• The Memory of Water

  • By: Karen White
  • Narrated by: Susanna Burney
  • Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (252 ratings)

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The Memory of Water  By  cover art

The Memory of Water

By: Karen White
Narrated by: Susanna Burney
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Publisher's summary

On the night their mother drowns, sisters Marnie and Diana Maitland discover there is more than one kind of death. There is the death of innocence, of love, and of hope. Each sister harbors a secret about that night--secrets that will erode their lives as they grow into adulthood.

After 10 years of silence between the sisters, Marnie is called back to the South Carolina Lowcountry by Diana's ex-husband, Quinn. His young son has returned from a sailing trip with his emotionally unstable mother, and he is refusing to speak. In order to help the traumatized boy, Marnie must re-open old wounds and bring the darkest memories of their past to the surface. And she must confront Diana, before they all go under.

©2009 Karen White (P)2009 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Memory of Water

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
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    1 out of 5 stars

I don't know what happened here.

I love Karen White and I have read all of her books. I was saving "The Memory of Water" for those times when I couldn't find something to read or when I needed to spend a credit on something that I knew woud be a for sure would be great. This book is not it. The storyline was dry and boring. I could not like anybody in this story. The sisters really needed to never see each other and I did not like the "replacement" wife, mother. The narriator's voice wore on my nerves.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The memory of water

Right from the very first few sentences I was drawn into this story,and it held me throughout.It was a very intense story,but handled with plenty of hope ,and by the last hour(chapter) I almost had to pull over I was so involved in what was happening.This was the second book I've read by this author(The Lost Hours)and I will definately be listening (reading)more.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I'm a Fan but this one didn't stand up

I am a fan of Karen White but, "The Memory of Water" didn't make the cut. It was monotone and never grab me as the reader.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I'm not sure what it lacked and definitely not one of the best from this author.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

did not believe these characters were southern

great story but the narrator's voice didn't match the characters. took me awhile to really get into it for that reason.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Was ok ......... slow start .....

I listened to this whole book. It's about two sisters who are apart for years and end up in the same town together. I will not listen again, it was a little slow, and I had trouble listening to the entire book. I do not regret the purchase, but prefer books that have a little more drama so-to-speak and books that keep me wanting to jump in the car to turn on my iPod asap!! I have thoroughly enjoyed all other Karen White books!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A very dark book

I loved the book but I found it very dark. Not the usual Karen White novel, which are upbeat. This book takes a look at mental illness. Having experienced this with my own mother, I couldn’t believe the stupidity of those around the mentally ill person. Why she wasn’t committed is beyond me as she was a danger to herself as well as others. But the book is fiction after all and the story was good

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • T
  • 07-01-23

Love Karen White’s Southern Novels

However, this one with Yankee voices hard to differentiate male and female vs child, was hard to follow. I had to start several chapters over to figure out who was who. I read in short bits as my day allows, so perhaps if I’d had more time to listen longer it would have been easier. Still a fan. Excellent writer. Not her best work.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great but didn’t much like the ending

This book was very well written as all of Karen’s books are. However, the ending seemed unnecessary to me.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I have very much enjoyed 2 of Karen Whites books. This is not one of them. The story is good regarding family and mental health but the dynamic of the sisters and the ex was so disappointing. I will continue to read books by this author but hope her characters have better character.

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