Ties That Bind

By: Marie Bostwick

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Xe Sands

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

In her compelling, beautifully crafted novel, New York Times best-selling author Marie Bostwick celebrates friendships old and new - and the unlikely threads that sometimes lead us exactly where we need to go.

Christmas is fast approaching, and New Bern, Connecticut, is about to receive the gift of a new pastor, hired sight unseen to fill in while Reverend Tucker is on sabbatical. Meanwhile, Margot Matthews’ friend, Abigail, is trying to matchmake, even though Margot has all but given up on romance. She loves her job at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop and the life and friendships she’s made in New Bern, but she never thought she’d still be single on her fortieth birthday.

It’s a shock to the entire town when Philip A. Clarkson turns out to be Philippa. Truth be told, not everyone is happy about having a female pastor. Yet despite a rocky start, Philippa begins to settle in - finding ways to ease the townspeople’s burdens, joining the quilting circle, and forging a fast friendship with Margot. When tragedy threatens to tear Margot’s family apart, that bond - and the help of her quilting sisterhood - will prove a saving grace. And as she untangles her feelings for another new arrival in town, Margot begins to realize that it is the surprising detours woven into life’s fabric that provide its richest hues and deepest meaning.

©2012 Marie Bostwick (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This is one very talented writer…Watch her star rise!” (Debbie Macomber, New York Times best-selling author)

Heart warming❣️

Wonderful story of hope & forgiveness! Remembering Love is more than a word… but action… through grief & trauma… hope and friendships… family and Faith!!

Love the series

I have loved this series. My only issue is that the narrator makes it hard to distinguish who is who by the voices. They all sound the same.

Delightful story

I have enjoyed all of the books in the Cobbed Court Quilt series. This book could be read without having read the rest of the series, but it's fun to hear snippets of the previous characters' stories come up within the fabric of this story. I also appreciate the faith-based thought process of these characters, and how they handle some of life's challenges. I laughed, I cried, I smiled. I feel a connection to this small town and its charming people!

My favorite

This is my favorite book by Marie Bostwick - she does a beautiful job creating a character who is determined to live out her faith in spite of her disappointment and fear - very believable and inspirational.

Good Story

So nice to have a different story that includes a lady minister. I loved Phillipas name, and do look forward to following her life in a future book.

Loved the story, but…

This is the third story I’ve listened to by the author. I enjoy how she develops characters a new intertwines them. Each one has a rich personality. I also enjoys and appreciates the Christian themes she adds without digressing into a sermon. These theme are applicable and make a reader think about “how” they can actuate the theme for their lives.

I enjoyed each character, but didn’t enjoy their voices compared to earlier books listened to. They were not horrible. I just preferred earlier voice artist performances for Evelyn and Abigail. (The ones from the story when Evelyn first moved to New Bern. My apologies as I cannot recall the title.)

I must see if there are book clubs who read and discuss her books. This author is great!

Great Story

I loved this book. It is very heartwarming but exciting! The ending is somewhat predictable but lovely!

Wonderful and heart warming!

What did you love best about Ties That Bind?

Even though life has given you lemons, the reciept for lemonaide varies from person to person.
It's a great listen, I really enjoyed the series and was sorry that this is the last book.

Great book

I’ve had this book in my library for years but decided to try it and was totally surprised at how good it was. It was interesting from beginning to end. Not much drama, but a book that makes you feel good for having read it. I have 3 audible books by this author and started another one a year ago but had to stop due to the boring narrator but the two narrators that are reading this book were great.

Great story, terrible narrators

Where does Ties That Bind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The story was good but the two narrators were terrible. I thought the story was really good though.

How could the performance have been better?

The performance was terrible. One narrator that played Margo was depressing. She always sounded like she was almost in tears. Even when something good was happening, she was morose. The other narrator was even worse. Her New York accent was atrocious. She never heard of words that end in "er". Everything was the letter "a". Annoying beyond belief to hear motha, fatha, leccha (lecture), eitha (either),, told a (told her). She ruined what was a very good character and made her sound like a street hard kid from the Bronx.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story yes, the narrators no.

Any additional comments?

The story was very good, liked following the Cobble Court characters. It was like visiting with old friends but was very disappointed that the experience of the story was greatly reduced but the narrators.