-
The Matisse Stories
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Matisse Stories
Buy for $13.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
Glowing with narrator Virginia Leishman’s finely tuned phrasing, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye is the perfect introduction to A.S. Byatt, an author who continues to receive international awards and acclaim. Her wondrous fairy tales are iridescent stories full of spells, marvelous creatures, and beautiful princesses.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The title story is superb
- By Phebe on 12-28-11
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Possession
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 792
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 585
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 584
As a pair of young scholars research the lives of two Victorian poets, they uncover their letters, journals, and poems and track their movements from London to Yorkshire - from spiritualist seances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany. What emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passion and ideas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely Excellent
- By Loujujoe on 05-12-09
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Angels & Insects
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
In two breathtakingly accomplished novellas, A. S. Byatt explores the landscape of Victorian England, where science and spiritualism are both popular manias, and domestic decorum coexists with brutality and perversion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One for the records
- By Mary Purvis on 11-06-17
By: A. S. Byatt
-
The Children's Book
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 226
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children's Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A wandering story that goes on forever.
- By Sara on 09-18-13
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Shrines of Gaiety
- A Novel
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Jason Watkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 506
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 458
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 458
1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Stellar Performance
- By bookworman55 on 10-25-22
By: Kate Atkinson
-
The Books of Jacob
- A Novel
- By: Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft - translator
- Narrated by: Allen Lewis Rickman, Gilli Messer
- Length: 35 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 161
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
In the mid-18th century, as new ideas—and a new unrest—begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A notorious false messiah and his followers
- By Shmuel M on 02-25-22
By: Olga Tokarczuk, and others
-
The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
Glowing with narrator Virginia Leishman’s finely tuned phrasing, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye is the perfect introduction to A.S. Byatt, an author who continues to receive international awards and acclaim. Her wondrous fairy tales are iridescent stories full of spells, marvelous creatures, and beautiful princesses.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The title story is superb
- By Phebe on 12-28-11
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Possession
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 792
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 585
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 584
As a pair of young scholars research the lives of two Victorian poets, they uncover their letters, journals, and poems and track their movements from London to Yorkshire - from spiritualist seances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany. What emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passion and ideas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely Excellent
- By Loujujoe on 05-12-09
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Angels & Insects
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
In two breathtakingly accomplished novellas, A. S. Byatt explores the landscape of Victorian England, where science and spiritualism are both popular manias, and domestic decorum coexists with brutality and perversion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One for the records
- By Mary Purvis on 11-06-17
By: A. S. Byatt
-
The Children's Book
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 226
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children's Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A wandering story that goes on forever.
- By Sara on 09-18-13
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Shrines of Gaiety
- A Novel
- By: Kate Atkinson
- Narrated by: Jason Watkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 506
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 458
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 458
1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Stellar Performance
- By bookworman55 on 10-25-22
By: Kate Atkinson
-
The Books of Jacob
- A Novel
- By: Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft - translator
- Narrated by: Allen Lewis Rickman, Gilli Messer
- Length: 35 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 161
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
In the mid-18th century, as new ideas—and a new unrest—begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A notorious false messiah and his followers
- By Shmuel M on 02-25-22
By: Olga Tokarczuk, and others
-
The Marriage Portrait
- A Novel
- By: Maggie O'Farrell
- Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt, Maggie O'Farrell
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,266
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,069
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,063
Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and to devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding, Lucrezia is thrust into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must make her way in a court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
**Don't Listen to the Historical Note!**
- By Jennifer C. on 09-10-22
By: Maggie O'Farrell
-
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
- An Oprah’s Book Club Novel
- By: Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Karen Chilton, Prentice Onayemi
- Length: 29 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,331
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,107
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,093
The great scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois, once wrote about the problem of race in America, and what he called “Double Consciousness,” a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. Since childhood, Ailey Pearl Garfield has understood Du Bois’s words all too well. Bearing the names of two formidable Black Americans—the revered choreographer Alvin Ailey and her great grandmother Pearl, the descendant of enslaved Georgians and tenant farmers—Ailey carries Du Bois’s problem on her shoulders.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Great American Novel is finally inclusive.
- By Margaret on 12-28-21
-
Foster
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 258
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 233
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 232
It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas' house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household—where everything is so well tended to—and this summer must soon come to an end.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A story that will stay with me a long time
- By CTKG on 11-01-22
By: Claire Keegan
-
Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 677
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 604
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 602
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
exquisite
- By CR-Berkeley on 03-11-22
By: Claire Keegan
-
The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition
- By: Margaret Atwood, Valerie Martin - essay
- Narrated by: Claire Danes, full cast, Margaret Atwood, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35,609
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32,216
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32,119
After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost everything, even her own name.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wait! It Mightn't Be What You Think--
- By Gillian on 04-05-17
By: Margaret Atwood, and others
-
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
- By: Phaedra Patrick
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,174
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,737
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,722
Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater-vest; waters his fern, Frederica; and heads out to his garden. But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing.
- By BikeVON on 05-17-16
By: Phaedra Patrick
-
The God of Small Things
- By: Arundhati Roy
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,239
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,236
Likened to the works of Faulkner and Dickens when it was first published 20 years ago, this extraordinarily accomplished debut novel is a brilliantly plotted story of forbidden love and piercing political drama, centered on the tragic decline of an Indian family in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Worthy Booker winner!
- By Saman on 08-10-17
By: Arundhati Roy
-
White Oleander
- By: Janet Fitch
- Narrated by: Oprah Winfrey
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,025
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 714
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 713
In this gripping first novel, a young girl, orphaned when her mother murders an ex-lover, endures the shuffle of a foster child's life. Oprah enjoyed her book club pick so much that she narrates the audiobook edition!
Browse more Oprah Picks.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
White Oleander
- By Tracy on 04-09-04
By: Janet Fitch
-
Cat's Eye
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 840
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 758
Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman - but above all she must seek release form her haunting memories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Sarah on 08-24-15
By: Margaret Atwood
-
Bad Dreams and Other Stories
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby; a child awake in the night explores the familiar rooms of her home, made strange by the darkness; a housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. The first steps into a turning point and a new life are made so easily and carelessly: Each of these stories illuminates a crucial moment of transition, often imperceptible to the protagonist.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Small Objects, Big Insights
- By Cariola on 07-15-17
By: Tessa Hadley
-
Free Love
- A Novel
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Abigail Thaw
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 85
1967. While London comes alive with the new youth revolution, the suburban Fischer family seems to belong to an older world of conventional stability: pretty, dutiful homemaker Phyllis is married to Roger, a devoted father with a career in the Foreign Office. Their children are Colette, a bookish teenager, and Hugh, the golden boy. But when the 20-something son of an old friend pays the Fischers a visit one hot summer evening, and kisses Phyllis in the dark garden after dinner, something in her catches fire.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lovely Surprises!
- By Judith Gail on 10-17-22
By: Tessa Hadley
-
The Muse
- A Novel
- By: Jessie Burton
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Maria Elena Infantino
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 345
England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed narration
- By Amy Fleury on 08-05-16
By: Jessie Burton
Publisher's Summary
A.S. Byatt’s books shimmer with all the hues of her critically acclaimed talent and imagination. In The Matisse Stories, this Booker Prize-winning author offers three elegant tales that explore the subtle interplays between mind and eye, heart and hand. In the first, Medusa’s Ankles, a fashionable woman watches her life take on darker, more ominous shades in the mirror of a beauty salon. In the next, Art Work, an eccentric housekeeper’s alarming eye for color leaves its mark on her employers’ lives. Each of these stories, including the last, "The Chinese Lobster", is like a finely crafted jewel.
Rich imagery and effortless narratives make The Matisse Stories an unforgettable listening experience. The characters are sketched with a sureness that confirms A.S. Byatt’s artistry. And through the nuances of Virginia Leishman’s eloquent narration, the listener is brought into a rare world of heightened sensibilities and perceptions.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Matisse Stories
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
Related to this topic
-
The Children's Book
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 226
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children's Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A wandering story that goes on forever.
- By Sara on 09-18-13
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Cat's Eye
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 840
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 758
Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman - but above all she must seek release form her haunting memories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Sarah on 08-24-15
By: Margaret Atwood
-
Bad Dreams and Other Stories
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby; a child awake in the night explores the familiar rooms of her home, made strange by the darkness; a housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. The first steps into a turning point and a new life are made so easily and carelessly: Each of these stories illuminates a crucial moment of transition, often imperceptible to the protagonist.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Small Objects, Big Insights
- By Cariola on 07-15-17
By: Tessa Hadley
-
Free Love
- A Novel
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Abigail Thaw
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 85
1967. While London comes alive with the new youth revolution, the suburban Fischer family seems to belong to an older world of conventional stability: pretty, dutiful homemaker Phyllis is married to Roger, a devoted father with a career in the Foreign Office. Their children are Colette, a bookish teenager, and Hugh, the golden boy. But when the 20-something son of an old friend pays the Fischers a visit one hot summer evening, and kisses Phyllis in the dark garden after dinner, something in her catches fire.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lovely Surprises!
- By Judith Gail on 10-17-22
By: Tessa Hadley
-
The Blind Assassin
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Margot Dionne
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,034
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,351
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,343
With The Blind Assassin, Atwood proves once again that she is one of the most talented, daring, and exciting writers of the time. Like The Handmaid's Tale, this Book Prize-winner is destined to become a classic.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Good book, TERRIBLE audio!
- By Whitney on 04-27-09
By: Margaret Atwood
-
The Muse
- A Novel
- By: Jessie Burton
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Maria Elena Infantino
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 345
England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed narration
- By Amy Fleury on 08-05-16
By: Jessie Burton
-
The Children's Book
- By: A. S. Byatt
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 226
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children's Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A wandering story that goes on forever.
- By Sara on 09-18-13
By: A. S. Byatt
-
Cat's Eye
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 840
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 758
Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman - but above all she must seek release form her haunting memories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Sarah on 08-24-15
By: Margaret Atwood
-
Bad Dreams and Other Stories
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby; a child awake in the night explores the familiar rooms of her home, made strange by the darkness; a housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. The first steps into a turning point and a new life are made so easily and carelessly: Each of these stories illuminates a crucial moment of transition, often imperceptible to the protagonist.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Small Objects, Big Insights
- By Cariola on 07-15-17
By: Tessa Hadley
-
Free Love
- A Novel
- By: Tessa Hadley
- Narrated by: Abigail Thaw
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 85
1967. While London comes alive with the new youth revolution, the suburban Fischer family seems to belong to an older world of conventional stability: pretty, dutiful homemaker Phyllis is married to Roger, a devoted father with a career in the Foreign Office. Their children are Colette, a bookish teenager, and Hugh, the golden boy. But when the 20-something son of an old friend pays the Fischers a visit one hot summer evening, and kisses Phyllis in the dark garden after dinner, something in her catches fire.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lovely Surprises!
- By Judith Gail on 10-17-22
By: Tessa Hadley
-
The Blind Assassin
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Margot Dionne
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,034
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,351
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,343
With The Blind Assassin, Atwood proves once again that she is one of the most talented, daring, and exciting writers of the time. Like The Handmaid's Tale, this Book Prize-winner is destined to become a classic.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Good book, TERRIBLE audio!
- By Whitney on 04-27-09
By: Margaret Atwood
-
The Muse
- A Novel
- By: Jessie Burton
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Maria Elena Infantino
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 345
England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed narration
- By Amy Fleury on 08-05-16
By: Jessie Burton
-
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies
- By: Maddie Mortimer
- Narrated by: Tamsin Greig, Lydia Wilson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Lia, her husband Harry, and their beloved daughter, Iris, are a precisely balanced family of three. With Iris struggling to navigate the social tightrope of early adolescence, their tender home is a much-needed refuge. But when a sudden diagnosis threatens to derail each of their lives, the secrets of Lia’s past come rushing into the present, and the world around them begins to transform. Deftly guided through time, we discover the people who shaped Lia’s youth; from her deeply religious mother to her troubled first love.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Hard to relate
- By David Brigham on 12-17-22
By: Maddie Mortimer
-
The God of Small Things
- By: Arundhati Roy
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,239
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,236
Likened to the works of Faulkner and Dickens when it was first published 20 years ago, this extraordinarily accomplished debut novel is a brilliantly plotted story of forbidden love and piercing political drama, centered on the tragic decline of an Indian family in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Worthy Booker winner!
- By Saman on 08-10-17
By: Arundhati Roy
-
The Party
- By: Elizabeth Day
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 145
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 137
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 134
A taut psychological tale of obsession and betrayal set over the course of a dinner party, The Party tells the story of two married couples who, in a single evening, will come to question everything they thought they knew about each other as the long-buried secret at the heart of their friendship comes to the surface, culminating in an explosive act of violence.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Dark, joyless, frustrating
- By SCM on 01-09-18
By: Elizabeth Day
-
Ancient Light
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 111
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 94
Is there any difference between memory and invention? That is the question that fuels this stunning novel, written with the depth of character, the clarifying lyricism, and the heart-wrenching humor that have marked all of John Banville's extraordinary works. And it is the question that haunts Alexander Cleave as he plumbs the memories of his first - and perhaps only - love (he, just 15, the woman more than twice his age, the mother of his best friend; the situation impossible, thrilling, devouring, and finally devastating).
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gorgeous!
- By victoria on 03-27-13
By: John Banville
-
The Hours
- By: Michael Cunningham
- Narrated by: Michael Cunningham
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 531
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 356
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 351
The Hours is the story of three women: Clarissa Vaughan, Laura Brown, and Virginia Woolf. By the end of the novel, the stories intertwine in remarkable ways, and finally come together in an act of subtle and haunting grace.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very literary, intentionally slight plot
- By Steve on 12-02-03
-
The Killing Doll
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
No one would have described Manningtree Grove as fashionable. Few would have found it especially interesting. But it was not an unpleasant place to live: the old railway line lay in a valley, and the gardens looked onto it. It was the kind of place where nothing ever happened. Yet it was here that Peter Yearman first sold his soul to the devil....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Suspenseful, unexpected, brilliant
- By Linda C on 12-14-21
By: Ruth Rendell
-
Melmoth
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Perry
- Narrated by: Jan Cramer
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 141
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 124
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 124
For centuries, the mysterious dark-robed figure has roamed the globe, searching for those whose complicity and cowardice have fed into the rapids of history’s darkest waters - and now it is heading in our direction.It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts - or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
very good. intense
- By Nick Thomson on 11-25-18
By: Sarah Perry
-
That Summer
- By: Lauren Willig
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 643
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 593
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 587
When Julia Conley hears that she has inherited a house outside London from an unknown great-aunt, she assumes it’s a joke. She hasn't been back to England since the car crash that killed her mother when she was six, an event she remembers only in her nightmares. But when she arrives at Herne Hill to sort through the house - with the help of her cousin Natasha and sexy antiques dealer Nicholas - bits of memory start coming back.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
disappointed
- By laura on 08-17-16
By: Lauren Willig
-
Bruno's Dream
- By: Iris Murdoch
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Bruno, dying, obsessed with spiders and preoccupied with death and reconciliation, lies at the center of an intricate spider's web of relationships and passions: Bruno's estranged and grieving son Miles; Danby, Bruno's widowed son-in-law, consoling himself with the Adelaide the maid, one of Murdoch's finest comic creations; creepy Nigel the nurse and his besotted twin Will, fighter of duels. The flooding Thames brings about the climax, and all are left changed by love and forgiveness before the old man's death.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
got lost
- By serine on 02-02-16
By: Iris Murdoch
-
Revenge
- Eleven Dark Tales
- By: Yoko Ogawa
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Johanna Parker
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 96
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 96
An aspiring writer moves into a new apartment and discovers that her landlady has murdered her husband. Elsewhere, an accomplished surgeon is approached by a cabaret singer, whose beautiful appearance belies the grotesque condition of her heart. And while the surgeon's jealous lover vows to kill him, a violent envy also stirs in the soul of a lonely craftsman. Desire meets with impulse and erupts, attracting the attention of the surgeon's neighbor - who is drawn to a decaying residence that is now home to instruments of human torture.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Maybe, more Gray then Dark?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 10-28-14
By: Yoko Ogawa
-
Georgia
- A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe
- By: Dawn Tripp
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 192
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 165
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 164
Georgia O'Keeffe, her love affair with photographer Alfred Stieglitz, and her quest to become an independent artist come vividly to life in this sensual and exquisitely written novel, a dazzling departure into historical fiction by the acclaimed novelist Dawn Tripp.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing - trashy romance novel
- By Patricia on 06-30-16
By: Dawn Tripp
-
Clara and Mr. Tiffany
- A Novel
- By: Susan Vreeland
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 325
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 240
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 244
It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
The real Clara Driscoll deserves better.
- By Bonny on 10-25-11
By: Susan Vreeland