The Story Hour

By: Thrity Umrigar

Narrated by: Sneha Mathan

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage. Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend. Determined to empower Lakshmi, Maggie abandons protocol, and soon doctor and patient have become close friends. But while their relationship is deeply affectionate, it is also warped by conflicting expectations. When Maggie and Lakshmi open up and share long-buried secrets, the revelations will jeopardize their close bond, shake their faith in each other, and force them to confront painful choices.

©2014 Thrity Umrigar (P)2014 Dreamscape Media, LLC

A must for fans of female friendship

Where does The Story Hour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One very very great one. Think "The help" meets "The secret life of bees. Spiced with Indians living in the U.S.

What did you like best about this story?

The stories within the story. Showing we are all one.

Have you listened to any of Sneha Mathan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first and it was a true cinema for the ears. Wow!!! I did not want it to end.

If you could rename The Story Hour, what would you call it?

"Namaste"

Any additional comments?

This is one of those listens I love to such a degree. I wish Audible would Spotlight this.

Loved it

I loved the reader and how it was written. Great story . Can't wait to read more from this author

Great read!

This is a fabulous book! The voices in audible are excellent & allow you to get completely absorbed in the book & feel like you are living alongside the characters! Highly recommend!

Great story, Maggie's from where?

I really enjoyed this book. The reader's voice is lovely. When the story mentions that a character was born and raised in Brooklyn I became distracted. Ms. Mathan provided the Indian voice for Lakshmi's character perfectly. Maggie's character from Brooklyn sounded more European than American. There was no sign of New York anywhere in her depiction of Maggie. It was not even attempted.

This is my only criticism. Perhaps because I'm from the East Coast it puzzled me. I still enjoyed the story immensely.

Worth your time...

I'm really glad to have listened to this book. Narration was excellent and The Story Hour does not disappoint!

Great story, great narration!

This is a great immigrant story that gives an extra twist to the racial circumstances. I really enjoyed it.

Heartwarming and intriguing

I loved this story and performance because of how endearing and true to life the characters are. The telling of the main characters and their nearly chance encounter is bittersweet and rich. The two women, both flawed and so human invoke a deep feeling of compassion for them from the reader. Powerful and revealing also is the story of a simple Indian immigrant women who has the wisdom of a saint. Beautiful story!

The Story Hour

This was a wonderful story but the ending was terrible. What happened? Why did the author choose to leave you hanging? The narrator was terrific! I could listen to her all day.

Very good!

Umrigar writes characters so complex that I have a hard time identifying with any one over the other. Who is the villain? The wronged? The hero? There are no easy answers in The Story Hour. Towards the end, I would have preferred less of the character's internal dialogue. Nevertheless, themes of migration, friendship, romance and social class kept me engaged to the very end.

OK Story

Had a lot of twists and role reversal. Seems that there is an opening for Book 2.