-
Property
- A Collection
- Narrated by: Lionel Shriver
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $17.45
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Should We Stay or Should We Go
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her father dies, Kay Wilkinson can’t cry. Over 10 years, Alzheimer’s had steadily eroded this erudite man into a paranoid lunatic. Surely one’s own father passing should never come as such a relief. Both medical professionals, Kay and her husband Cyril have seen too many elderly patients in similar states of decay. Although healthy and vital in their early 50s, the couple fears what may lie ahead. Determined to die with dignity, Cyril makes a modest proposal.
-
-
Innovative storyline
- By Richard.odell on 08-20-21
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Mandibles
- A Family, 2029-2047
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2029 the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the "almighty dollar" plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency: the "bancor". In retaliation the president declares that America will default on its loans. With "Deadbeat Nation" being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains for savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation.
-
-
So that's what the left and the right have in common!!!
- By Moe on 06-30-16
By: Lionel Shriver
-
Abominations
- Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Lionel Shriver
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Novelist, cultural observer, and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces “under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous” points of view, she filets cherished shibboleths and the conformity of thought and attitude that has overtaken us. Bringing together thirty-five works curated from her many columns, features, essays, op-eds, speeches and reviews, and some unpublished pieces, Abominations reveals Shriver at her most iconoclastic and personal.
-
-
Superb
- By S. Mork on 01-20-23
By: Lionel Shriver
-
So Much for That
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shep Knacker has long saved for “The Afterlife”: an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with “talking, thinking, seeing, and being” — and enough sleep. When he sells his business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet his wife Glynis has concocted endless excuses why it’s never the right time to go.
-
-
A Long-Form Rant Saved By Narrator (Barely)
- By Jennifer on 05-06-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Motion of the Body Through Space
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Lionel Shriver's entertaining send-up of today's cult of exercise - which not only encourages better health, but now like all religions also seems to promise meaning, social superiority, and eternal life - an aging husband's sudden obsession with extreme sport makes him unbearable.
-
-
Very Good!
- By Tina on 06-01-20
By: Lionel Shriver
-
We Need to Talk About Kevin
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his 16th birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin.
-
-
A smart, chilling story. Told in a very unique way
- By aaron on 01-09-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
Should We Stay or Should We Go
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her father dies, Kay Wilkinson can’t cry. Over 10 years, Alzheimer’s had steadily eroded this erudite man into a paranoid lunatic. Surely one’s own father passing should never come as such a relief. Both medical professionals, Kay and her husband Cyril have seen too many elderly patients in similar states of decay. Although healthy and vital in their early 50s, the couple fears what may lie ahead. Determined to die with dignity, Cyril makes a modest proposal.
-
-
Innovative storyline
- By Richard.odell on 08-20-21
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Mandibles
- A Family, 2029-2047
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2029 the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the "almighty dollar" plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency: the "bancor". In retaliation the president declares that America will default on its loans. With "Deadbeat Nation" being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains for savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation.
-
-
So that's what the left and the right have in common!!!
- By Moe on 06-30-16
By: Lionel Shriver
-
Abominations
- Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Lionel Shriver
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Novelist, cultural observer, and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces “under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous” points of view, she filets cherished shibboleths and the conformity of thought and attitude that has overtaken us. Bringing together thirty-five works curated from her many columns, features, essays, op-eds, speeches and reviews, and some unpublished pieces, Abominations reveals Shriver at her most iconoclastic and personal.
-
-
Superb
- By S. Mork on 01-20-23
By: Lionel Shriver
-
So Much for That
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shep Knacker has long saved for “The Afterlife”: an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with “talking, thinking, seeing, and being” — and enough sleep. When he sells his business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet his wife Glynis has concocted endless excuses why it’s never the right time to go.
-
-
A Long-Form Rant Saved By Narrator (Barely)
- By Jennifer on 05-06-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Motion of the Body Through Space
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Lionel Shriver's entertaining send-up of today's cult of exercise - which not only encourages better health, but now like all religions also seems to promise meaning, social superiority, and eternal life - an aging husband's sudden obsession with extreme sport makes him unbearable.
-
-
Very Good!
- By Tina on 06-01-20
By: Lionel Shriver
-
We Need to Talk About Kevin
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his 16th birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin.
-
-
A smart, chilling story. Told in a very unique way
- By aaron on 01-09-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
Crossroads
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 24 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads. A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen’s gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.
-
-
How do narrators still do clownish stuff like this in 2021?
- By Hotrodimus on 10-30-21
By: Jonathan Franzen
-
The Henna Artist
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist - and confidante - to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own....
-
-
Lyrical and inspiring
- By Alisa Hagerty on 04-23-20
By: Alka Joshi
-
Our Country Friends
- A Novel
- By: Gary Shteyngart
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the rolling hills of upstate New York, a group of friends and friends-of-friends gathers in a country house to wait out the pandemic. Over the next six months, new friendships and romances will take hold, while old betrayals will emerge, forcing each character to reevaluate whom they love and what matters most. The unlikely cast of characters includes a Russian-born novelist, his Russian-born psychiatrist wife, their precocious child obsessed with K-pop, a struggling Indian American writer, a wildly successful Korean American app developer, a global dandy with three passports.
-
-
Beautifully written, painful, but very, very moving
- By Jim on 11-08-21
By: Gary Shteyngart
-
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
-
-
Sedaris is the gay Mark Twain.
- By Steve on 06-02-04
By: David Sedaris
-
The Corrections
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Corrections is a grandly entertaining novel for the new century--a comic, tragic masterpiece about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes. After almost 50 years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home.
-
-
"Grandly Entertaining"? Really?
- By Georgia Burns on 10-08-13
By: Jonathan Franzen
-
Unsheltered
- A Novel
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliantly executed and compulsively listenable, Unsheltered is the story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum, as they navigate the challenges of surviving a world in the throes of major cultural shifts. In this mesmerizing story told in alternating chapters, Willa and Thatcher come to realize that though the future is uncertain, even unnerving, shelter can be found in the bonds of kindred - whether family or friends - and in the strength of the human spirit.
-
-
Spring for a professional narrator, please!
- By Gail D. on 11-05-18
-
I Am, I Am, I Am
- Seventeen Brushes with Death
- By: Maggie O'Farrell
- Narrated by: Daisy Donovan
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I Am, I Am, I Am is Maggie O'Farrell's astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter - for whom this book was written - from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers.
-
-
Her prose is beautiful!
- By Judy on 03-25-18
By: Maggie O'Farrell
-
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Rooney
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's the last day of 1984, and 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish is about to take a walk. As she traverses a grittier Manhattan, a city anxious after an attack by a still-at-large subway vigilante, she encounters bartenders, bodega clerks, chauffeurs, security guards, bohemians, criminals, children, parents, and parents to be in surprising moments of generosity and grace. While she strolls Lillian recalls a long and eventful life that included a brief reign as the highest paid advertising woman in America - a career cut short by marriage, motherhood, divorce, and a breakdown.
-
-
Lillian takes a stroll down memory lane!
- By Iris Pereyra on 01-29-17
By: Kathleen Rooney
-
Unaccustomed Earth
- Stories
- By: Jhumpa Lahiri
- Narrated by: Sarita Choudhury, Ajay Naidu
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the internationally best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a superbly crafted new work of fiction: eight stories that take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand. In the stunning title story, Ruma, a young mother in a new city, is visited by her father, who carefully tends the earth of her garden, where he and his grandson form a special bond. But he's harboring a secret from his daughter, a love affair he's keeping all to himself.
-
-
Simply Beautiful
- By Eileen on 11-21-08
By: Jhumpa Lahiri
-
My Ex-Life
- A Novel
- By: Stephen McCauley
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Hedges’ life is coming apart at the seams. His job helping San Francisco rich kids get into the colleges of their (parents’) choice is exasperating; his younger boyfriend has left him; and the beloved carriage house he rents is being sold. His solace is a Thai takeout joint that delivers 24/7.
-
-
SO ENJOYABLE!
- By Tammy L. Virgili on 05-23-18
By: Stephen McCauley
-
The Widower's Tale
- A Novel
- By: Julia Glass
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a historic farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement: Reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. His routines are disrupted, however, when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. No longer can he remain aloof from his community.
-
-
Shedding old skin ...
- By Kelly on 09-23-10
By: Julia Glass
-
Fresh Complaint
- Stories
- By: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Eugenides, Ari Fliakos, Cynthia Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories in Fresh Complaint explore equally rich and intriguing territory. Ranging from the bitingly reproductive antics of “Baster” to the dreamy, moving account of a young traveler’s search for enlightenment in “Air Mail” (selected by Annie Proulx for Best American Short Stories), this collection presents characters in the midst of personal and national emergencies.
-
-
You’ll love this book if you love hearing about bodily fluids on a regular basis.
- By Cynthia C. Stellar on 11-13-17
Publisher's Summary
The first ever story collection from the inimitable Lionel Shriver.
In her first ever story collection, Lionel Shriver illuminates one of the modern age’s most enduring obsessions: property.
A woman creates a deeply personal wedding present for her best friend; a thirty-something son refuses to leave home; a middle-aged man subjugated by service to his elderly father discovers that the last place you should finally assert yourself is airport security.
This landmark publication explores the idea of "property" in both senses of the word: real estate, and stuff. Immensely readable, it showcases the biting insight that has made Lionel Shriver one of the most acclaimed authors of our time.
Critic Reviews
Praise for The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047: "Shriver’s intelligence, mordant humour and vicious leaps of imagination all combine to make this a novel that is as unsettling as it is entertaining." (Financial Times)
"As ever, Shriver cuts close to the bone!... Distinctly chilling." (The Independent)
"A tale that fizzes with ideas and jokes.... the comedy is pitch black." (The Times)
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Property
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Richard
- 11-22-19
Great narration
In case anyone’s worried about the reviews that say the narration isn’t good, don’t worry them. It’s excellent. The author reads this collection clearly, engagingly and, most importantly, in her own tone. I’m very pleased Lionel Shriver recorded this book herself and hope she does the same for any future audiobooks she releases.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mrs C.
- 05-29-18
Love Lionel but not as a narrator
Absolutely adore this author and having listened to her speak at various festivals and having read almost everything she’s written, I am almost relieved that there is something she is not brilliant at! Actually stopped listening to this and will read instead. Would not however put me off listening to anything from her in future - she’s brilliant - just as long as she doesn’t narrate it if British accents are required!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dearauntie
- 07-08-18
Say what?
I normally love her novels, esp Kevin and later, but this is a strange affair. Most of the endings are visible from the beginning, as if you climbed a tree with binoculars not a handsaw. But the main fault isn't the stories themselves but Shriver's lack of aptitude as a voice artist. Why did she do it? A bigger royalty share? It is hopeless. Normally a monotone, she leavens the drudgery with accent and dialect, but she can't do accent and dialogue. One character was supposed to be somehow gaelic I felt, because he said wee for small. But I have no clue what flavour. Probably not Breton. Another had a crazy hybrid of West Country, Australian, working class London and speech impediment. It was way too poor and annoying to be comically hapless. At times it was actively intrusive as you really don't know what the characters say. Her attempt at a child's voice was like someone who'd only seen children from a distance. Her talent as a voice artist is only surpassed by her efforts as a cultural diplomat. Her editors and producer are to blame. Would they have let her typeset the print? Code the Kindle? Drive the delivery van. Just say no.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rachel Redford
- 05-08-18
Domestic territorial conflict
14 hours is a long download – 10 short stories book-ended with 2 longish novellas, all on the theme of possession and rights, whether over property or another human being.
Lionel Shriver is undeniably razor-sharp and strident in her robust opinions on topics of the moment such as immigration, religion, property owning and the shortcomings of the millennial smart-phone generation, but the trouble with creating fiction as a vehicle to expound on these opinions and observations is that the characters Shriver creates (and there are a great many of them) are almost without exception unpleasant, unkind, unappealing, unsympathetic, uncompromising people.
There are plenty of sharp observations on marital and family relationships and the madness of aspects of today’s society, but 14 hours is a very long time to spend in these characters’ unrelieved company and Shriver’s entirely appropriate but unpleasant, grating, harsh, hard voice doesn’t make the experience any more enjoyable. Some of the stories are set in the UK and hearing the attempt of strongly American Shriver to speak like her idea of rough English speakers is one of the worst audio performances I’ve ever heard in my long audio-listening life!
The best, set in Africa,is KIlifi Creek, even though the arrogant, ignorant, selfish millennial protagonist is thoroughly unlikeable: a well-structured and memorable short story.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- judy coulton
- 07-12-21
Argh! Wish I'd read the reviews before purchasing
Although Lionel Shriver has sharp and sometimes witty observations on contemporary life, you don't usually turn to her for a bit of a giggle. Until this collection. And it is her narration that stops you in your tracks and provides the laugh. But it's only funny in the shock of the moment. Only amusing while you wonder how this has been produced and brought to market as a serious Audible offering.
Not since Dick Van Dyke has a cockney accent been so horribly and hilariously mangled. Sadly all the delivery, apart from the few stories requiring only straightforward narration, is painful on the ear. I'd go back over the collection to be more specific as to which of the stories are particularly bad, but I just can't bear to listen to it again.
The sad thing is that such poor narration is intrusive. It comes between the audience and the communication. So I have no idea how good the stories are. Clearly not good enough for this listener.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Pat Tobin
- 10-12-19
a very clever collection
I really enjoyed property . it was a clever idea to base a whole book of stories around one theme. All perspectives were covered. one disappointment was Lionel's narration. I usually love having the author read but she just doesn't have the voice for it and her accents were very off.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anna Haighton
- 01-29-19
The accents, oh the accents!!
I LOVE Lionel. I've read/listened to so much of her work over and over again and having already read this collection I was excited to order it. The stories are great, but THE ACCENTS! It really detracted from the story as it was totally impossible to listen to any 'British' dialogue without total incredulity. What a shame- I can't believe no-one picked her up on it!!! Lots of the stories don't have British characters though- those ones are awesome.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kohaku
- 07-25-18
Shriver's writing is wonderful, I love it.
Shriver's writing is wonderful, I love it. I still love this collection of short stories and really glad I bought it despite the dreadful accents Shriver attempts- as a native English person I cannot work out where most of them are supposed to be from, they really are Dick Van Dyke bad. Thankfully mostly she reads in her own accent and reads well.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Thorfinn
- 05-22-18
Narrator should really stick to writing !
Irish and ' Cotswolds' accents were off-putting or downright painful. Had to skip over the story with a 'Cotswolds' accent as it was so excruciating. Great writer but shockingly bad narrator :(
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 01-22-21
Enjoyed every word
My own views on life are so akin to the author’s that hearing her tell her stories on this inflammatory subject - Property - were pure pleasure to me.
Cannot recommend this collection of stories highly enough.
Related to this topic
-
So Much for That
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shep Knacker has long saved for “The Afterlife”: an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with “talking, thinking, seeing, and being” — and enough sleep. When he sells his business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet his wife Glynis has concocted endless excuses why it’s never the right time to go.
-
-
A Long-Form Rant Saved By Narrator (Barely)
- By Jennifer on 05-06-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Corrections
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Corrections is a grandly entertaining novel for the new century--a comic, tragic masterpiece about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes. After almost 50 years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home.
-
-
"Grandly Entertaining"? Really?
- By Georgia Burns on 10-08-13
By: Jonathan Franzen
-
My Ex-Life
- A Novel
- By: Stephen McCauley
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Hedges’ life is coming apart at the seams. His job helping San Francisco rich kids get into the colleges of their (parents’) choice is exasperating; his younger boyfriend has left him; and the beloved carriage house he rents is being sold. His solace is a Thai takeout joint that delivers 24/7.
-
-
SO ENJOYABLE!
- By Tammy L. Virgili on 05-23-18
By: Stephen McCauley
-
Big Brother
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Alice Rosengard
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at the airport, she doesn't recognize him. In the four years since the siblings last saw each other, he has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened? Imposing himself on Pandora's world, Edison breaks her husband Fletcher's handcrafted furniture, and entices her stepson to drop out of high school. After the brother-in-law has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: It's him or me.
-
-
Shriver's Super-sized Best!
- By Pamela Harvey on 07-04-13
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Widower's Tale
- A Novel
- By: Julia Glass
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a historic farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement: Reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. His routines are disrupted, however, when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. No longer can he remain aloof from his community.
-
-
Shedding old skin ...
- By Kelly on 09-23-10
By: Julia Glass
-
The Nest
- By: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a 19-year-old waitress as his passenger.
-
-
The Nest is a Complete Mess
- By Wendi on 04-13-16
-
So Much for That
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shep Knacker has long saved for “The Afterlife”: an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with “talking, thinking, seeing, and being” — and enough sleep. When he sells his business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet his wife Glynis has concocted endless excuses why it’s never the right time to go.
-
-
A Long-Form Rant Saved By Narrator (Barely)
- By Jennifer on 05-06-12
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Corrections
- A Novel
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Corrections is a grandly entertaining novel for the new century--a comic, tragic masterpiece about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes. After almost 50 years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home.
-
-
"Grandly Entertaining"? Really?
- By Georgia Burns on 10-08-13
By: Jonathan Franzen
-
My Ex-Life
- A Novel
- By: Stephen McCauley
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Hedges’ life is coming apart at the seams. His job helping San Francisco rich kids get into the colleges of their (parents’) choice is exasperating; his younger boyfriend has left him; and the beloved carriage house he rents is being sold. His solace is a Thai takeout joint that delivers 24/7.
-
-
SO ENJOYABLE!
- By Tammy L. Virgili on 05-23-18
By: Stephen McCauley
-
Big Brother
- A Novel
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Alice Rosengard
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at the airport, she doesn't recognize him. In the four years since the siblings last saw each other, he has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened? Imposing himself on Pandora's world, Edison breaks her husband Fletcher's handcrafted furniture, and entices her stepson to drop out of high school. After the brother-in-law has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: It's him or me.
-
-
Shriver's Super-sized Best!
- By Pamela Harvey on 07-04-13
By: Lionel Shriver
-
The Widower's Tale
- A Novel
- By: Julia Glass
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a historic farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling is settling happily into retirement: Reading novels, watching old movies, and swimming naked in his pond. His routines are disrupted, however, when he is persuaded to let a locally beloved preschool take over his barn. As Percy sees his rural refuge overrun by children, parents, and teachers, he must reexamine the solitary life he has made in the three decades since the sudden death of his wife. No longer can he remain aloof from his community.
-
-
Shedding old skin ...
- By Kelly on 09-23-10
By: Julia Glass
-
The Nest
- By: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a 19-year-old waitress as his passenger.
-
-
The Nest is a Complete Mess
- By Wendi on 04-13-16
-
Fresh Complaint
- Stories
- By: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Eugenides, Ari Fliakos, Cynthia Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories in Fresh Complaint explore equally rich and intriguing territory. Ranging from the bitingly reproductive antics of “Baster” to the dreamy, moving account of a young traveler’s search for enlightenment in “Air Mail” (selected by Annie Proulx for Best American Short Stories), this collection presents characters in the midst of personal and national emergencies.
-
-
You’ll love this book if you love hearing about bodily fluids on a regular basis.
- By Cynthia C. Stellar on 11-13-17
-
The Beginner's Goodbye
- By: Anne Tyler
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anne Tyler gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving new novel in which she explores how a middle-aged man, torn apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances: in their house, on the roadway, in the market. Gradually he discovers, as he works in the family's vanity-publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life, that maybe for this beginner there is a way of saying goodbye.
-
-
Anne Tyler at her Best
- By Elizabeth Ward on 05-06-12
By: Anne Tyler
-
A House Among the Trees
- A Novel
- By: Julia Glass
- Narrated by: Mary Stuart Masterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the revered children's book author Mort Lear dies accidentally at his Connecticut home, he leaves his property and all its contents to his trusted assistant, Tomasina Daulair, who is moved by his generosity but dismayed by the complicated and defiant directives in his will. Tommy knew Morty for more than four decades, since meeting him in a Manhattan playground when she was 12 and he was working on sketches for the book that would make him a star.
-
-
Glass Fan
- By G Eliot on 07-17-17
By: Julia Glass
-
How to Start a Fire
- By: Lisa Lutz
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When UC Santa Cruz roommates Anna and Kate find passed-out Georgianna Leoni on a lawn one night, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later they gather around a campfire on the lawn of a New England mansion. What happens in between - the web of wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and sudden tragedies that alter the courses of their lives - is charted with sharp wit and aching sadness in this meticulously constructed novel.
-
-
Read this book - don't listen to it
- By janet on 05-25-15
By: Lisa Lutz
-
This Is Where We Live
- A Novel
- By: Janelle Brown
- Narrated by: Erik Davies, Phoebe Zimmermann
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This Is Where We Live tells the story of Claudia and Jeremy, a young married couple (she’s an aspiring filmmaker, he’s an indie musician) who are on the verge of making it. Her first film was a sensation at Sundance and is about to have its theatrical release; he’s assembled a new band and is a few songs shy of an album. But a series of seismic events deal a crushing blow to their dreams.
-
-
it held my interest but....
- By Christine on 04-09-11
By: Janelle Brown
-
Imagine Me Gone
- By: Adam Haslett
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer, Robert Fass
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Margaret's fiancé, John, is hospitalized for depression in 1960s London, she faces a choice: carry on with their plans despite what she now knows of his condition, or back away from the suffering it may bring her. She decides to marry him. Imagine Me Gone is the unforgettable story of what unfolds from this act of love and faith. At the heart of it is their eldest son, Michael, a brilliant, anxious music fanatic who makes sense of the world through parody.
-
-
Imagine Your Satisfaction Gone
- By Audio Gra Gra on 01-04-17
By: Adam Haslett
-
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
-
-
Sedaris is the gay Mark Twain.
- By Steve on 06-02-04
By: David Sedaris