Harmony

By: Carolyn Parkhurst

Narrated by: Abigail Revasch, Jorjeana Marie, Cassandra Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Dogs of Babel, a taut, emotionally wrenching story of how a seemingly "normal" family could become desperate enough to leave everything behind and move to a "family camp" in New Hampshire - a life-changing experience that alters them forever.

How far will a mother go to save her family? The Hammond family is living in DC, where everything seems to be going just fine until it becomes clear that the oldest daughter, Tilly, is developing abnormally - a mix of off-the-charts genius and social incompetence. Once Tilly - whose condition is deemed undiagnosable - is kicked out of the last school in the area, her mother, Alexandra, is out of ideas.

The family turns to Camp Harmony and the wisdom of child-behavior guru Scott Bean for a solution. But what they discover in the woods of New Hampshire will push them to the very limit.

Told from the alternating perspectives of both Alexandra and her younger daughter, Iris (the book's Nick Carraway), this is a pause-resisting story about the strength of love, the bonds of family, and how you survive the unthinkable.

©2016 Carolyn Parkhurst (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The principal storyteller is younger daughter Iris, performed by Abigail Revasch, whose rhythms and pitch sound authentically preteen.... Cassandra Campbell's silky voice matches Alex's internal musings as she tries to understand how her family has fallen under Scott's control. Both performances are tinged with unease and a slowly developing tension. Jorjeana Marie narrates from Tilly's viewpoint, using exaggerated energy to dramatize the teen's loosened hold on reality." (AudioFile)

"Parkhurst is a sincere and crafty writer... Harmony [is] a moving and compassionate literary dive straight into the heart of a frantic parent... shatteringly immediate... touchingly real.” (The New York Times Book Review)

"Every child has the potential to break a parent's heart. In this gripping, timely novel, Carolyn Parkhurst follows the Hammond family as they give up everything to build a community that will allow both their daughters to thrive, an experiment that tests their resilience - and ultimately reveals the healing power of love.” (Kim Edwards, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter)

Heart warming and thought provoking<br />

A very realistic perspective on living life as a family with an autistic child.
Highly recommend to all who want to understand the world of families with special needs children.

compelling story

Would you listen to Harmony again? Why?

I won't listen to Harmony again,but I will recommend it to a frend or two

What other book might you compare Harmony to and why?

Harmony is unique, I guess I can only compare it to other books written by this writer

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

lots of variety in voices to differentiate the three characters from each other.

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

At first, no - but then I felt more comfortable with the subject matter ( I have a child who has issue similar to one of the characters in the book), and I could relate to all of the characters in some manner.

Interesting

I found this to be an interested and well read book, but it never seems to direct itself to a point. Is it about autism? Cults? Survival? Why the suicide so early in the game(and end of book). There are no connections or conclusions

Beautiful

This is beautifully narrated. The writing has a unique way of pulling at ALL of your parental heartstrings. I love the way the story is told from the perspective of the children and the mother. Totally worth every second of your time. My only complaint is that I didn't want it to end!

The different child.

As we grew up in a family of a very different brother we were unaware of autism. Understanding came late in his life but now we all appreciate the books and the talks on this interesting condition. Compassion instead of thinking he was a little crazy and mad. A good read for me. Thank you. And yes he finally found his wings in his mid fifties. Sandra

wow

At first I thought this was going to be a real good book, what was the ending all about?! I have know Idea what point was being made by the author.

I kept waiting for this book to get to the point

I didn't care for this book because it seemed like you didn't really have a point. I only stuck with it see if it got better. I was very disappointed. The narrators were very good

Yawn..

This is the first review I have ever left for an audio book. This was also one of the most anti-climatic books I've listened to. You keep thinking that everything is building up to something and the ending is disappointing. I've wasted 9 hours I'll never get back.