The Lost Husband

By: Katherine Center

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

"Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for - Dear Lord! - two whole years, and I'm writing to see if you'd like to be rescued."

The letter comes out of the blue, and just in time for Libby Moran, who - after the sudden death of her husband, Danny - went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape: a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids, and hitting the road.

Life on Aunt Jean's goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet - deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny "on the other side", and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she's been looking for. And despite everything she's lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she's found. Libby hasn't just traded one kind of crazy for another; she may actually have found the place to bring her little family - and herself - back to life.

©2013 Katherine Pannill Center (P)2013 Tantor

lost and found

loved this book! I love how Libby finds her strength, love. and where she belongs.
I've seen the netflix show of this, it's cute, but I love how the books have more details.

Rubinate was great!

Katherine Center writes great stories and Amy Rubinate did a marvelous job bringing everyone to life. Bravo!

Great narrator made it worthwhile

What did you like best about The Lost Husband? What did you like least?

The story was predicable but pleasant, definitely chick lit. Amy Rubinate's excellent narration kept me interested, otherwise, it would have been too predicable. When the goats are the most interesting "characters" in a story, it's not a compelling book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Katherine Center? Why or why not?

Maybe, if I was in the mood for more chick lit

Sweet and well written

This was an easy listen with a light-hearted love story. I’ve heard people call these books predictable, but I don’t read them to be surprised. I read them for happiness and comfort, and they deliver.

Greatly enjoyed the book

The main character was a little easy to like except too much of a worrier with her kiddos. Her romantic interest was very likeable EXCEPT for this weird speech he gave her on not supporting higher education and how the world one day would revert to the olden days of hunting. that tech would crash and we would need to know survival skills. It was so odd and never mentioned again in the book. It stayed in the back of my mind and made me think he was a weirdo. I wish that was omitted as it didn't relate to anything that happened later.

Bittersweet but good story

This was such a bittersweet story but so good!
I love how Katherine Center pulls out the positive in all her stories and brings the theme of trying your best and not giving up.

Good story, but unhappy with narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator. The story itself was good, but I found myself tempted to just delete it several times because the narrator annoyed me.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way it depicts farm life as happy and fulfilling. Also, I liked how it helped me realize that love can come to a widow even when she thinks her heart will never be able to love again.

Would you be willing to try another one of Amy Rubinate’s performances?

Highly doubtful.

Was The Lost Husband worth the listening time?

Absolutely. As I mentioned above, the story itself is excellent.

another enjoyable Katherine Centers novel

You all know what a Katherine Center fan I am. I so enjoy her women’s fiction book and The Lost Husbandwas another enjoyable novel.

When Libby Moran loses her husband in a car crash, she not only loses the love of her life but falls on hard times and loses her home. Having to live someplace she moves in with her excessively and unreasonably critical mother. When Libby receives a letter from her estranged Aunt Jean not only offering her a job but a place to live .. on a goat farm.

Wanting a new start, she packs up her and the kids and moves to her aunt’s goat farm. But can it be that easy? She meets up with an aunt so different from her mother … who is hiding something from Libby; a shaggy but hot farm manager with his own mysterious past; the local feed store psychic and obscure actress that talks to the dead; and the school bully that picks on her daughter.

“it’s not really what happens to you that matters as much as who you become in response to those things.”

Here Libby will come to terms with the death of her husband, learns about her past and take a chance to live and love again.

“You can't just wish strength for yourself. Or wisdom. Or resilience. Those things have to be earned.”

This was a novel was turned into a movie and release on Netflix’s in April of 2020 starting Josh Duhamel. When I started watching it I knew I had already watched this in the theater, at one time I used to get free tickets to see pre-released movies and I believe this was one of them because it was actual filmed in 2018. Something I rarely do is read a book after seeing the movie. Once finished with the audiobook I decided to re-watch the movie and thought they stuck close to the storyline from the book.

The audiobook was narrated by Amy Rubinate. I thought she did a wonderful job. I truly enjoyed both - I mean Josh Duhamel.

Good story but narrator was not great.

The narrator was too breathy. It was annoying to the point it was distracting. It was disappointing- love KC and enjoyed the movie but the reading of this one was grating at times.

wonderful story. narrator kind of a sad sack.

Wonderful sorry but the narrator had such a sad voice the whole time. i don't think it all was intended to have that sad voice.