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The Italian Teacher
- Narrated by: Sam Alexander
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A sparkling, propulsive new novel from the best-selling author of The Imperfectionists
Rome, 1955. The artists gather for a picture at a party in an ancient villa. Bear Bavinsky, creator of vast canvases, larger than life, is at the center of the picture. His wife, Natalie, edges out of the shot.
From the side of the room watches little Pinch - their son. At five years old he loves Bear almost as much as he fears him. After Bear abandons their family, Pinch will still worship him, striving to live up to the Bavinsky name, while Natalie, a ceramicist, cannot hope to be more than a forgotten muse. Trying to burn brightly in his father's shadow, Pinch's attempts flicker and die. Yet by the end of a career of twists and compromises, Pinch will enact an unexpected rebellion that will leave forever his mark upon the Bear Bavinsky legacy.
A masterful, original examination of love, duty, art and fame, The Italian Teacher cements Tom Rachman as among this generation's most exciting literary voices.
Critic Reviews
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2018 by The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Amazon.com, Instyle, Poets and Writers, Southern Living, Seattle Times, Chicago Review of Books, Newsday, The Boston Herald, and more
“Rachman is a brilliant choreographer of skewed desires . . . He has a deft way of describing atrocious behavior without damning his characters, without suggestions that they’re entirely circumscribed by their worst acts. His comedy is tempered by a kind of a gentleness that’s a salve in these mean times . . . An exotic touch of intrigue arises in The Italian Teacher . . . Rachman brings his own, warmer touch to the crime, transforming it into a surprising act of defiance that’s both deliciously ironic and deeply affectionate.” (Ron Charles, The Washington Post)
"Engaging and subtle . . . Rachman appears in perfect control of his material . . . engrossing, by turns gently humorous . . . The Italian Teacher is a psychologically nuanced pleasure." (New York Times Book Review)
"Captivating dialogue abounds in this entertaining audiobook about a son's efforts to meet the expectations of his father... Narrator Sam Alexander skillfully brings this character study to life using accents, inflections, and the right mix of father-son tension and mutual indignation." (AudioFile)
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- Mel
- 04-17-18
A douche of a man, but a hell of an artist
I remember reading Loving Picasso, then seeing Surviving Picasso, and then Experiencing Picasso...that is...trying not to let my new found perspective of his soul-sucking ego affect my appreciation of his paintings when I saw them. At first, I didn't picture the battered women or recall their shattered spirits, the suicides, the depression...not while looking at such unworldly talent . But, I wondered about Francoise Gilot, a beautiful young woman and an accomplished artist herself, to whom Picasso said when Gilot told him she was also a painter, [quote]That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Girls who look like you could never be painters.[end quote] She was 21, and the great Picasso was over 60.
How did she survive Picasso?
In the huge shadow cast by such staggering greatness, how does anyone catch and hold enough sunshine to thrive, and not just fade out and blow away?
Rachman, adeptly captures that struggle from the perspective of a child living with a father that is an artist as big as his reputation, a charismatic expressionist known as much for his womanizing persona as his art, Bear Bavinsky. Reminded me a little of Picasso, with all of the narcissism, but without the intentional cruelty. Bear is a better artist than father and a better father than he is a husband, but he is a great painter. Is that enough? The characters in The Italian Teacher will either find a way out of Bear's shadow, or be swallowed into him.
The story begins in Rome where the artist lives with his current delicate-artist-wife, Natalie, and their 5 yr. old son, Pinch. Little Pinch adores his Papa, always experiencing him in the incandescence of his fame. The mother makes pottery under such encouragement from Bear as, *Not everyone is an artist,* and other supportive bon mots. [All those cuts sound so pretty when said with a pat on the shoulder and a wink.] Pinch learns to pity his poor mother, seeing her and her clumsy art only through Bear's disapproving eyes as he brushes by her, off on his way to some opening or gala in his honor, and into the arms of another adoring young sycophant, with cute little Pinch by his side, performing like a well-trained parrot. And so Pinch grows up, an unnourished seedling without individual context or safe harbor, thinking his mother weak and his father nothing less than a god. But Bear quickly moves on to the next event, the next woman he fancies, the next canvas, spreading his charms (and his seed) and eventually totaling a dozen or so wives and 17 children; all whom he loves, skittering about his feet, calling him Papa -- until he doesn't. Once the littles are grown and with needs or wants, Bear moves on abandoning responsibilities to chase fame, leaving another broken family struggling in the wake of his ego.
Pinch stays in the closest orbit to Bear through the years of changing sceneries and families.
As if unable to stand on his own, he bends himself and his life to fit into a relationship with his father, twisting and turning further from his own desires and needs to fit into Bear's. From a child, he had dreamed of following in his father's steps and being a painter -- until his father ridiculed his work. Like a puppy kicked aside, he gathers himself up and settles on the next closest thing he can think of, being a writer/art major, with dreams of writing about his father and his illustrious career. Bear scoffs, giving a hardy laugh at this modified ambition. After telling Pinch his writing is no better than the painting he attempted, he finally growls at the young man, *You work for ME!*
This is the novel's pivotal point and Rachman handles this moment with the turn toward a clever benevolence. *Never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep,* said Milton. Seeds have been planted and Bear will continue to finally encourage something in Pinch. I wasn't a big fan of The Imperfectionists, but I recall the talent of the author. The Italian Teacher struck me as Rachman's better book, even feeling a bit Shakespearean at times. There are weaknesses, plausibility, characters or events that are close to something you recall in history or literature that weaken a strong narrative into an echo, or caricature. But those are teeny little personal gripes that didn't affect my overall satisfaction and enjoyment.
In an interview, the author said he has always been fascinated by art and the artists, [quote] What is the nature of creativity? How do they come up with these ideas? Do they have a separate sort of vision? Are they people who deserve to have a different set of rules than the rest of us? [end quote] Who of us haven't entertained that discussion after an art gallery stroll and a few nibbles of cheese chased by copious glasses of free cheap Pinot? This book offers some exploration of that inquiry, but tilts that focus more toward whether or not that *different set of rules* translates to family and accountability. I believe Rachman gives us his answer as to whether or not *any people deserve a different set of rules than the rest of us* by serving up one of the tastiest and most satisfying dishes of revenge I've come across in a while. Subtle but with the slightest undertones of sarcasm, finishing with a bitter bite.
It's a satisfying, intelligently written novel that gifts a reader with avenues of possible mental meandering, and what more can you ask of an author than to trust his reader's and give them something excellent to chew on. BTW: *Can you separate an artist from their art? I can look at a Picasso (love doing so), but I can't watch House of Cards, I wouldn't eat a jello pudding pop with a gun against my head, and if the Pope kicked my dog, there would be a rumble. And, I would personally knit Ms. Gilot one of those dreadful but wonderful P*ssy Hats.
29 people found this helpful
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- Chicago Baker
- 08-05-18
Great story. Dreadful fake American accent.
The characters and story were marvelous. The novel explores what it's like to be a narcissist and to love one, and for an introverted, artistic soul to look for human connection. The description of the contemporary art scene is scathing and hilarious. But, oh dear, the narrator's fake American accent was grating, which diminished my enjoyment. He could use the help of a dialect coach.
3 people found this helpful
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- Valori Zaffino
- 06-26-21
I need to sympathize with a character
I struggled. I may have missed the point. I kept waiting for the lesson, the love it was there but felt such a hidden afterthought. The one sympathetic character was left in the background. overlooked by the story and everyone in it.
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- Elizabeth Ratner
- 02-11-20
Very entertaining story narrated to perfection
The narrator enacted all sorts of voices for the various characters. In particular, I loved his rendition/interpretation of Pinch, the under-confident, angst ridden main character who devoted much of his life to trying to achieve approval from his self-important father. The world of professional artists, art galleries, etc. provides additional color to this delightful book.
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- Skip
- 10-03-18
Is Art the show or is the show the artist?
What makes an artist? "The Italian Teacher" displays an understanding of twentieth-century art and its demons. Is the desire to create art just an illusion, fantasy, dream, or a figment of one's imagination? Is art the show or is the artist the art?
In this book, the writer achieves a portrait of extreme vulnerability and realism: talent made irrelevant by the personality of the artist. Stripped of egotism, authenticity or genius, the artist's son forces us to face the deeply held fear of a life lived in vain.
Who cares? Now I'm depressed.
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- Ramona Petersen
- 07-29-18
Kept waiting for depth. ..
... finally obtained in final 1/3. Ending was satisfactory and left me sated. Content overall.
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- Queequeg
- 04-04-18
Art, Fame, Family, Forgery and Legacy
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, but moves along quite quickly, spanning a full lifetime, while commenting on the relevance of legacy and the intrinsic value of art.
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Story
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé, Max Winter - a wealthy politician and recent widower - and a life of luxury she’s never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife, Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter, Dani, makes her life a living hell.
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If you enjoyed Rebecca, this is a fun read
- By Ronda on 03-24-19
By: Lisa Gabriele
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The Snakes
- A Novel
- By: Sadie Jones
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Snakes exposes the damage wreaked by parents on children as observed by a new member of the family, Dan, a mixed-race man from Peckham who marries Bea, the daughter who refuses to take any of her father’s filthy money. But when Bea’s brother, Alex (who runs a shabby hotel in Paligny, France), dies suddenly in unexplained circumstances, the confusion and suspicion which arise bring other dark family secrets - and violence - to the surface. And none of the family, even the good members, go untouched.
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Extraordinary!
- By Bibliophile on 07-21-19
By: Sadie Jones
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The Beautiful Things Shoppe
- By: Philip William Stover
- Narrated by: Michael Dean, Kale Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks. And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.
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All the Feels!
- By Queen of Halloween on 02-04-21
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The Antidote for Everything
- By: Kimmery Martin
- Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her. Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients.
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A timely story, 5 stars
- By Cassie on 03-01-20
By: Kimmery Martin
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Miss You
- A Novel
- By: Kate Eberlen
- Narrated by: Anna Acton, Finlay Robertson
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Tess can't get the motto from her mother's kitchen knickknack out of her head, even though she's in Florence on an idyllic vacation before starting university in London. Gus is also visiting Florence, on a holiday with his parents, seven months after tragedy shattered their lives. Headed to medical school in London, he's trying to be a dutiful son but longs to escape and discover who he really is. A chance meeting brings these 18-year-olds together for a brief moment - the first of many times their paths will crisscross.
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Almost (5) stars
- By RueRue on 01-12-18
By: Kate Eberlen
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Kingdomtide
- By: Rye Curtis
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sole survivor of a plane crash, 72-year-old Cloris Waldrip is lost and alone in the unforgiving wilderness of Montana's rugged Bitterroot Range, exposed to the elements with no tools beyond her wits and ingenuity. Intertwined with her story is Debra Lewis, a park ranger struggling with addiction and a recent divorce who is galvanized by her new mission to find and rescue Cloris.
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Crazy, Crazier, Craziest
- By Miss Manners on 02-22-20
By: Rye Curtis
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The Winters
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Gabriele
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé, Max Winter - a wealthy politician and recent widower - and a life of luxury she’s never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife, Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter, Dani, makes her life a living hell.
-
-
If you enjoyed Rebecca, this is a fun read
- By Ronda on 03-24-19
By: Lisa Gabriele
-
The Snakes
- A Novel
- By: Sadie Jones
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Snakes exposes the damage wreaked by parents on children as observed by a new member of the family, Dan, a mixed-race man from Peckham who marries Bea, the daughter who refuses to take any of her father’s filthy money. But when Bea’s brother, Alex (who runs a shabby hotel in Paligny, France), dies suddenly in unexplained circumstances, the confusion and suspicion which arise bring other dark family secrets - and violence - to the surface. And none of the family, even the good members, go untouched.
-
-
Extraordinary!
- By Bibliophile on 07-21-19
By: Sadie Jones
-
The Beautiful Things Shoppe
- By: Philip William Stover
- Narrated by: Michael Dean, Kale Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks. And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.
-
-
All the Feels!
- By Queen of Halloween on 02-04-21
-
The Antidote for Everything
- By: Kimmery Martin
- Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her. Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients.
-
-
A timely story, 5 stars
- By Cassie on 03-01-20
By: Kimmery Martin
-
Miss You
- A Novel
- By: Kate Eberlen
- Narrated by: Anna Acton, Finlay Robertson
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Tess can't get the motto from her mother's kitchen knickknack out of her head, even though she's in Florence on an idyllic vacation before starting university in London. Gus is also visiting Florence, on a holiday with his parents, seven months after tragedy shattered their lives. Headed to medical school in London, he's trying to be a dutiful son but longs to escape and discover who he really is. A chance meeting brings these 18-year-olds together for a brief moment - the first of many times their paths will crisscross.
-
-
Almost (5) stars
- By RueRue on 01-12-18
By: Kate Eberlen
-
Kingdomtide
- By: Rye Curtis
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sole survivor of a plane crash, 72-year-old Cloris Waldrip is lost and alone in the unforgiving wilderness of Montana's rugged Bitterroot Range, exposed to the elements with no tools beyond her wits and ingenuity. Intertwined with her story is Debra Lewis, a park ranger struggling with addiction and a recent divorce who is galvanized by her new mission to find and rescue Cloris.
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-
Crazy, Crazier, Craziest
- By Miss Manners on 02-22-20
By: Rye Curtis
-
The Fourth Child
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Winter
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The author of Break in Case of Emergency follows up her the “extraordinary debut” (The Guardian) with a moving novel about motherhood and marriage, adolescence and bodily autonomy, family and love, religion and sexuality, and the delicate balance between the purity of faith and the messy reality of life.
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coming of age in the 1980's
- By Barbara S on 05-19-21
By: Jessica Winter
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Green Sun
- By: Kent Anderson
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Oakland, California, 1983: a city churning with violent crime and racial conflict. Officer Hanson, a Vietnam veteran, has abandoned academia for the life-and-death clarity of police work, a way to live with the demons that followed him home from the war. But Hanson knows that justice requires more than simply enforcing the penal code. He believes in becoming a part of the community he serves - which is why, unlike most officers, he chooses to live in the same town where he works. This strategy serves him well...to a point. He forges a precarious friendship with the drug king of East Oakland.
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Don’t wait so long for the next one!
- By E Zachary on 08-01-18
By: Kent Anderson
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Sophomores
- By: Sean Desmond
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It's fall 1987, and life as normal is ending for the Malone family. With their sterile Dallas community a far cry from the Irish-American Bronx of their youth, Pat and Anne Malone have reached a breaking point. Pat, faced with a debilitating MS diagnosis, has fallen into his drinking. Anne, his devoutly Catholic wife, is selected as a juror for a highly publicized attempted murder trial, one that raises questions - about God, and about men in power - she has buried her entire life. Together, they try to raise their only son, Daniel.
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Welcome back to ‘87
- By TexasMom on 02-15-21
By: Sean Desmond
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Three Little Lies
- By: Laura Marshall
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Jasicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Now 30, Ellen and Sasha are still entwined in each other's lives and sharing a flat in London. When Sasha disappears, Ellen fears the worst. She has gone missing like this before, and the police won't take it seriously, but long-buried events in their shared past mean Ellen has good reason to be frightened - not only for Sasha, but also for herself. Finding out the truth about what really happened on New Year's Eve 12 years ago puts Ellen in terrible danger and forces her to confront not only the past, but how well she really knows her best friend.
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Slow and predictable
- By Michelle Mosley on 10-24-18
By: Laura Marshall
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kaddish.com
- A novel
- By: Nathan Englander
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Larry is the secular son in a family of Orthodox Brooklyn Jews. When his father dies, it’s his responsibility to recite the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, every day for 11 months. To the horror and dismay of his sister, Larry refuses - imperiling the fate of his father’s soul. To appease her, Larry hatches an ingenious if cynical plan, hiring a stranger through a website called kaddish.com to recite the prayer and shepherd his father’s soul safely to rest.
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Almost Perfect
- By Phyllis on 04-04-19
By: Nathan Englander
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The Little French Bistro
- A Novel
- By: Nina George
- Narrated by: Emma Bering
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After 41 years she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the Brittany coast. There she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life's small moments.
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Disappointing
- By Michael on 08-16-17
By: Nina George
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Shakespeare and the Resistance
- By: Clare Asquith
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The 1590s were bleak years for England. Amid the rising tension, William Shakespeare published a pair of poems dedicated to the young earl of Southampton: Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece a year later. Although wildly popular during Shakespeare's lifetime, to modern people, both works are almost impenetrable. But in her enthralling new audiobook, the Shakespearean scholar Clare Asquith reveals their hidden contents: two politically charged allegories of Tudor tyranny that justified - and even urged - direct action against an unpopular regime.
By: Clare Asquith
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Jane Two
- A Novel
- By: Sean Patrick Flanery
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Flanery
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A young Mickey navigates through the dense Texas humidity of the '70s and out onto the porch every single time his granddaddy calls him, where he's presented with the heirloom recipe for life, love, and manhood. But all the logic and insight in the world cannot prepare him to operate correctly in the presence of a wonderfully beautiful little girl who moves in just behind his rear fence.
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Life - Raw, Honest, Heartfelt
- By Janice on 08-04-16