Summer of Fear
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Narrated by:
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Ruth Ann Phimister
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By:
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Lois Duncan
About this listen
For 15-year-old Rachel Bryant, summer vacation promises to be fun. Her 17-year-old cousin Julia will be coming to Albuquerque, New Mexico to live with the Bryants, following her parents’ deaths. With two brothers, Rachel is looking forward to finally having a sister. From the moment Julia arrives, everyone is enchanted with the orphaned teenager. But Rachel finds her strangely disturbing. Soon an evil poison seems to seep into every corner of her life. Can she discover what Julia is trying to do before it’s too late?
Best-selling, award-winning author Lois Duncan has won high acclaim for her fast-moving thrillers for young adults - and Summer of Fear is one of her most popular novels. With her dramatic pacing, Ruth Ann Phimister’s skillful narration heightens each chilling moment of suspense. Don’t miss Lois Duncan’s other exciting title, Killing Mr. Griffin.
©1976 Lois Duncan (P)1998 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
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Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
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Her Mother’s Hope
- By: Francine Rivers
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Internationally best-selling author Francine Rivers—winner of a Christy Award and the ECPA Gold Medallion—crafts a riveting tale of mother/daughter bonds stretching across decades. Strong-willed Marta leaves Switzerland early in the 20th century and settles in California. Though Marta loves her eldest daughter Hildie, they often clash as they attempt to find their places in the world.
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Another Awesome Read From Francine
- By Meaghan Bynum on 04-12-10
By: Francine Rivers
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The Unwelcomed Child
- By: V. C. Andrews
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Cottle
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
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Elle Edwards, who has been told she's a product of her mother's sinful mistake, has never gone to school, never met a teenager her own age, never even been allowed off of her grandparents' property. Convinced that their granddaughter is infected with evil, Myra and Prescott Edwards believe that only the harshest child-rearing methods will prevent Elle from becoming an instrument of the devil.
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I wanted it to be better.
- By A. Smith on 11-25-19
By: V. C. Andrews
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The Last Time We Say Goodbye
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
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The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone--a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.
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Such sweet sorrow
- By Lesaly on 04-26-15
By: Cynthia Hand
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Vivian Apple at the End of the World
- By: Katie Coyle
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple never believed in the evangelical Church of America, unlike her recently devout parents. But when Vivian returns home the night after the supposed 'Rapture,' all that's left of her parents are two holes in the roof. Suddenly, she doesn't know who or what to believe. With her best friend Harp and a mysterious ally, Peter, Vivian embarks on a desperate cross-country road trip through a paranoid and panic-stricken America to find answers.
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juvenile
- By emily on 12-16-19
By: Katie Coyle
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Boy, Snow, Bird
- By: Helen Oyeyemi
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In the winter of 1953, Boy Novak arrives by chance in a small town in Massachusetts, looking, she believes, for beauty - the opposite of the life she' s left behind in New York. She marries a local widower and becomes stepmother to his winsome daughter, Snow Whitman. A wicked stepmother is a creature Boy never imagined she' d become, but elements of the familiar tale of aesthetic obsession begin to play themselves out when the birth of Boy' s daughter, Bird, who is dark-skinned, exposes the Whitmans as light-skinned African Americans passing for white.
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For Literary Lovers
- By M. Shipe on 04-25-14
By: Helen Oyeyemi
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Nearly Normal
- Surviving the Wilderness, My Family and Myself
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In her best-selling memoir North of Normal, Cea wrote with grace about her unconventional childhood - her early years living in a tipi in Alberta with her pot-smoking, free-loving counterculture family. But her struggles do not end when she leaves her family at the age of 13 to become a model. Honest and daring, Nearly Normal reveals the many ways that Cea's unconventional childhood continues to reverberate through the years.
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This one is just not for me
- By Pamela Plimpton on 03-15-19
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Real Murders
- An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Book 1
- By: Charlaine Harris
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
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Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side - and its crime buffs. One of them is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime - until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss.
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Adjusting expectations
- By Jeanie on 04-22-10
By: Charlaine Harris
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A Dark and Stormy Murder
- Writer’s Apprentice Mystery Series, Book 1
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Lena London's literary dreams are coming true - as long as she can avoid any real - life villains.... Camilla Graham's best-selling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla's new assistant, she can't believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she'll get to live rent-free in Camilla's gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana.
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Human or computer reading?
- By Mountain Dancer on 11-06-18
By: Julia Buckley
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The Daisy Children
- A Novel
- By: Sofia Grant
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When Katie Garrett gets the news that she’s received an inheritance from the grandmother she hardly knew, it couldn’t have come at a better time. She flees Boston and travels to rural Texas. There, she’s greeted by her distant cousin Scarlett. Friendly and flamboyant, Scarlett couldn’t be more different from sensible Katie. And as they begin the task of sorting through their grandmother’s possessions, they discover letters and photographs that uncover the hidden truths about their shared history, and the long-forgotten tragedy of the New London school explosion of 1937 that binds them.
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a little odd to me
- By G-Mom on 11-09-24
By: Sofia Grant
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What listeners say about Summer of Fear
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- CJ Laird
- 09-19-23
Different
It’s a different story that’s for sure. It is a bit dated but still a mystery with a decent plot.
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- ag218
- 01-25-14
Brings Memories Back from High School
Would you listen to Summer of Fear again? Why?
Yes. I remember reading it as a young girl and after all these years, it has stuck with me, so I would definitely listen to it again. The story is simple but captivating. The narrator does an excellent job with the book.
Which character – as performed by Ruth Ann Phimister – was your favorite?
Julia-- she had the Ozark, backwoods, southern-drawl down for the character.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. I do a lot of driving for work and would hope to get an extra 30 minutes between visits with my patients to listen to a little more.
Any additional comments?
I would love to see (if I haven't already??) the Wes Craven adaptation for TV this book was made into.
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- danisse
- 09-25-22
A classic from a YA legend
Lois Duncan was my favorite authors growing up, and I think I read every one of her teen suspense novels. There are scenes and plot points in Summer of Fear and many others that I still think about to this day. This isn't one of the updated versions -- the story couldn't work in the 21st Century. But I love it still. Rest well, Ms. Duncan.
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- L. Aiello
- 07-15-24
An old favorite
I remember reading this book when I was around 12. Still a fun story, although dated in some ways.
The narration leaves a bit to be desired; it didn’t really capture the characters well. That is more of a personal preference and audiobook narration has improved a lot since 1998, when this was recorded.
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- Rollia M. Oliver
- 07-29-17
A great intro to mystery.
I read this story as a child and loved it. However, the performance is a little disappointing.
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1 person found this helpful
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- THoward
- 02-03-14
I fear the narrator is an odd choice
What made the experience of listening to Summer of Fear the most enjoyable?
I read this book in the late 70s. I really enjoyed the story then and wanted to re-read the book. I just bought the Audible version. I started listening and was immediately turned off the voice, this was just too old to be 15 year old Rachel.
The story was something I remembered, but not the whole story. The facts that I remembered were in the first chapter. I kept listening to the story and I enjoyed everything, even to the very end.
What aspect of Ruth Ann Phimister’s performance would you have changed?
Her voice sounds old and not young. I think this is a very odd choice for this story.
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- Jacquelyn
- 06-23-23
Really Enjoyable Listen
The story line kept me hooked from beginning to end. It reminded me vaguely of Elinor from the Blackwater series. Rachel was quite irritating at times; so naive, I kept rolling my eyes at her. I think the title was a poor choice, it doesn’t quite fit the narrative. I also thought the ending could’ve been more fleshed out. All in all though it was a solid book!
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- Customer
- 08-02-16
Shorter, not as polished, but still compelling LD
What made the experience of listening to Summer of Fear the most enjoyable?
Knowing that it was a Lois Duncan novel so that even though the first 1/3 or half of the book is not as tension-filled as her books usually are, at some point things were going to get cray-zeeeee! (And they do).
What other book might you compare Summer of Fear to and why?
I think comparing it would give away too much of the plot/twists. I'll just say that it has an important and common feature of young girls' fiction: the rival female who threatens to usurp the protagonist's standing and relationships, pulling the wool over everyone's eyes except our heroine's.
Have you listened to any of Ruth Ann Phimister’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, I haven't. But I'll say that I disagree with those who say she sounds too old to play the teenage narrator. Would you want an actual teen voice actor? I'd argue, no, you sure wouldn't. (For an example, why not listen to Audible's own samples of the re-issued versions of some of Duncan's novels? Not only is the material in the book adulterated--sorry, "edited"--- for a post-2010 readership, but the narrators they chose are distractingly immature-sounding, with Valley Girl-esque diction and intonation. No, thanks! I'll take a middle aged or senior citizen narrator over that.)
Besides, I've never thought that the "voice" (POV, writing narrative style) of Duncan's teen girl protagonists was meant to be literally that of a young girl. If you re-read the ones with first person POV, you might see that there's always a bit of intellectual and emotional distance between the character and others in her peer group, and possibly even between the character's increasingly wise internal monologues and her gullible actions at the beginning of the book. I think an older narrator is a good choice to represent that distance in a metaphorical way.
Last point--this book was published in the mid-1970s. Listen to the female actors in movies and radio then; they spoke with more poise and clarity than the young girls of today. Nowadays a more slang-y way of speaking with a more casual haphazardness is just more socially acceptable. It's authentic to the book's time frame to have a teen protagonist voiced by someone old enough to remember the 70s and the way young women were influenced to speak then. Just my opinion/preference.
All that said though...Phimister's rendering of the hillbilly character Julia is just painful to listen to! Sounds like the croakings of a frog.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Yes, one of the last scenes in the book, showcasing the vindicating power of the love between parent and child. I might have felt a few tears well up.
Any additional comments?
Hooray, this book is the original one, not the reissued and altered version from the 2000s!
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