Family Life Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old

** THE INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON ** 'There are many laughs in this book but it's so much more than just a comedy. It's a story about how friendship, selflessness and dignity lie at the heart of the human experience. When I'm an old man, I want to be Hendrik Groen' John Boyne, author of international bestseller The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas *** 'Another year and I still don't like old people. Me? I am 83 years old.' Hendrik Groen may be old, but he is far from dead and isn't planning to be buried any time soon. Granted, his daily strolls are getting shorter because his legs are no longer willing and he had to visit his doctor more than he'd like. Technically speaking he is ... elderly. But surely there is more to life at his age than weak tea and potted geraniums? Hendrik sets out to write an exposé: a year in the life of his care home in Amsterdam, revealing all its ups and downs - not least his new endeavour the anarchic Old-But-Not Dead Club. And when Eefje moves in - the woman Hendrik has always longed for - he polishes his shoes (and his teeth), grooms what's left of his hair and attempts to make something of the life he has left, with hilarious, tender and devastating consequences. The indomitable Hendrik Groen - Holland's unlikeliest hero - has become a cultural phenomenon in his native Netherlands and now he and his famously anonymous creator are conquering the globe. A major Dutch bestseller, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen will not only delight older readers with its wit and relevance, but will charm and inspire those who have years to go before their own expiry date. *** Praise for The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old 'A story with a great deal of heart, it pulled me in with its self-deprecating humour, finely drawn characters and important themes. Anyone who hopes to grow old with dignity will have much to reflect on' Graeme Simsion 'There are many laughs in this book but it's so much more than just a comedy. It's a story about how friendship, selflessness and dignity lie at the heart of the human experience. When I'm an old man, I want to be Hendrik Groen' John Boyne 'A funny but also touching diary praised for its wit and realism' BBC Radio 4 Front Row 'I laughed until I cried and then laughed and cried some more' David Suchet 'Thoughtful, anxious and gruff... Laced with humour' The Best New Fiction Mail on Sunday 'Amusing [and] wickedly accurate ... I was constantly put in mind of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, another comi-tragedy concerning the tyranny of institutions of the unwanted. Enjoy Groen's light touch but do not be fooled by it. We live in an ageing society. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen is a handbook of resistance for our time' ***** FIVE STARS Sunday Express 'Highly entertaining ... a delightful and touching saga of one man's way of coping with old age ... we may assume that Hendrik Groen is a character of fiction. But it is a fiction so closely based on the observation of real life that it is utterly convincing' Daily Express 'A joy to read, as much concerned with friendship and dignity as it is with the debilitating effects of aging ... An entertaining and uplifting story of a man in the winter of his days, stoic in the face of bureaucratic nonsense and an unabashed need to wear a nappy. Imagined or not, this is the diary of someone who wants nothing more than to be allowed see out his days with dignity and respect. It's not too much to ask, really, is it?' John Boyne Irish Times 'Full of off-beat charm and quirky characters' Cathy Rentzenbrink, Stylist 'Hendrik pens an exposé of his care home, sets up the Old-But-Not-Dead club and relishes the arrival of a new female resident. This geriatric Adrian Mole made me laugh and think. Terrific' Fanny Blake, Woman and Home

Hendrik Groen (Author), Derek Jacobi (Narrator)

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Brief an meine Schwester (Gekürzte Hörbuchfassung)

Das Mädchen mit den sprechenden Augen Die berührende Geschichte zweier Schwestern, von denen eine mit Gesundheit und Erfolg gesegnet ist, die andere eine rätselhafte Behinderung hat. Aufwühlend und emotional erzählt die erfolgreiche Schauspielerin Leslie Malton die Geschichte ihrer Schwester Marion und ihre eigene -- die Geschichte einer außergewöhnlichen, selbstlosen Schwesternliebe, die nicht frei ist von den Schatten der Schuld und Gewissensnot. 1957. Ein Amerikaner und eine Wienerin lernen sich kennen, sie verlieben sich und heiraten. In Washington D.C. wird 1958 ihre erste Tochter, Leslie, geboren, elfeinhalb Monate später folgt Marion - fast ein Zwilling. Etwa ein Jahr nach Marions Geburt stockt ihre Entwicklung, sie verlernt, was sie gerade gelernt hat, verliert die Sprache - verliert fast alles. Die Odyssee zwischen Ärzten und diversen Einrichtungen beginnt. Niemand kann dem kleinen Mädchen helfen. Erst 2012 liest Leslie Malton - längst eine berühmte Schauspielerin - einen Zeitungsartikel über das Rett-Syndrom. Plötzlich hat die Behinderung einen Namen. Leslie Malton trifft sich mit Betroffenen und deren Angehörigen, wird Botschafterin der 'Elternhilfe für Kinder mit Rett-Syndrom in Deutschland'. In diesem berührenden Buch erzählt Leslie Malton die Geschichte ihrer Schwester und ihre eigene, die Geschichte einer selbstlosen Schwesternliebe, die sich über Krankheit und Kontinente hinwegsetzt.

Leslie Malton (Author), Leslie Malton (Narrator)

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Change of Heart

They've spent their lives pushing each other away, but what will happen when they need each other most? Anita Martin doesn't expect much from life. Growing up on the street, bouncing from one foster home to another, she learned to rely only on herself. Even after she finally found a loving family to take her in, she was still an outsider-something Abraham, one of the family's older sons, never let her forget. Abraham Evans doesn't know how Ani always manages to get under his skin, only that's she's been doing it since they were teens. She is-and always has been-undeniably gorgeous. But he's never met anyone as pissed off at the world as Ani. For fifteen years, Ani and Bram have agreed on exactly one thing: they can't stand each other-until one night when their anger gives way to passion. Yet even as Ani and Bram begin to secretly seek comfort in one another's arms, they remain emotionally worlds apart. When Ani's life takes a dramatic turn and she realizes she needs more than Bram can give, their fragile, no-strings relationship unravels. One way or another, Ani is determined to survive. But when Bram finally admits his true feelings, he may discover Ani has moved on without him . . .

Nicole Jacquelyn (Author), Alastair Haynesbridge (Narrator)

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The Professor's House

Willa Cather's lyrical and bittersweet novel of a middle-aged man losing control of his life is a brilliant study in emotional dislocation and renewal. Professor Godfrey St. Peter is a man in his fifties who has devoted his life to his work, his wife, his garden, and his daughters, and achieved success with all of them. But when St. Peter is called on to move to a new, more comfortable house, something in him rebels. And although at first that rebellion consists of nothing more than mild resistance to his family's wishes, it imperceptibly comes to encompass the entire order of his life. The Professor's House combines a delightful grasp of the social and domestic rituals of a Midwestern university town in the 1920s with profound spiritual and psychological introspection. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Willa Cather (Author), Sean Runnette (Narrator)

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Leave Me

For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention--meet Maribeth Klein, a harried working mother who's so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart attack. Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case, once she gets to where she's going, she sees her life from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from those she loves, and from herself. With big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head-on.

Gayle Forman (Author), Eva Kaminsky (Narrator)

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The Lullaby Sky

After seven years of misery and abuse, it's all over-Hannah O'Malley is officially divorced. Hallelujah. It's like every Christmas in her life all rolled up into one glorious day. Not only does Hannah get to keep her grandmother's spacious old house, but she has full custody of her sparky five-year-old daughter. All Hannah has to do now is put the past behind her. And now that she's free, she wants to make a difference. With the help of her warm, close-knit circle of friends-including her high school crush, Travis Wilson-Hannah begins turning her home into a safe house for other women who've endured the pain she's known. But even as life and laughter return to Hannah's home, she's haunted by the memory of her dangerously unstable ex. With a second chance at love on the horizon, Hannah must face down her past in order to let the sunshine back into her life.

Carolyn Brown (Author), Brittany Pressley (Narrator)

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Gaining Visibility

Julia Berkwith's daughter has moved to Alaska, her beloved mother-in-law is in a nursing home, and her ex-husband is in Hawaii--with a younger woman. In her late forties, Julia is now used to being invisible. But even if she has to do it alone, she's determined to celebrate her victory over breast cancer by hiking Italy's Cinque Terre. Invigorated by the beauty of the Italian countryside, Julia seems unstoppable, until she's injured by a rock--one that happens to belong to thirty-something stone mason Vitale DeLuca. Reluctantly, Julia accepts Vitale's insistent offer of lodging while she recovers. But in his home, amid his exquisite sculptures, Julia sees beyond his charm and looks to something special: a talent she must bring to the world's attention.

Pamela Hearon (Author), Coleen Marlo (Narrator)

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Christmas At Promise Lodge

As Promise Lodge's first wedding arrives, the evidence of a community building a foundation for the future is a cause for celebration. But the bishop's narrow-minded wedding sermon doesn't sit well with the Bender sisters, the town's courageous founders, especially widowed Mattie Schwartz. She believes marriage and family aren't the most important of God's gifts-even if she suspects her tender feelings for Preacher Amos Troyer run deeper than simple friendship. When an accident threatens to change the course of his life forever, he wonders if the Lord has sent him a message. He'll need faith, hope, and charity to find the right path-and a Christmas blessing to convince Mattie to walk it with him. .

Charlotte Hubbard (Author), Susan Boyce (Narrator)

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A Muddied Murder

When Megan Sawyer gives up her big-city law career to care for her grandmother and run the family's organic farm and cafe, she expects to find tranquility in her scenic hometown of Winsome, PA. Instead, her goat goes missing, rain muddies her fields, the town denies her business permits, and her family's Colonial-era farm sucks up the remains of her savings. Just when she thinks she's reached the bottom of the rain barrel, Megan and the town's hunky veterinarian discover the local zoning commissioner's battered body in her barn. Now Megan is thrust into the middle of a murder investigation-and she's the chief suspect. Can Megan dig through small-town secrets, local politics, and old grievances to find a killer before that killer strikes again?

Wendy Tyson (Author), Laural Merlington (Narrator)

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The Day I Lost You

'Incredibly moving, it's beautifully written and page-turning' Susan Lewis'A heart-stopping read' Anna McPartlin, author of Richard and Judy book club pick, The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes THE DAY I LOST YOU WAS THE DAY I DISCOVERED I NEVER REALLY KNEW YOU When Jess's daughter, Anna, is reported lost in an avalanche, everything changes.Jess's first instinct is to protect Rose, Anna's five-year-old daughter. But then she starts to uncover Anna's other life - unearthing a secret that alters their whole world irrevocably . . . THE DAY I LOST YOU WAS THE DAY YOU TORE OUR FAMILY APART The perfect emotional and absorbing story for fans of Jojo Moyes and David Nicholls.

Fionnuala Kearney (Author), Nadia Sawalha (Narrator)

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The Gifted Child, The

When Kristen's partner William is murdered in a mugging gone wrong, she tries to pick up the pieces for the sake of her young stepson Theo. But when Theo's biological mother Ros demands that he go to live with her, Kristen's world is torn apart again. The police think that William was killed by an elusive criminal known as 'the dog man' - but Kristen has reason to believe that Ros, a woman with an unstable past, is behind the killing. Soon, Kristen realizes that William's life wasn't all it had seemed. Everyone she encounters has something to hide, and not everyone is who they appear to be. Maybe Kristen needs to watch for danger in the places she'd least expect.

Penny Kline (Author), Annie Aldington (Narrator)

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A House Without Windows: A Novel

A vivid, unforgettable story of an unlikely sisterhood-an emotionally powerful and haunting tale of friendship that illuminates the plight of women in a traditional culture-from the author of the bestselling The Pearl That Broke Its Shell and When the Moon Is Low. For two decades, Zeba was a loving wife, a patient mother, and a peaceful villager. But her quiet life is shattered when her husband, Kamal, is found brutally murdered with a hatchet in the courtyard of their home. Nearly catatonic with shock, Zeba is unable to account for her whereabouts at the time of his death. Her children swear their mother could not have committed such a heinous act. Kamal's family is sure she did, and demands justice. Barely escaping a vengeful mob, Zeba is arrested and jailed. As Zeba awaits trial, she meets a group of women whose own misfortunes have also led them to these bleak cells: thirty-year-old Nafisa, imprisoned to protect her from an honor killing; twenty-five-year-old Latifa, who ran away from home with her teenage sister but now stays in the prison because it is safe shelter; and nineteen-year-old Mezhgan, pregnant and unmarried, waiting for her lover's family to ask for her hand in marriage. Is Zeba a cold-blooded killer, these young women wonder, or has she been imprisoned, as they have been, for breaking some social rule? For these women, the prison is both a haven and a punishment. Removed from the harsh and unforgiving world outside, they form a lively and indelible sisterhood. Into this closed world comes Yusuf, Zeba's Afghan-born, American-raised lawyer, whose commitment to human rights and desire to help his motherland have brought him back. With the fate of this seemingly ordinary housewife in his hands, Yusuf discovers that, like Afghanistan itself, his client may not be at all what he imagines. A moving look at the lives of modern Afghan women, A House Without Windows is astonishing, frightening, and triumphant.

Nadia Hashimi (Author), Ariana Delawari, Susan Nezami (Narrator)

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Family Life Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature