoyed listening to this book. Although it seemed long at times, it is because the author is detailed in her descriptions. The performers were excellent! It had a wonderful end.

a little slow but good

This was a bit hard to get into at first but well worth it. Good book! I wasn't a huge fan of Charlotte's reading voice honestly but I got used to it and enjoyed the book in the end.

I laughed, I cried, I LOVED THIS BOOK!

What made the experience of listening to The Hourglass the most enjoyable?

Characters were immediately interesting and engaging. Narrators did a nice job with the different voices and accents. But the story was wound at just the right pace of foreshadowing and moving the plot forward, with a wonderful payoff at the end. I laughed, I cried, I LOVED IT!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hourglass?

The last several chapters. I would hate to spoil it for anyone. One great one, though, was the coffee/lunch scene with Nora and Logan. Perfectly crafted!

What does Charlotte Strevens and Imogen Church bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

How one would pronounce some of the Welsh words! Great job by both narrators.

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

Leo, for his perception and authenticity.

Any additional comments?

Wish we had more from The author. I have really loved every one.

The Hourglass

I really enjoyed this story.....this was my third book of Tracy Rees. The story is interesting and has a certain amount of intrigue that keeps the reader thinking and wondering about. Enjoy!!

Great storyline

Did not want to put it down. Very good. Will look for more by this same author.

Another excellent read from Tracy Rees!

Lovely story and characters. The narration was great and captured the Welsh accent/culture. Can't wait for another book from the author.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

brilliantly evocative

took me a bit to get into the characters but once there i loved everything

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Contains expletives and foul language

I really enjoyed this book except for one thing that I wasn't expecting - the foul language which occasionally makes an appearance. This comes as rather an unexpected shock in this book, and certainly is offensive and unnecessary. I especially did not appreciate it coming from one of the main characters. Tracy Rees writes well, I listened to Amy Snow and enjoyed that thoroughly, so it was a rather unpleasant surprise to hear foul language in this book. My daughter listens to audiobooks with her small children in the room, so this is one I will definitely NOT be recommending to her.

Beautiful story

I really enjoyed this beautiful love story ,and what a very clever way of telling a story ,

A beautiful story.

It was riviting and enchanting and beautifully narrated. I was happy, I was anxious, and emotional.
Makes me want to visit Tenby.

Good story

I enjoyed the story especially as Tenby is my favourite place in the world but the Welsh accents were terrible. Especially Chloe ‘s (jasmine) mum.

Sn Enjoyable Listen

I really enjoyed this one. The story was interesting, the location descriptions evocative and the characters were well-drawn and appealing.
Nicely performed by the narrators, even if some of the ‘voices’ were a little strange at times.

Fantastic read

So enjoyed this book! Not only charming and sweet story but full of twists and turns to keep you gripped to the story!

Loved it

I was drawn in almost immediately the characters all seemed so real just couldn't stop listening what a great book just hope there is a follow up I would love to find out what happened to Nora

heartwarming

Lovely story that kept me interested all the way through, didn't want it to finish