The Bright Forever Audiobook By Lee Martin cover art

The Bright Forever

A Novel

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The Bright Forever

By: Lee Martin
Narrated by: various
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About this listen

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • A “cleanly written [and] artful . . . page-turner” (San Francisco Chronicle) about a nine-year-old girl’s disappearance and the lasting impact it has on her close-knit community

On an evening like any other, nine-year-old Katie Mackey, daughter of the most affluent family in a small town on the plains of Indiana, sets out on her bicycle to return some library books.

This simple act is at the heart of The Bright Forever, a suspenseful, moving novel about the choices people make that change their lives forever. Playing fact, speculation, and contradiction off one another as the details unfold, Lee Martin creates a fast-paced story that’s as gripping as it is richly human. His beautiful, clear-eyed, spartan prose builds to an extremely nuanced portrayal of the complicated give and take among people struggling to maintain their humanity in the shadow of loss.

Memorable for its perceptions and power, The Bright Forever is a captivating and emotional tale about the human need to know even the hardest truths.

©2005 Lee Martin (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Sagas
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Critic reviews

"Martin's novel is hard to put down." (Booklist)
"Rich details and raw emotion mix as Martin, in engaging the human desire to excavate the truth, underscores its complex, elusive nature." (Publishers Weekly)

“Compelling . . . both harrowing and deeply felt.”—New York Daily News

Most relevant  

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Over-all the time listening to the book was well-spent, but I would not recommend it to others. Although well-written, I did not like the plot.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lee Martin again?

Yes.

Which scene was your favorite?

No comment.

Did The Bright Forever inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

No

A little sad

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Beautifully written, a small town tragedy. Each character has suffered loss and lonliness. Highly recommended if you like character-driven stories. Just be warned that it is very sad.
Narrators are:
Susan Deneker
Bo Foxworth
Kirby Heybourne
Lee Leon Cavalough
All the narrators were excellent.

Beautiful and very sad

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What a phenomenal book. I was so completely drawn into the story that I was even listening when I only had a minute or two, which I've never done before. I prefer my listening chunks to be large. This novel was masterfully written. I just came on Audible looking for more by the same author. These characters are going to stick with me for a long time. Every one of them.

Engrossing book, read by an excellent reader

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This book was published after The Lovely Bones and it shows. Same content- child abduction and death, creepy man with inappropriate love for a child and his involvement in the plot. Save your time and read The Lovely Bones.

Eerie plot

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