The Abstinence Teacher
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Campbell Scott
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By:
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Tom Perrotta
About this listen
The Abstinence Teacher illuminates the powerful emotions that run beneath the placid surface of modern American family life, and explores the complicated spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people. It is elegantly and simply written, characterized by the distinctive mix of satire and compassion that has become Tom Perrotta's trademark.
Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise children: it's got good schools, solid values and a healthy real estate market. Parents in the town are involved in their children's lives, and often in other children's lives, too—coaching sports, driving carpool, focusing on enriching experiences. Ruth Ramsey is the high school human sexuality teacher whose openness is not appreciated by all her students—or their parents. Her daughter's soccer coach is Tim Mason, a former stoner and rocker whose response to hitting rock bottom was to reach out and be saved. Tim's introduction of Christianity on the playing field horrifies Ruth, while his evangelical church sees a useful target in the loose-lipped sex ed teacher. But when these two adversaries in a small-town culture war actually talk to each other, a surprising friendship begins to develop.
"Perrotta is that rare combination: a satirist with heart….Those who haven't curled up on the couch with this writer's books are missing a very great pleasure."—Seattle Times
"Tom Perrotta is a truth-telling, unshowy chronicler of modern-day America."—The New York Times Book Review (in a front-page review)
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Critic reviews
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Chasing Perfect
- Fool's Gold, Book 1
- By: Susan Mallery
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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There is only one thing wrong with the charming community of Fool’s Gold, California: the men don’t stick around! This problem has to be fixed, fast, and Charity Jones may be just the city planner up to the challenge. Charity immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer – except its sexy, famous, world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy…but it may just be what they both need!
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Awful narration
- By Kimberly on 05-17-10
By: Susan Mallery
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Under the Lights
- Boys of Fall Series, Book 1
- By: Shannon Stacey
- Narrated by: Carly Robins
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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Chase Sanders's life has taken a lot of crazy turns lately. But returning to his hometown to help his old coach keep his high school football team afloat might be the craziest thing to happen to him yet. That is, until he starts falling for the last person he should - Coach's gorgeous daughter.
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Okay
- By Melliemel on 08-25-20
By: Shannon Stacey
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Taming Mad Max
- By: Theresa Ragan
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Max Dutton, a starting NFL linebacker for the Los Angeles Condors, is certain he's going to die young, since his father and grandfather both passed away at an early age. Believing his life will be cut short, Max lives every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max also shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family, only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? Nutrition expert Kari Murphy used to think Max Dutton was to die for. She's older and wiser now.
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Story OK, Narrator NOT
- By MABJM on 08-20-12
By: Theresa Ragan
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Charley's Web
- By: Joy Fielding
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Charley Webb is a beautiful single mother who writes a successful and controversial column for the Palm Beach Post. She's spent years building an emotional wall against scathing critics, snooty neighbors, and her disapproving family. But when she receives a letter from Jill Rohmer, a young woman serving time on death row for the murders of three small children, her boundaries slowly begin to fade. Jill wants Charley to write her biography so that she can share the many hidden truths about the case that failed to surface during her trial.
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not the norm
- By D. Mains on 02-04-09
By: Joy Fielding
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Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch
- By: Haywood Smith
- Narrated by: Anne Gartlan
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Southern housewife Linwood Breedlove Scott was happily content in her comfortable 30-year marriage, but when her husband cleans out their bank accounts and runs off with a stripper, her life takes a hilarious, yet touching, right turn into reality. With no place to go but home, she's forced back to her eccentric family she escaped by marrying at 19. But despite her newly dependent situation, Lin begins to stand on her own two feet and wake up to the joys - and perils - of life as a single woman.
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Haywood Smith is royal with this book!
- By Dave on 12-09-12
By: Haywood Smith
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All of Me
- Boxed Set
- By: Samantha Chase
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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All of Me is a collection of four great stories from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Samantha Chase. It brings all your favorite Montgomery Brothers books together in one set!
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Narrator 😳
- By G Reinhardt on 01-30-20
By: Samantha Chase
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Domestic Violets
- A Novel
- By: Matthew Norman
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned 35, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day. The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords....
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What a rollicking ride!
- By Pamela Harvey on 08-13-11
By: Matthew Norman
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Magnolia Wednesdays
- By: Wendy Wax
- Narrated by: Käthe Mazur
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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At 41, Vivian Armstrong Gray's life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says "yes" to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito. Down South, it's her sister's ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life - and where unexpected friendships develop.
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Painful. And not in a good way.
- By Kate on 01-24-13
By: Wendy Wax
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The God Box
- By: Alex Sanchez
- Narrated by: Joey Florez
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Paul, a religious teen living in a small conservative town, finds his world turned upside down when he meets Manuel - a young man who says he’s both Christian and gay, two things that Paul didn’t think could coexist in one person. Doesn’t the Bible forbid homosexuality? As Paul struggles with Manuel’s interpretation of the Bible, thoughts that Paul has long tried to bury begin to surface, and he finds himself re-examining his whole life. This is an unforgettable book on an extremely timely topic that strives to open minds on both ends of the spectrum.
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It broke my heart and then healed it
- By ty on 04-03-16
By: Alex Sanchez
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Deal Breaker
- The First Myron Bolitar Novel
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex and blackmail.
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Deal Breaker
- By Lisa on 07-02-08
By: Harlan Coben
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Strike
- Gentry Generations
- By: Cora Brent
- Narrated by: Brian Ingram, Desiree Fultz
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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A summer job. That's all it was supposed to be. It never crossed my mind that I was about to collide with a man who would obliterate every plan I ever made. My mother has always warned me that love is like a lightning bolt and it strikes without warning. But I had no intention of getting struck by either lightning or love anytime soon. I'd be too busy finishing my journalism degree and landing a job in a city far more sophisticated than Phoenix. There was certainly nothing in the cards about getting involved with an ex-ballplayer turned nightclub boss.
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worth a read
- By BK on 05-14-18
By: Cora Brent
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What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down? That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.
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The title is the best part
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Nine Inches
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Tom Perrotta’s first book, Bad Haircut, consisted of linked stories featuring a shared protagonist. Now, nineteen years later, he has written and compiled his first true short story collection. This twelve story book features a group set in Perrotta’s trademark suburban setting, focusing on the fissures in families and unexpected connections among members of typical American communities, including “Senior Season” and "Nine Inches".
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great short stories capture modern day life
- By Mark on 06-30-14
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- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
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Tom Perrotta's thirtysomething parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the Internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out.
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Distracting...
- By Ashley on 11-06-08
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Election
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Tracy Flick wants to be President of Winwood High. She’s one of those ambitious girls who finds time to do it all: edit the yearbook, star in the musical, sleep with her English teacher. But another teacher, staunch idealist Jim McAllister, a.k.a. “Mr. M.,” thinks the students deserve better. So he persuades Paul Warren—a well-liked, good-hearted jock—to throw in his hat. But that puts Paul’s sister Tammy in a snit. So she runs too, on an apathy platform, before starting a real campaign...to get herself kicked out of school.
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Excellent—highly recommend
- By Rene M. on 06-27-23
By: Tom Perrotta
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Mrs. Fletcher
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Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A 46-year-old divorcée whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. Before long, Eve's online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.
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Beautiful book
- By Joshua Kors on 09-06-17
By: Tom Perrotta
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Tracy Flick Can't Win
- By: Tom Perrotta
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Tracy Flick is a hardworking assistant principal at a public high school in suburban New Jersey. Still ambitious but feeling a little stuck and underappreciated in midlife, Tracy gets a jolt of good news when the longtime principal, Jack Weede, abruptly announces his retirement, creating a rare opportunity for Tracy to ascend to the top job. Energized by the prospect of her long-overdue promotion, Tracy throws herself into her work with renewed zeal, determined to prove her worth to the students, faculty, and School Board, while also managing her personal life.
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Just read the book to me
- By Glasher on 06-27-22
By: Tom Perrotta
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The Leftovers
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down? That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.
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The title is the best part
- By Pamela Harvey on 09-03-11
By: Tom Perrotta
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Nine Inches
- Stories
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: William Dufris, Andi Arndt, Tom Perrotta, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Tom Perrotta’s first book, Bad Haircut, consisted of linked stories featuring a shared protagonist. Now, nineteen years later, he has written and compiled his first true short story collection. This twelve story book features a group set in Perrotta’s trademark suburban setting, focusing on the fissures in families and unexpected connections among members of typical American communities, including “Senior Season” and "Nine Inches".
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great short stories capture modern day life
- By Mark on 06-30-14
By: Tom Perrotta
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Overall
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Performance
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Tom Perrotta's thirtysomething parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the Internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out.
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Distracting...
- By Ashley on 11-06-08
By: Tom Perrotta
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Election
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana, Midori Francis, Dioni Michelle Collins, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Tracy Flick wants to be President of Winwood High. She’s one of those ambitious girls who finds time to do it all: edit the yearbook, star in the musical, sleep with her English teacher. But another teacher, staunch idealist Jim McAllister, a.k.a. “Mr. M.,” thinks the students deserve better. So he persuades Paul Warren—a well-liked, good-hearted jock—to throw in his hat. But that puts Paul’s sister Tammy in a snit. So she runs too, on an apathy platform, before starting a real campaign...to get herself kicked out of school.
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Excellent—highly recommend
- By Rene M. on 06-27-23
By: Tom Perrotta
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Mrs. Fletcher
- By: Tom Perrotta
- Narrated by: Finn Wittrock, Carrie Coon, Alex Allwine, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
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Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A 46-year-old divorcée whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, "U R my MILF!" Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. Before long, Eve's online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.
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Beautiful book
- By Joshua Kors on 09-06-17
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Tracy Flick is a hardworking assistant principal at a public high school in suburban New Jersey. Still ambitious but feeling a little stuck and underappreciated in midlife, Tracy gets a jolt of good news when the longtime principal, Jack Weede, abruptly announces his retirement, creating a rare opportunity for Tracy to ascend to the top job. Energized by the prospect of her long-overdue promotion, Tracy throws herself into her work with renewed zeal, determined to prove her worth to the students, faculty, and School Board, while also managing her personal life.
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Just read the book to me
- By Glasher on 06-27-22
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What listeners say about The Abstinence Teacher
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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- Nick Mendillo
- 06-14-23
Terrible narration
The story is fine; Perrotta has a knack for great stories. The narrator is trash. Monotonous, boring, disinterested… and you can sometimes hear him inhale or swallow saliva.
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Overall
- Kelley
- 01-13-08
Same and Better
If you've read "Little Children" you'll recognize both the form and the content of this book -- but we can forgive the safety of repetition (or the obsessiveness of it) when the works become fuller and truer as they go. And this one does.
If you are ambivalent (or negative) about religion, you'll find the story scratches your itch nicely without being so insulting to the practice that you feel guilty about feeling good. It comes close or course, but Perrota cleverly side steps any sense of lynching by making all of his characters (pro and anti) equally imperfect and tricky to love.
Also Campbell Scott's voice is a huge turn on.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Andrea
- 04-10-11
mildly controversial
Two adults struggling with their respective beliefs: The sober drug addict Tim doubts his savior, Jesus, and down to earth, single-mom Ruth is confronted with her teenage daughter's interest in religion and church. Current non-liberal religious tendencies in North America are displayed as well as the typical suburban life.
Perrotta avoids any judgement. He uses a flashlight instead of putting this sensitive subject in the limelight. This approach makes it an easy read. Supporting characters are sometimes cliched but the main characters are well developed and likable.
Excellent narration.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 11-14-15
interesting characters
great story, love the depth of character, did not like the ending. wish there would have been more clarity for Reese and Tim, as well as Tim and Carrie
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-08-21
Tom Perota is an excellent wordsmith
I really enjoyed the book however The ending felt like a cop out. Nothing was accomplished or resolved. It was however an entertaining way to spend a few hours.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Marmotty
- 10-10-11
Wonderful reader/ performer
Campbell Scott is a wonderful, subtle, intelligent actor. He alters his voice just enough to bring the characters alive, without ever overdoing it. I loved the novel, but I think Mr Scott is an inspired actor/reader
Annick
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jessica
- 12-12-08
Horrible Audio, Great Book
The reader for this audio book is appalling, but the book itself is very good. I read it once before, but I wanted the audio for gym and house cleaning use. I would recommend the book, but definitely not the audio edition.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Gypsy Wife
- 03-17-08
Not for everyone!
This is a story that is not for everyone. It's well written and I liked how the characters interacted, influenced one another, and evolved. But the parts dealing with the ultra-conservative religious folks were sheer torture for me. And the narrator's voice is so soft and monotoned as to evoke drowsiness. I would have liked a narrator with more variety of tone and voice.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Peggy
- 11-26-11
Left me unsatisfied
I thought this book would be interesting contrast between characters with different values. There was minimal development of the characters. The ending was sudden, and left me unsatisfied. Not what I expected.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Megan Byrne
- 08-28-17
Ugh
Wow. Super dull and pretentious. The only thing worse than the story was the monotone narrator who apparently has something against inflection.
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1 person found this helpful