Treasure Box

By: Orson Scott Card

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

A shattering childhood tragedy left Quentin Fears devastated and unable to cope with the world and its citizens. It didn't, however, prevent him from making millions through brilliant investments. And now the enigmatic recluse has experienced the extraordinarily unexpected: love at first sight.

But a whirlwind courtship and marriage to Madeleine - beautiful, witty, and equally ill-at-ease with reality - is bringing Quentin something other than the bliss he anticipated, for now he must meet his new wife's family.

A bizarre, dysfunctional collection of extreme characters, they are guarding a secret both shocking and terrifying, as is Madeleine herself. And suddenly Quentin Fears must prevent his dream woman from unleashing an ageless malevolence intent on ruling the world.

©1996 Orson Scott Card (P)2006 Audible Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Enthrallingly entertaining." (Booklist)

OSC at his best!!!

Wow, this was an excellent book. Great descriptions and storyline. Don't expect Ender's Game or something like that. This is more in the Koontz/King category. Rudnicki does his usual excellent job reading. I liked Lost Boys and Homebody better, but this is still an excellent choice. Buy and enjoy!!

21 people found this helpful

More than meets the ear.

To me this story was metaphorical in many areas. Very interesting on a deeper level. Good and evil, attitude and perception, etc. I liked it and the reader was perfect.

4 people found this helpful

A Completely Different Kind of Treasure

Orson Scott Card is most well known for Ender's Game and the various books that lay in that future. Treasure Box is a book in a world all its own. Quentin Fears is young and rich beyond his dreams, but doesn't know where to spend his money. His sister is long dead, but still fills his thoughts.

Madeline Cryer is his soul-mate, giving Quentin purpose. But what purpose will that be?

This book was an enjoyable story of sadness and loss, that heads in unexpected directions, but works well together. It feels like it could almost take place in today's world, and encourages identifying with the characters. They are constructed so well that when things started to go horribly wrong, I couldn't put the book down, needing to discover _why_ things were going wrong, and how it was all going to work out in the end.

And, well, it did work out in the end.

3 people found this helpful

can't beat Orson's character development

I wish they made TV shows of Orson's books like they do with Steven King's

2 people found this helpful

This story didn't know what it was

At first I thought it was about a child dealing with grief, then I thought it was a love story. Once it settled on being a ghost story, it was good and disturbing at times, but not Card's best work.

5 people found this helpful

Just didn't do it for me

This book just didn't do it for me. While I loved Ender's Game and Lost Boys, and enjoyed Homebody, this story just seemed a bit...off. Really hard to maintain a sense of "suspended disbelief" -- I found myself wondering what was going on in the author's life that made him choose the story line and word choices that he did. Wish I'd used my credits elsewhere.

6 people found this helpful

read as I read. wonderful for a lazy reader

Not a huge reader myself. but have always loved SCard. touts its the first book I ever read in a practically in broken sitting. It's been a pleasure to hear someone else reading it on the same tones I heard in my own mental rendition.

1 person found this helpful

Not Card's best

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not.
The book started off really good and I really enjoyed it. But the ending just, well it just ended. There was all this build up and then a standard ending. It was kind of like going through a haunted house room by room and in the end, being confronted by a helium balloon in a white sheet.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I enjoyed the whole performance. It was well read and kept you very engrossed in the book.

Any additional comments?

The first book I read of Card was Lost Gate. I loved it. I was going to try the second book but it got some really poor reviews. I looked at this one because it had lots of great reviews for it so I gave it a try, I was surprised how different the story writing was.

1 person found this helpful

Too sugary at times

This was good reading at times, but too phony at others. Nooo body is as kind hearted as the hero or that niave. The terror appeared to come from the mind of an 11 year old, so the ending was bad. Almost old King-ish in his prime (IT)

3 people found this helpful

Another winner

Orson Scott card never disappoints me. This book, as most of his books has me crying at points but intrigued throughout. Better than I thought it be at the start. Need more books!

Don't Meet the In Laws

A young boy loses his sister in an accident and resents his parents giving her organs away to donors. He is never the same, always clinging on to her memories, until one day he meets a woman and falls in love.

His new bride is very reluctant to introduce him to his in-laws, and when they finally reach the ancestral home, all is definitely not as it seems.