On Turpentine Lane

A Novel

By: Elinor Lipman

Narrated by: Mia Barron

At 32, Faith Frankel has returned to her claustro-suburban hometown, where she writes institutional thank-you notes for her alma mater. It's a peaceful life, really, and surely with her recent purchase of a sweet bungalow on Turpentine Lane, her life is finally on track. Never mind that her fiancé is off on a crowdfunded cross-country walk, too busy to return her texts (but not too busy to post photos of himself with a different woman in every state). And never mind her witless boss, or a mother who lives too close, or a philandering father who thinks he's Chagall. When she finds some mysterious artifacts in the attic of her new home, she wonders whether anything in her life is as it seems.

©2017 Elinor Lipman (P)2017 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Narrator Mia Barron's spot-on timing brings out the best of the smart dialogue and understated humor in this story of contemporary life for the 30-something crowd.... Barron's delivery of quirky characters and multiple plotlines contributes to this entertaining audiobook." ( AudioFile)

Amazing!!!

Laugh out loud funny, full on tears sweet, intriguing mystery. The narrator was spot on with voices and tone. I will read more from this author and everyone else should also!

A little slow...

This is a cute, predictable and entertaining story. It got better as I listened and at times, made me laugh out loud.

Happy listen w/ real characters

I almost didn’t get this book b/c of some of the negative reviews, but I’m so glad I did. The characters are all real people - although they lean, sometimes strongly, one way or the other - they all have good and bad qualities. As far as the reader talking slowly, I adjusted my speed to 1.2 and it was perfect. And her voices and emphasis were generally spot-on. A few twists and some laugh out loud moments made it completely enjoyable.

Great story, so-so narration.

Nice light, humorous story. If the story hadn’t been so enjoyable, I wouldn’t have finished. For some reason, the narrator read every single line in the same flat, satirical tone. This one would be better read in the print version.

A slice of life

Yes I know that most people don’t live in a house with a murder mystery, but that aside it was a fun peek through the curtains into someone else’s very regular but still eventful life. Worth the time to listen.

Fun, Clever, Enjoyable

Finally, a book about characters that are real! Faith begins as a such a self-doubter but through her work, home, and family adventures develops into a mature and secure person. Her mother, cleverly voiced by the narrator, was the cherry on top. Minus one star for truly unnecessary F words. These characters are well educated professionals who understand the nuances of language-- the author does them an injustice with such words. Overall a fun read. I will look for more of Elinor Lipman's work.

Love the characters and narration

Faith and Nick will become your best friends by the end of the book. They are smart and witty
and the narrator delivers the perfect pitch for all the crazy happenings on Turpentine Lane. I wish there was a sequel because I’ll miss the hilarious matter of fact quips.

Loved it!

Great story & great narrator, very funny.
I’m now going to listen to another Elinor Lipman: Mia Barron story.

Loved every minute of it!

Would you listen to On Turpentine Lane again? Why?

Absolutely Great story and narration!

What did you like best about this story?

The story had great twists and unexpected turns.

What does Mia Barron bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her characters' voices are well done and easy to follow.

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

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended!

Easy, Light Read after “The Four Winds!”

After finishing The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah I needed a really easy read. This fit the bill. Nothing earth shattering, silly little story with a bit of mystery thrown in. Still enjoyed it.