It All Comes Back to You

By: Beth Duke

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

It's 1947. War's over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights, swing dancing. Beautiful, 17-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world. Everybody loves her.

In 2012, she's still beautiful, charming, and surrounded by admirers.

Veronica "Ronni" Johnson, licensed practical nurse and aspiring writer, meets the captivating Violet in the assisted living facility where Violet requires no assistance, just lots of male attention. When she dies, she leaves Ronni a very generous bequest - only if Ronni completes a book about her life within one year. As she's drawn into the world of young Violet, Ronni is mesmerized by life in a simpler time. It's an irresistible journey filled with revelations, some of them about men Ronni knew as octogenarians at Fairfield Springs.

Struggling, insecure, flailing at the keyboard, Ronni juggles her patients, a new boyfriend, and a Samsonite factory of emotional baggage as she tries to craft a manuscript before her deadline. But then the secrets start to emerge, some of them in person. And they don't stop. 

Everything changes.

©2018 Beth Dial Duke (P)2019 Tantor

Compelling story

The story is compelling, although moves slowly for several chapters. The reader does a good job with voices,. A good choice for a light read.

Don't waste your time

This story was mildly interesting but could have been told in less than half the time if she left out all the pointless dialogue. If I had been reading this book, instead of listening, I would have skipped over page after page to get to the few parts in the book where the story was being moved along.

The narrator did the best she could with all the sappy dialogue, but this felt like a Lifetime original movie.

Exciting, intriguing, surprising!

A little predictable in some respects, but then from other angles this book will totally catch you off guard! It’s lighthearted and even giddy at some points. You’ll enjoy the old-fashioned lifestyle of Violet. She’s a doll and everyone loves her.

captivating

not sure what to say. Captured me from the get go with the energy of the characters lifting off the pages, couldn't stop listening.

Not a favorite for my book club

I sort of expected the group in my book club to like this but only two people out of 10 did. it is a slow story and the narrator reads it like a Sandra Brown novel with a plucky woman cop who is tough as nails but with a heart of gold. I hated the narration. The southern accents are grating and there are some details that detract from the story including one characters name: Rick O'Shea.
Not many of the characters are likable and the story just plods along. I did find the ending interesting and unexpected but that's really the only positive I can specifically mention.

I liked it!

this was a book club selection, not the usual story about heavy social topics. it was a story about a full life of twists and turns. I enjoyed it.

Outstanding!

Our book club chose this for our first book and it was just perfect. The story was magnificent, and the performance was terrific! I really fell in love with this story. I'm so glad the way it was read was such a performance in itself because it really highlighted the overall feel.

A poorly written romance novel

i struggled to finish and only finished because it was a book club book. It was poorly written, the story was weak and the reader's voice annoying. I would not waste my time or money!

So Good!!

Late nights because I couldn’t stop listening! The characters are well developed and Amy McFadden did a great job narrating.

Cute story with a mini plot twist

narrator was excellent. one of the best after authors that test their own work. the story is nice, it draws you. interesting twist in the end.

this was fairly predictable

I did finish this book it was okay there were go9d reviews. I didn't really like the character Violet she was so self absorbed and man mad by all accounts. Her life was just basically wrapped up in her men sad really