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Curtis Sittenfeld
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Curtis Sittenfeld

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Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of the novels Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, and Sisterland, which have been translated into twenty-five languages. Her nonfiction has been published widely, including in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Glamour, and broadcast on public radio’s This American Life. A native of Cincinnati, she currently lives with her family in St. Louis.
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Adventure stories where the hero saves the day are all well and good. But isn’t it even more interesting to get down in the dirt where everyone’s human and no one’s perfect? No one writes this kind of story better than the master herself, Curtis Sittenfeld.

I want messy stories that look at the truth of what it means to be a human in this world, even when that truth feels dark and prickly. If you, too, love tales where there aren’t any heroes or villains (because everyone’s a bit of both), then stay right here because we have some Curtis Sittenfeld to talk about.—Rachel, Audible editor

Interview: Curtis Sittenfeld discusses ‘Rodham’ with Audible Editor Rachel

''I had this realization that school children who knew who she was…''
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  • Rodham
  • ''I had this realization that school children who knew who she was…''

Here's the perfect listening order:

Product List
    • A Novel
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
    • Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
    • Release date: 09-10-19
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 155 ratings
    • Prep is the novel that made Curtis Sittenfeld a star, and it’s a superb place to start. It has so many delicious ingredients: Boarding school! Teen angst! Relationship drama! Shy Midwesterner Lee Fiora has always fantasized about going to a fancy New England prep school. But when she actually gets in, she finds herself shut out from the mysterious social circles of the elite.

      It’s a classic coming-of-age story with an exquisitely flawed character who can be spiteful, anxious, and insecure. In other words, she’s exactly like a real teenager, and she’ll make you remember—for better or worse—exactly what high school felt like. How you respond to Lee will tell you a lot about yourself. If, like me, you absolutely love her, you’re going to want to devour everything else Curtis Sittenfeld has ever written.

    Regular price: $22.50 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $22.50 or 1 credit

    • Stories
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Emily Rankin, Mark Deakins
    • Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
    • Release date: 04-24-18
    • Language: English
    • 3.5 out of 5 stars 1,031 ratings
    • These short stories are perfect little jewels of Curtis Sittenfeld-isms. If you enjoyed Prep, you’re going to love You Think It, I’ll Say It. It can be hard to capture what’s so great about a short story collection, because there’s no overarching plot with which to tempt you. But I can tell you that each of these stories shows a sliver of the meanness that everyone—even the absolute nicest person—secretly has inside.

      From a woman who knows some tabloid-worthy gossip about a wholesome TV cooking show star, to a family man who strikes up a flirtatious game with someone else’s wife, she reveals the secrets we don’t want anyone else to know—and Emily Rankin and Mark Deakins are the perfect narrators to whisper those secrets in your ears. (Well, they don't actually whisper, but you know what I mean.)

    Regular price: $18.00 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $18.00 or 1 credit

    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Diane Lane
    • Length: 58 mins
    • Release date: 01-03-19
    • Language: English
    • 3.5 out of 5 stars 13,700 ratings
    • Atomic Marriage is the perfect stop after Prep and You Think It, I’ll Say It, as it’s smack dab between the two—not quite a novel, not quite a short story (I know, I know…they call that a “novella”). In this story, she puts two unlikely characters in a room together—Heather Thiesen, movie executive, and Brock Lewis, religious self help author—and shows that they have much more in common than one might think. He’s the brains behind a mindbogglingly successful marriage manual called The Atomic Doctrine, and her studio is turning his book into a romantic comedy. After an unexpected moment passes between them, Heather surprises herself by what she wants and what she’s willing to do to get it.

      Audible was honored to have Curtis Sittenfeld create this audio-only story just for us, and Diane Lane's performance digs deep into the strange truth of this intriguing tale.

    Regular price: $6.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $6.95 or 1 credit

    • A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
    • Series: The Austen Project
    • Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
    • Release date: 04-19-16
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 2,951 ratings
    • Curtis Sittenfeld does Pride and Prejudice in this match made in bookish heaven. Her retelling honors Jane Austen's beloved classic while including hilarious modern updates. Think: CrossFit classes, paleo diets, and a reality TV dating show called Eligible. Whether you pick this up because you love Curtis Sittenfeld or Jane Austen (or both), you’ll be enchanted by the ingredients they share—the opposites who have more in common than they think; the sharp tongues and snap judgements that soften over time; and the bickering sisters who secretly love each other very much. And I love Cassandra Campbell's performance of this one—it's so perfect for this classic pairing.

    Regular price: $20.25 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $20.25 or 1 credit

    • A Novel
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
    • Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
    • Release date: 09-16-08
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 679 ratings
    • Stay with me, because things are about to get a little weird. But "weird" for Curtis Sittenfeld also happens to be wonderful. American Wife is inspired by the unlikely real-life romance of a former POTUS and first lady from Texas. Just as in real life, teenage "Alice" accidentally kills a fellow classmate in a freak traffic accident, and afterward finds her sense of purpose as a school librarian. Eventually, a devilishly charming suitor with ties to the Republican party sweeps her off her feet (never mind that she’s a Democrat).

      Did Curtis Sittenfeld have a crystal ball when she wrote this? Could she see into a future where questions like "Can a Republican and a Democrat fall in love?" would feel more urgent than ever?? Crystal ball or not, the "opposites attract" motif is is peak Sittenfeld.

    Regular price: $24.75 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $24.75 or 1 credit

    • A Novel
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
    • Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins
    • Release date: 06-25-13
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 624 ratings
    • If you enjoyed the wonderfully weird tang of American Wife, you’re going to love Sisterland because it gets even weirder: a set of psychic twins in St. Louis, Missouri, are at the center of a prediction about a devastating earthquake. As kids, both Kate and Violet experimented with their psychic powers…Ouija boards and all. Kate, however, has chosen to hide her gifts as an adult. But as the date of the predicted disaster approaches, she must make amends with her estranged sister and confront the truths she’s hidden for so long.

      Rebecca Lowman's portrayal of the psychic sisters is beautifully understated and restrained, capturing the essence of those moments that can feel both small and enormous all at once.

    Regular price: $22.50 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $22.50 or 1 credit

    • A Novel
    • By: Curtis Sittenfeld
    • Narrated by: Susan Denaker
    • Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
    • Release date: 05-10-06
    • Language: English
    • 3.5 out of 5 stars 79 ratings
    • The Man of My Dreams brings it full circle. In her follow up to Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld considers what happens when teenagers face the realities of growing up. Hannah’s family life is precariously unstable—her father goes into periodic rages, and her mother covers by making up fake diseases—which might be why, at 14 years old, she’s obsessed with Julia Roberts’s celebrity wedding to Kiefer Sutherland. But as she gets older (hello, love triangles and broken hearts), Hannah starts to figure out who she is and what she wants. Going after it, though, is harder than ever.

      This is the perfect story to savor at the end of your Sittenfeld journey. It feels like Prep’s big sister—a bit less prone to dramatic rages, and with the perspective of someone slightly older and wiser. And it will remind you why you fell in love with Curtis Sittenfeld all over again.

    Regular price: $18.00 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $18.00 or 1 credit

Featured Article: 35+ Quotes About Hard Work to Keep You Motivated and Moving Forward


The things most worth doing require the most from us—it takes hard work to accomplish important tasks, achieve major goals, and realize your dreams. Commitment, sweat, exhaustion, frustration, and a willingness to fail are all necessary parts of taking on challenges. When you’re in the middle of a difficult project, there will be times when you’re tempted to simply give up. In such moments, look to these quotes about hard work to keep you going.

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