Family Life Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

Bella Shaughnessy is addicted to lipstick with names like My Chihuahua Bites and Kiss My Lips-an occupational hazard, since she works at Salon de Paolo, her family-run beauty salon, along with her four half-brothers and sisters. The owner is her father, Lucky Shaughnessy, a gregarious, three-times-divorced charmer with Donald Trump hair who is obsessed with all things Italian. After Bella's own marriage flames out spectacularly when her half-sister runs off with her husband, Bella decides she has seen enough of the damage love can do. She makes a vow: no more men. But then Bella meets a cute entrepreneur, and despite their bickering, they can't seem to stay away from each other. A small, well-tressed dog also finds her way into Bella's life, and her heart, and she decides to chance that, too. When the whole clan heads to Atlanta for a big Southern wedding, sparks fly-in a summer blowout no one will ever forget.

Claire Cook (Author), Angela Brazil (Narrator)

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The Plague of Doves: A Novel

Louise Erdrich's mesmerizing new novel, her first in almost three years, centers on a compelling mystery. The unsolved murder of a farm family haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. The vengeance exacted for this crime and the subsequent distortions of truth transform the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation and shape the passions of both communities for the next generation. The descendants of Ojibwe and white intermarry, their lives intertwine only the youngest generation, of mixed blood, remains unaware of the role the past continues to play in their lives. Evelina Harp is a witty, ambitious young girl, part Ojibwe, part white, who is prone to falling hopelessly in love. Mooshum, Evelina's grandfather, is a seductive storyteller, a repository of family and tribal history with an all-too-intimate knowledge of the violent past. Nobody understands the weight of historical injustice better than Judge Antone Bazil Coutts, a thoughtful mixed blood who witnesses the lives of those who appear before him, and whose own love life reflects the entire history of the territory. In distinct and winning voices, Erdrich's narrators unravel the stories of different generations and families in this corner of North Dakota. Bound by love, torn by history, the two communities' collective stories finally come together in a wrenching truth revealed in the novel's final pages. The Plague of Doves is one of the major achievements of Louise Erdrich's considerable oeuvre, a quintessentially American story and the most complex and original of her books.

Louise Erdrich (Author), Kathleen McInerney, Kathleen Mcinerney, Peter Francis, Peter Francis James (Narrator)

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Bulls Island

After twenty years, Elizabeth "Betts" McGee has finally managed to put her past behind her. She hasn't been home to beautiful South Carolina and untouched Bulls Island since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston's golden boy, J. D. Langley. And why is that? Really, this is the story of two old Southern families. The Langley family has more money than the Morgan Stanley Bank. And they think they have more class. The Barrett family made their nineteenth-century fortune in a less distinguished manner, corner grocery stores and liquor stores. It's no surprise that when J.D. and Betts fall in love and decide to marry their parents are none too pleased. And when the love affair comes to an end, everyone is ready to place blame. Now twenty years have gone by and Betts, a top investment bank executive, must leave her comfortable life in New York City to return to the home she thought she'd left behind forever. But spearheading the most important project of her career puts her back in contact with everything she's tried so hard to forget: her estranged sister, her father, J.D., and her past. Once she's home, can Betts keep the secret that threatens all she holds dear? Or will her fear of the past wreck her future happiness? And what about that crazy gator? All will be revealed on Bulls Island.

Dorothea Benton Frank, Dorothea Frank (Author), Joey Collins, Julia Gibson (Narrator)

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Family Linen

Lee Smith is one of today's most critically acclaimed authors writing about contemporary life in the South. In Family Linen, with a remarkable economy of description and dialogue, Smith sketches eccentric, yet familiar characters moving through a family drama that resonates with both tension and humor. Sybil Hess, a polished, Southern apartment manager has visited a hypnotist in a desperate attempt to discover the source of her blinding headaches. But in one session, a mysterious, Gothic childhood memory plays before her eyes. Now Sybil is racing against time to find an answer to one urgent question. Is her quiet, genteel mother a murderer? Stretching between Sybil and the truth is a loony tangle of sibling rivalry, family lore, and jealousy. Lee Smith's darkly comic, richly textured novel will enchant you. It is a tale told by many voices: Southern dowagers and whiskey-tippling uncles, polyester-clad housewives, and MTV-eyed teenagers. Narrator Linda Stephens' performance draws you into the company of this truly unforgettable family.

Lee Smith (Author), Linda Stephens (Narrator)

Audiobook

Saving Grace

Having justly earned her reputation as a master storyteller, Lee Smith's name evokes images of authentic country folk struggling through some of life's most arduous tests. Saving Grace adds a stunning spiritual dimension. The daughter of a snake-handling preacher who ignores the needs of his destitute family, Florida Grace doesn't think much of Jesus. He's the reason she's lived in squalor most of her life. He certainly doesn't keep her womanizing zealot of a father on the straight and narrow. In fact, Jesus hasn't been there for her through her failed marriage, or the death of her son. But in one shining moment everything changes when He calls out to her, and she returns to her roots to heed His call. Narrator Christina Moore gives perfect voice to the vulnerability and wisdom of a young woman on a turbulent spiritual journey. The endearing heroine and the poetic language present a quandary: you want to savor this book a chapter at a time, but you can't put it down.

Lee Smith (Author), Christina Moore (Narrator)

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Das Leben brennt wie grüner Chili

Das Leben brennt wie grüner Chili Manchmal findet man, was man sucht. Manchmal aber findet man auch etwas ganz anderes. Billy Mann jedenfalls, zwanzig Jahre alt und seines Zeichens Findelkind, sucht seine Mutter. Doch in der kargen, staubigen Weite New Mexicos, wohin ihn der einzig vorhandene Hinweis verschlägt, findet Billy statt seiner Mutter ein Leben, das mehr als eine Überraschung für ihn bereithält

William Kowalski (Author), Philipp Schepmann (Narrator)

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Eddies Bastard

Eddies Bastard Alles begann mit einem Körbchen vor der Tür eines großen zerfallenen Farmhauses. In diesem Korb, eingehüllt in eine Decke, lag ein schlafendes Baby. Das Einzige, was auf seine Herkunft hindeutete, war ein Zettel mit den handgeschriebenen Worten: Eddies Bastard. Als der alte, verbitterte Mann auf der Schwelle seines Hauses dem Kind in die Augen blickt, weiß er sofort, dass dies sein Enkelsohn ist. Also beschließt er, den Jungen allein aufzuziehen - mit Liebe, gebratener Mortadella und den faszinierenden Geschichten der einstmals bedeutenden irischstämmigen Familie.

William Kowalski (Author), Philipp Schepmann (Narrator)

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Between Sundays

Aaron Hill has it all---athletic good looks and the many privileges of a star quarterback. His Sundays are spent playing NFL football in front of a televised audience of millions. But Aaron's about to receive an unexpected handoff, one that will give him a whole new view of his self-centered life. Derrick Anderson is a family man who volunteers his time with foster kids while sustaining a long career as a pro football player. But now he's looking for a miracle. He must act as team mentor while still striving for the one thing that matters most this season---keeping a promise he made years ago. Megan Gunn works two jobs and spends her spare time helping at the youth center. Much of what she does, she does for the one boy for whom she is everything---a foster child whose dying mother left him in Megan's care. Now she wants to adopt him, but one obstacle stands in the way. Her foster son, Cory, is convinced that 49ers quarterback Aaron Hill is his father. Two men and the game they love. A woman with a heart for the lonely and lost, and a boy who believes the impossible. Thrown together in a season of self-discovery, they're about to learn lessons in character and grace, love and sacrifice. Because in the end life isn't defined by what takes place on the first day of the week, but how we live it between Sundays.

Karen Kingsbury, Kathy Garver (Author), Kathy Garver, Zondervan Publishing (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Gift

Nathan Hurst hated Christmas. For the rest of the world it was a day of joy and celebration; for Nathan it was simply a reminder of the event that destroyed his childhood until a snowstorm, a cancelled flight and an unexpected meeting with a young mother and her very special son would show him that Christmas is indeed the season of miracles.

Richard Paul Evans (Author), John Dossett (Narrator)

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The Ultimate Gift

When Jason Stevens receives the news of his great uncle Red’s death, he is greedy with anticipation— as are Red’s other relatives—to divvy up the man’s massive fortune. One by one, Red’s beneficiaries receive their portion of the multibillion-dollar estate. But when it is at last Jason’s turn to collect his inheritance, he finds quite a different fate in store for him. Join Jason on his memorable yearlong quest of discovery—one that will captivate the hearts of young and old alike—as he searches for his stake in The Ultimate Gift.

Jim Stovall (Author), Tom Bosley (Narrator)

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Facets

Dear Reader, Book titles can stymie an author. Finding the right one is like hitting stride in a long-distance race: The sooner you do it, the better the run. FACETS was FACETS from the opening shot, a natural when the book was first published in 1990 and a natural today. This is a many-sided book in several regards. Think of a gem. On one side, there is Hillary Cox, a writer; on another, Pamela St. George, a jewelry designer. On a third, there is Pamela's brother John, a mining magnate; and on a fourth, Cutter Reid, once a devil-may-care tourmaline miner, now as sophisticated as John. In setting, FACETS ranges far as well, from the glitz of New York to the elitism of Boston to the nitty-gritty of the small Maine mining town of Timiny Cove. Likewise personalities: FACETS pits the arrogant, self-centered John against the newly vengeful Hillary, the creative and sensitive Pamela, and the doggedly self-made Cutter. Spanning three decades, FACETS is as much a family drama as any I've ever written. My writing style may have changed since 1990, but the heart and soul of my characters have not. Please enjoy FACETS as much as I did then - and do now. My thanks and best wishes, Barbara Delinsky

Barbara Delinsky (Author), Joyce Bean (Narrator)

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Where Rainbows End

From the no. 1 bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes an enchanting novel about two childhood friends whom fate and destiny can't help toying with...From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family moves from Dublin to America - and Alex goes with them. For good.Rosie's lost without him. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever - and keep her at home in Ireland.Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each other's lives but neither of them knows whether their friendship can really survive the years and miles - as well as new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them out of each other's arms, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything - including their friendship - for true love?Destiny, Alex and Rosie discover, is a funny thing and fate isn't quite done with them yet...

Cecelia Ahern (Author), , Moira Quirk, Roger Rees (Narrator)

Audiobook

Family Life Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature