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A Closed Eye
- Narrated by: Prunella Scales
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
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Publisher's summary
Born to elegant but frivolous parents, Harriet grows up ignored and unguided, and retains a curious innocence that neither her marriage to Freddie Lytton, nor her friendship with the beautiful Tessa can dispel. Freddie is far older than she is - a companion rather than a lover - and slightly disapproving of Tessa and her irresponsible, attractive husband, Jack. Yet all four are bound together: by their backgrounds, their children, by Harriet’s unspoken feelings for Jack and by the tragedy that lies in wait for all of them.
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Vivacious, young Hester Christie tries to run her home like clockwork, as would befit the wife of British Army officer, Tim Christie. However hard Mrs Tim strives for seamless living amidst the other army wives, she is always moving flat-out to remember groceries, rule lively children, side-step village gossip and placate her husband with bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade. Left alone for months at a time whilst her husband is with his regiment, Mrs Tim resolves to keep a diary of events large and small in her family life.
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Life as a military wife
- By Jerri C on 03-09-13
By: D. E. Stevenson
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The Custom of the Country
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Grace Conlin
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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One of Edith Wharton's most acclaimed works, The Custom of the Country is a blistering indictment of materialism, power, and misplaced values. Its heroine, Undine Spragg, is one of the most ruthless characters in all of literature, as selfishly unscrupulous as she is fiercely beautiful. As she climbs the class ladder through a series of marriages and affairs, she shows little concern for who she has to step on.
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Narrator kills the book
- By Mississippi Malka on 05-24-10
By: Edith Wharton
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Now, Voyager
- Femmes Fatales
- By: Olive Higgins Prouty
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Boston blueblood Charlotte Vale has led an unhappy, sheltered life. Lonely, dowdy, repressed, and pushing 40, Charlotte finds salvation at a sanitarium, where she undergoes an emotional and physical transformation. After her extreme makeover, the new Charlotte tests her mettle by embarking on a cruise and finds herself in a torrid love affair with a married man which ends at the conclusion of the voyage. But only then can the real journey begin, as Charlotte is forced to navigate a new life for herself.
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The Inspiration for The Movie Classic
- By Susie on 12-17-12
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The Woman from Paris
- By: Santa Montefiore
- Narrated by: Tara Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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When Lord Frampton dies in a skiing accident, a beautiful young woman named Phaedra appears at his funeral - claiming to be the Lord’s illegitimate daughter. In his will, Lord Frampton has left the priceless Frampton suite of sapphires to this interloper, confirming her claim and outraging his three adult sons and widow. Eventually, however, Phaedra’s sweet nature thaws the frosty relationships. She becomes the daughter that Antoinette Frampton never had and a wise and compassionate granddaughter to the formidable Dowager Lady Frampton.
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Worth the time...
- By Esther Cunningham on 09-28-16
By: Santa Montefiore
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Asylum
- By: Patrick McGrath
- Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 1959 Stella Raphael joins her psychiatrist husband, Max, at his new posting - a maximum-security hospital for the criminally insane. Stella soon falls under the spell of Edgar Stark, a brilliant sculptor who has been confined to the hospital for murdering his wife in a psychotic rage. But Stella's knowledge of Edgar's crime is no hindrance to the volcanic attraction that ensues -a passion that will consume Stella's sanity and destroy her and the lives of those around her.
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So enjoyed this book!
- By Mebythesea on 10-07-08
By: Patrick McGrath
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Corduroy Mansions
- A Novel
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In London’s Pimlico neighborhood lies a tenement described in architectural guides as “a building of no interest whatsoever.” But the residents of Corduroy Mansions—including a literary agent, a wine merchant, a thoroughly unpleasant member of Parliament, and a vegetarian dog—are a rather fascinating lot.
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Oedipus Snark, MP
- By connie on 04-25-12
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Up a Road Slowly
- By: Irene Hunt
- Narrated by: Jaselyn Blanchard
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Julie would remember her happy days at Aunt Cordelia’s forever. Running through the spacious rooms, singing on rainy nights in front of the blazing fireplace. There were rides in the woods on Peter the Great, the races with Danny Trevort. Maybe best of all were the precious moments alone in her room at night, gazing at the sea of stars. But there was sadness too - the painful jealousy Julie felt after her sister got married, the tragic death of a schoolmate, and the bitter disappointment of her first love. Sometimes it all seemed like too much to handle.
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Coming of age in mid century
- By Mary A. Kozy on 01-17-21
By: Irene Hunt
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What listeners say about A Closed Eye
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christine A Saunders
- 01-26-17
Beautifully written. Genuine heartfelt performance
Anita Brookner makes writing beautiful, evocative novels look easy, but relatively few manage to achieve the level of excellence that she does with every book she writes. Combine Brooker's writing with Prunella Scales' narration and you can do nothing but sit back in awe...
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- Marina Amarose
- 04-13-22
Almost unbearably sad . . .
This is brilliant writing about the interior feelings of a woman coming to terms with her actual life instead of the one she imagined.
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- sigrun
- 06-22-12
From the inside
Would you listen to A Closed Eye again? Why?
I would love to reread this book, it's a simple but at the same time very intriguing story. It is as if Brookner is inside her characters, an inside which is rather blank except for chilling winds of emptiness.
What other book might you compare A Closed Eye to and why?
I think this is a typical Brookner novel, in a positive way.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Prunella Scales?
Anyone, Scales is terrible at this, she does not manage to give the characters in the story a personal voice.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-01-22
In a word: brilliant
Superb novel and most outstanding narration by Prunella Scales, a true Brookner classic. Do not hesitate.
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- David P
- 05-15-16
The Late Great Ms. Brookner
Please don't take my word for it--I'm a Brookner fan and am happy to listen to anything she's written. No real story? No problem. Lots of brilliant moments and profound insights. Similar to her other books? Well, why else would I read it? Essentially depressing? The truth often is. The narration is exceptional and the book weaves Brookner's spell as always.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Cynthia
- 09-24-17
Boring.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
The narrator did her best with the material. She sounded bored; it was a boring book.
Any additional comments?
Not worth the credit.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- SavvyShopper
- 07-16-20
Constantly waiting for a story....
Dull in the extreme. Devoid of plot or story. The incomparable Prunella Scales is the only redeeming factor. Her melodious tones are soothing to the ear, but ...she had nothing to say!
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