means
the book is unabridged (complete)
by Margaret Atwood
Read by Elizabeth McGovern. A beautifully crafted novel, beautifully read. Atwood takes listeners back in time and into the life and mind of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century. Grace Marks was convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and of his housekeeper mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. After a stint in Torontoís lunatic asylum and now serving a life term, Grace herself claims to have no memory of the murders. Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the field of mental illness, decides to attempt to unlock her memories. (6 hrs. 4 cs.)
FAT005 / Buy $24.95 / Rent $10.25
by Jung Chang
Read by Anna Massey. Wild Swans tells the story of three women-the author, her mother and grandmother-whose fortunes mirror the tumultuous history of 20th century China. As the years pass in this beautifully detailed tapestry, we see three lives unfolding through love, tragedy and renewal. (6 hrs. 4 cs.)
FCH002 / Buy $24.95 / Rent $10.25
by Noel Coward
Paul Scofield and cast, in sparkling performances. Coward has an unerring sense of timing, a flawless ear for dialogue, and a rapier wit that have kept these two plays as bubbly as newly opened champagne. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
DCO001 / Buy $15.95 / Rent $5.75
by Gerald Durrell
Read by Nigel Davenport. One of the most delightful collections of animal stories ever written, from a world-renowned naturalist. The book narrates the author's stay in Cameroon to study the local african wildlife. His great sense of humor, his sensitivity toward the local people, and his love of animals make this a great listen. (6.5 hrs. 6 cs.)
NDU001 / Buy $49.95 / Rent $12.25
by Laura Esquivel
Read by Yareli Arizmendi. Set in turn-of-the-century Mexico, this deliciously read novel of family life is a thorough delight. Tita is the youngest of 3 daughters and fated not to marry, instead to care for their mother until her death. She watches her sister marry the man she loves, and tries to suppress her feelings. She is a brilliant chef and shares her recipes with us; but odd things happen to the food when her feelings are too long held in. (5.25 hrs. 4 cs.)
FES001 / Buy $22 / Rent $10.25
by Carol Fenner
Read by Novella Nelson. Yolonda is a big, strong girl, and smarter than anyone in the fifth grade, well able to take care of her little brother Andrew. But their mother, a paralegal and police officerís widow, is worried about the dangers of the big city, and moves her family to a smaller town. As Yolonda is making new friends, somebody scares Andrew and silences his harmonica. It was his life-long friend, given to him by his father when he was a teething baby, the instrument on which he has always played the bacon sizzling and the freshness of early morning. Finally Yolonda notices, and sets out to show the world that her tiny brother is a musical genius. (5.25 hrs. 4 cs.)
KFE001 / Buy $18.99 / Rent $10.25
by Rumer Godden
Read by Lynda Bellingham. Kizzy was a diddakoi, a half-gypsy, but the more the children at school tormented her, the more determined she was not to become one of themóthe gorgios. But then Gran died, and Joe the old horse was to be sent to the knackersóand Kizzy to the gorgios. Luckily, in the midst of all this misery and interference, there were some people who loved Kizzy as she wasóand this lonely outcast found a true home at last. (3.5 hrs. 3 cs.)
KGO001 / Buy $26.95 / Rent $8
by Rumer Godden
Read by Sam Dastor. Patna Hall, on the Coromandel coast of India, seemed an idyllic spot for Mary and Blaiseís honeymoon. But almost from the moment of their arrival, the atmosphere soured: Mary felt a growing isolation from her husband, there were malicious undercurrents in the staff gossip, and then Mary met the local candidate of the Root and Flower Party. The more she knew him, the more committed she became, until tragedy interrupted. (7.5 hrs. 6 cs.)
FGO006 / Buy $54.95 / Rent $12.25
by David Guterson
Read by Peter Marinker. Among the islands of the Pacific northwest are settlers from all backgrounds, including a small community of Japanese. One of them arranges the purchase of seven acres of strawberry farmónot for himself, since he was born in Japan and is not allowed to own land in the US, but for his son when he comes of age. One payment short of the final purchase and months from the sonís 20th birthday, WWII breaks out and the family is moved to Manzanar prison camp. The seven acres are sold, and it is not until after the war that the family returns to the site of their dream farm. Then the son is accused of murdering the man who owns the land. (15 hrs. 10 cs.)
FGU005 / Buy $84.95 / Rent $15.25
by Anne Lamott
Read by the author. What an enchanting and very funny book! It is fascinating if you are interested in what it takes to be a writer, what it means to live a writerís lifeófrom faith, love and grace to pain, jealousy and fear. It offers step by step instructions for writing that translate into step by step guidelines for living. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
NLA004 / Buy $17.95 / Rent $5.75
by Richard Llewellyn
Read by Philip Madoc. First there were the green mountains and fertile valleys that had defined Wales for millennia; then below the meadows coal was found. The men of the fields turned into people of darkness, who fought and loved, drank and sang in the shadows of the great collieries, forgetting how green their valley had been. This gorgeous book appeared in 1939 and immediately became the first and most famous bestseller of the war years. (16.25 hrs. 12 cs.)
FLL001 / Buy $94.95 / Rent $16.75
by Colleen McCullough
Read by Nigel Graham. Mary Horton is a successful career woman in her forties, presenting an unadorned and self-contained image to the outside world and believing that she can live without love and friendship. Tim Melville is a young man with the beauty, power and grace of an Adonis and the mind of a child. They are drawn to each other from their first chance meeting, enjoying a growing friendship. Tim's caretakers are suspicious of Mary's motives and threaten to put the relationship to a stop. (7.5 hrs. 6 cs.)
FMC021 / Buy $54.95 / Rent $12.25
by Daniel Quinn
Read by Anthony Heald. Ishmael is The Teacher, a gorilla with a story to tell, one that never appears in schoolbooks or popular culture, of humanityís place in the grand scheme of the universe. ìDoes the earth belong to man [sic]? Or does man belong to the earth?î Sly, witty, profound, this is an unforgettable intellectual adventure. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
FQU001 / Buy $15.95 / Rent $5.75
by Adele Crockett Robertson
Read by Megan Gallagher. The authorís daughter recently discovered this memoir written by her mother about her experiences during the Depression. A young woman, unprepared by her Radcliffe education, she took on the family farm and defended it from bank foreclosure by reviving the long-neglected orchards. Every day is a struggle with broken machinery, killing frosts, and the need to learn how to dig a well, burn brush, feed the trees, keep the bees, and prune, spray and pack her crop. Her decency and hard work are rewarded by abundant kindness from the immigrant workers who help rescue her crop. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
NRO003 / Buy $17 / Rent $5.75
by Salman Rushdie
Read by Art Malik. Nobody can cook up a stew like Rushdie. Insane puns, radical commentary, magic, familes, the history of India, fanciful digressions, a riveting story, hilarity, love, lust, death, envy, greed. ìOne of my favorite writers in the world.îóDebby. (6 hrs. 4 cs.)
FRU006 / Buy $25 / Rent $10.25
by Vita Sackville-West
Read by Dame Wendy Hiller. In 1860, as a girl, Lady Slane nurtures a dream of becoming an artist. Instead she becomes the wife of a great statesman and the mother of six children. When her husband dies 70 years later, Lady Slane abandons the family home and the responsibilities of a public figure, to the dismay of her pompous family. She retires to a small house, enjoying her memories and the mellow present in the company she chooses. Virginia Woolfís friend has given us a perfect gem of a story. (6 hrs. 6 cs.)
FSA002 / Buy $49.95 / Rent $12.25
by Carl Sagan
Read by the author. Subtitled A Vision of the Human Future in Space. From the perspective of the pale blue dot that is the earth in the universe, the Pulitzer winner contrasts the egocentricity of established religions with the immense complexity of the universe scientists are studying. He urges us to regain the kind of excitement surrounding the moon landings. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
NSA007 / Buy $16.95 / Rent $5.75
by Barbara Savage
Read by Alexandra OíKarma. ìBicycle around the world? Because it was such a spur of the moment idea it had a good chance of survival. But when May 1978 came around, time to leave, there remained one haunting doubt. It had nothing to do with pedaling 20,000 miles. Rather, we wondered what effect our constant togetherness would have on our marriage.î (14 hrs. 10 cs.)
NSA004 / Buy $75 / Rent $15.25
by Mark Shand
Read by Paul Shelley. In the tiny, aristocratic figure of Parbati Barua, Mark Shand finds his ultimate guru. He seeks her out to take part in a film about the plight of the wild herds of elephants in north-east India, where humans and elephants are locked in a life or death struggle caused by Indiaís population explosion. They follow the elephantsí ancient migratory route through the tea gardens of West Bengal and along the rarely visited Himalayan corridor to Parbatiís ancestral home in Assam. A feisty expert who misses none of the beauty and eccentricity of all things indian. (7 hrs. 6 cs.)
NSH006 / Buy $54.95 / Rent $12.25
by Wallace Stegner
Read by John Randolph Jones. The story of a lifelong friendship between two couples. With grace and power, Stegner evokes the dense web of feeling and experience that binds the four peopleójoy and sorrow, fulfillment and frustration, anger and forgiveness. One of our favorite books. (6 hrs. 4 cs.)
FST010 / Buy $24 / Rent $10.25
by Rose Tremain
Read by Selina Cadell. On the day of the funeral of King George VI in 1952, Mary Ward has a revelation. She realizes she isnít a girl at allósheís a boy. The ineradicable tragic belief alters the course of her life in ways that are unimaginable to the rest of humanity, safe within their fixed genders and identities. The story moves from rural East Anglia to London to Nashville, TN. This is a gem of a book, beautifully written. (13 hrs. 10 cs.)
FTR002 / Buy $84.95 / Rent $15.25
by Mary Wesley
Read by Anna Massey. Rose kept faith with both lover Mylo and husband Ned the whole of her respectable married life. Perfect wife, mother and hostess for Ned, she was an impetuous and unconventional mistress to Mylo, answering his erratic, impassioned calls throughout fifty years. Now Ned has died, and Rose can choose again. Wonderful, wicked Wesley. (10 hrs. 8 cs.)
FWE005 / Buy $69.95 / Rent $13.75
by E.B. White
Read by the author. A kindhearted little girl saves the life of a tiny pig called Wilbur. The pigís very best friend, however, is Charlotte, the gray spider who lives in the barn where he does. Wilburís life is ideal, until a grumpy old sheep tells him what farmers do to pigs at christmastime. Wilburís happiness is shattered, but Charlotte promises to come to his rescue. Duncan says that all the children of the world should hear this beautifully written, beautifully read book. (3.5 hrs. 3 cs.)
KWH001 / Buy $18.99 / Rent $8
by Oscar Wilde
Read by a brilliant cast including Edith Evans and John Gielgud. This hilariously witty comedy is about two young men who lead double lives. It satirizes all the important thingsóbirth, love, marriage, respectability, death. (3 hrs. 2 cs.)
DWI002 / Buy $15.95 / Rent $5.75
by Herman Wouk
Read by Theodore Bikel. The setting is the establishment of the state of Israel from 1948 to1967. Historical characters are mixed into the lives and loves of several well characterized fictional families. A great story with never a dull moment, brilliantly read. (31 hrs. 21 cs.)
FWO008 / Buy $79.95 / Rent $20
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