Only the Beautiful
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Narrated by:
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Xe Sands
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Jorjeana Marie
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By:
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Susan Meissner
About this listen
A Best Historical Fiction of Spring Pick by Amazon, PopSugar, AARP, and BookBub!
A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the terrible injustice that tears them apart, by the USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.
California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place that seeks to forcibly take her baby – and the chance for any future babies – from her.
Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman’s sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers a shocking American eugenics program—and learns that that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.
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Critic reviews
“Only the Beautiful is an emotional journey of grief, hope, and second chances… Meissner pulls no punches in comparing America’s treatment of people with disabilities with the Nazis’ actions a few years later, leaving the reader with the emphatic message that everyone has a moral obligation to speak out against governments doing horrible things. This one resonates.” – Historical Novels Review
“Susan Meissner is a master of the genre…[Only the Beautiful] is set in 1930s California and explores our country’s brief but troubling fascination with eugenics via the story of Helen.” – San Diego Union-Tribute
"Uncovers the horrors of eugenics movements through the stories of two women in 20th-century America.” – PopSugar
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Can a house save the lives of the people who live in it? Can an inscription written in a book over 60 years ago change the fates of people not even born when it was written? Beryl Gray is solid and dependable - her partner, Claire, thinks so, her family thinks so, her colleagues think so. She has a job she likes as a university librarian. Her life seems settled, content - except nothing is as it seems. Aggie Bishop's last girlfriend left her three years ago and she hasn't had a date since. She now takes care of her great-aunt Cory who doesn't want to be taken care of.
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A beautiful instant classic!
- By MissLynn on 04-15-21
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At Home with the Templetons
- By: Monica McInerney
- Narrated by: Ulli Birve
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When the Templeton family from England takes up residence in a stately home in country Australia, they set the locals talking – and with good reason. From the outside, the seven Templetons seem so bohemian, peculiar even. No one is more intrigued by the family than their neighbours, single mother Nina Donovan and her young son Tom. Before long, the two families' lives become entwined in unexpected ways.
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A dreadful mistake
- By Julie on 11-14-10
By: Monica McInerney
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The Love Note
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Villa in Italy. Blue lives a charmed life. From her family's townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn't want for anything - well, on the surface at least. Then, on the night of her 21st birthday, her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter's hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas, and, unwilling to play at her father's bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny....
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The Love Note❣️
- By Leslie Gail Mnich on 10-25-20
By: Tracy Rees
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
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Rare 5-Star Across the Board!
- By Imamomof4 on 06-14-15
By: Susan Meissner
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The Last Tiara
- By: M.J. Rose
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia, and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother's secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother's effects - a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels.
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absolutely beautiful!
- By Nita on 12-20-22
By: M.J. Rose
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No Ocean Too Wide
- By: Carrie Turansky
- Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Laura McAllister, a young lady's maid, learns her three siblings have been taken from their mother and emigrated to Canada without her mother's knowledge, she becomes determined to search for them and reunite the family. But a lack of funds and resistance from authorities push her to use a false name and take a position with a child emigration society to gain passage to Canada.
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My great grandmother was one of the children
- By linda on 08-22-19
By: Carrie Turansky
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Saints for All Occasions
- A Novel
- By: J. Courtney Sullivan
- Narrated by: Susan Denaker
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Nora and Theresa Flynn are 21 and 17 when they leave their small village in Ireland and journey to America. Nora is the responsible sister; she's shy and serious and engaged to a man she isn't sure that she loves. Theresa is gregarious; she is thrilled by their new life in Boston and besotted with the fashionable dresses and dance halls on Dudley Street. But when Theresa ends up pregnant, Nora is forced to come up with a plan - a decision with repercussions they are both far too young to understand.
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The narration ruined it
- By Janis Reynolds on 06-12-17
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Forbidden Sister
- Forbidden, Book 1
- By: V. C. Andrews
- Narrated by: Amy Rubinate
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Emmie Wilcox was only six when her sister, Roxy, was thrown out of their New York City apartment. Their stern father's military style left no room for rebellion, and Roxy was continually defiant and rebellious. Emmie is obedient, respectful. Two sisters, total opposites - yet Emmie is secretly obsessed with the mystery and imposed silence surrounding Roxy. She wants excitement, and being a good girl all the time is harder than it seems. Finally, Emmie goes behind her father's back to track down and spy on the sister she can't help but be fascinated with.
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I love VC Andrews series !
- By Grace R. on 02-05-18
By: V. C. Andrews
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Happily Ever Amish
- The Amish of Apple Creek, Book 1
- By: Shelley Shepard Gray
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
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Overall
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Story
Addie Byler may be Apple Creek's resident wallflower, but she knows she has a lot to offer—and much to be grateful for. Raised by her loving grandmother, she lives a life filled with good friends and hard work. Wary of romance, Addie assumes no man will look beyond her glasses and her tendency to talk to her rescue donkey, Snickers—until the day she finds a note from a secret admirer. A prank, most likely. But then, a second note arrives . . .
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The reader is awesome
- By Darlin on 10-16-24
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A Mrs. Miracle Christmas
- A Novel
- By: Debbie Macomber
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As the holiday season begins, Laurel McCullough could use some good news. She and her husband, Zach, have been praying for a baby that seems more and more like an impossible dream, and they’ve had to move in with her beloved grandmother, Helen, who’s having trouble taking care of herself. But when Laurel contacts a local home-care organization for help, there are no caregivers available.
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Believe
- By Darlene Timmons on 10-07-19
By: Debbie Macomber
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A Duty to the Dead
- A Bess Crawford Mystery
- By: Charles Todd
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The daughter of a distinguished soldier, Bess Crawford follows in his patriotic footsteps, volunteering to serve her country as a nurse during the Great War. In 1916 she promises Lieutenant Arthur Graham that she will carry his dying request to a brother. When Bess arrives at the Graham house in Kent, Jonathan Graham listens to his brother's last wishes with surprising indifference.
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Terrific period mystery
- By Anne on 12-04-10
By: Charles Todd
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Clara Callan
- By: Richard B. Wright
- Narrated by: Anne Twomey, Joanna P. Adler
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Two sisters, small-town Ontario, 1934. Canadian author Richard Wright tells their story, from the ordinary to the extraoridinary with an eye for the commonplace and poignant sense of the larger undercurrents that change people's lives.
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charming intimate refreshing
- By L on 09-10-04
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A sanitized view of the Japanese in WWII.
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See Jane smile. Thirty-nine-year-old Jane Osborne appears to the world like she has a charmed life. Her daughter attends private school. Jane chairs the PTA. Even her marriage to Dan, the handsome, prominent surgeon, is blissfully happy. Her universe is stable, and her future is fixed...just like that smile. Because it’s all a ruse. Unbeknownst to anyone, after eighteen years of marriage, Dan’s revealed that he’s been living a double life and is in love with a man. But for the sake of his career, Jane must keep that secret, secret.
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Dr. Jillian Byers only considered two careers: indie rock sensation or physician. Both dreams led her to Los Angeles. She never plotted a course that led back home. With her father's health declining, Jillian picks up her life and returns to Crystal, Maine. At first, it seems time has stood still in her hometown. It doesn't take long for Jillian to realize nothing is quite the way she remembers.
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Feels like a safe home
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What listeners say about Only the Beautiful
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Bridgeman Family
- 03-04-24
Seeing the world in colors…
SPOILERS
Rosie’s character capture my heart from the very start. Relating with her on such a personal level. I was once an unwed, pregnant 19 year old, who struggled all throughout school, feeling and seeing the world a bit differently than the majority of my peers. My soul ached as I imagined what it would have looked like if my own life had unfolded decades before it did. Before the scientific studies, awareness and understanding of those who learn and experience things a bit “differently.” Rosie’s beautiful mind weaving the journey that went hand and hand with fear threaded in hope. The wanting to be loved, to know love. The wanting to have freedom and choices. Then the ripping away of both.
Helen, the nurturing Aunt we all need. I couldn’t fathom connecting with another character in this book in the way I did Rosie but when Helen came on the scene in part two, she completely captivated me. Captured me in a way that inspired me to keep my soul soft through struggles. To love the forgotten ones. To heal from heartbreak and turn it into healing for others. Her tenacity mixed with tenderness. Her aching love for Brigitta. I wept with her on that rug floor grieving the death of a sweet soul stolen by the eugenics horrific ideologies.
May we all fight and figure things out like Rosie. Love and empathize like Helen. Smile like Brigitta did and have resilience like Amaryllis.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Meg
- 08-10-23
Wow, amazing, heartfelt..just a joy to listen to..
So many messages to take away from this book. Highly recommend. It’s well worth it
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- Triple Joy
- 09-20-23
Listened to the whole thing at 1.2x speed
The story is interesting and uniquely told-5 stars. It is a little long getting started. I actually didn’t love the back and forth between a few years ago and now—I’m not sure that it really added to the story to go back and forth rather than just tell the story chronologically. I usually don’t mind that technique but this one bothered me. Xe Sands does sound like everything she said is about to bubble a laugh which I think is just her performance style. Not awful, just noticeable. Both read too slow though so I had to dial it up faster.
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- Bethany
- 12-21-23
Captivating
Drew me in write away. Dueling storylines taking place during WWII. If you love historical fiction, it doesn’t get much better than this. A must read.
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Overall
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Performance
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- MBEstes
- 12-30-23
Great job of dovetailing Eugenics with Nazi Gremany
Interesting characters and liked the two part narration. Very excellent point on Eugenics and Nazi ideology. Margaret Sanger’s mark is still being seen. 30% more African-Americans aborted than any other race in America.
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- Linda McMullen
- 01-16-24
Inspirational
Great example of what we can do as individuals when we take a stand for truth. We should never turn a blind eye. Very well written.
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- Melinda
- 02-16-24
question
what happened with Mother and daughters relationship? Did they continue their life with each other?
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- kathleen thomas
- 03-30-24
Many Emotions
I liked this book very much. The characters, how they affected each other, the insights into human emotions and needs, the intertwining. It didn't belabor things but made me very satisfied with each piece. I got very emotional in certain parts that touched my heart. I will listen to it again.
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- D’Ann
- 03-19-24
Surprised and anguished
I love the beautiful flow of the writing!! I was unaware of the atrocities that went on in the US as late as the 70s, and this historical fiction was an eye-opener! It is a beautiful, and also a heartbreaking story! I loved this book!
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- Georgia
- 03-23-24
Another excellent book!
This author can write! I finished it in two days. Can't wait to get started on another by her! Excellent history lesson in this one. Excellent narration!
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