Mother of Pearl

A Novel

By: Melinda Haynes

Narrated by: Nana Visitor

Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in small town Mississippi in the late 1950s, Mother of Pearl is populated by wonderfully rich and original characters with themes of identity and the true meaning of family interwoven throughout. The story revolves around 28-year-old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan, and Valuable Komer, a 15-year-old white girl who is the daughter of the town whore and an unknown father. Their paths cross through Joody Two Sun, a seer, who becomes Even's lover. Both Even and Valuable are seeking the family, love, and commitment they never had, and their search ultimately takes both of them to places they never dreamed they'd go.

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©1999 Melinda Haynes (P)1999 NewStar Media Inc.

Hard to put down....er, hard to hit

I thought that this was an EXCELLENT listen! I enjoyed the character development, the plot - everything about this book. I was sad when it ended. May we look forward to a sequel?

Mother of Pearl (Unabridged)

A wonderful story that brings a smile to one's lips, a tear to one's eyes and a warmth to one's heart.

One of my all-time favorites 💜

I have read this book so many times, but listening to it so artfully performed made it come to life in a whole new way for me. My one and only complaint about this audiobook is that it is choppy between chapters and it seems as if sections might even have been skipped.

Hypnotically Beautiful

A first class wordsmith with a true understanding of human nature. Eloquent and heartbreakingly beautiful.

literally exquisite

a feast of delicate a raw prose. i suppose it helps if you have spent time in the south, as the pace of the story matches the pace of the world down there, life takes its time. it ripens into a heady sweetness i felt in every mental bite of this delicious book. Bravo!!!

Just a sheer delight..

this book was one of the few that I could honestly say that were in the same league as Life of Pi. it was so alternative, good and very enjoyable. Read the storyline and download it. You wont be disappointed.

Excellent Book

I absolutely loved this story! The characters are so real. Narration is excellent. Five stars all the way!!!!

I loved this book.

I loved the this glimpse into another era and another culture. I loved the characters in it. I savored the descriptive writing, the surprising metaphors, the down-home way of looking at things. I was mighty sorry when it ended.

Worth enduring a slow start!

Thoughtful story of the Deep South of the 1950’s. Contrary to some other listeners, I enjoyed the “storytelling” style of the narrator. There were some abrupt transitions from one chapter to the next that cut off a word or two ( bad editing).

Hard To Get Into But Worth It

I admit I had to restart this book at least once in order to make sure I remembered all I needed to. But once I got the characters down, it was a great story. You have to understand small towns and it helps to connect with the south.

This was actually a number of little stories that connected into one big one. There are numerous characters to develop, numerous story lines. That is why it was so rich. I loved learning about them all.

I thought the narration was fine. There was no differentiation between the characters, but since there were so many characters, who would have been able to keep track of them if they were different?

This is not for everybody. But it is well worth it if you can hang in there.