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A Glass of Blessings
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Mary Sarah
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Non-member price: $24.37
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Mildred Lathbury is one of those 'excellent women' who is often taken for granted. She is a godsend, 'capable of dealing with most of the stock situations of life - birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sales, the garden fete spoilt by bad weather'. As such, she often gets herself embroiled in other people's lives - especially those of her glamorous new neighbours, the Napiers, whose marriage seems to be on the rocks.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
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A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh’s 1930s novels. The season had begun. Débutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend, Lord Robert Gospell, at the scene. But someone else got there first....
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Only a few months after the end of the Second World War, a new battle is beginning in the little village of Chawton. Once the final home of Jane Austen, the Chawton estate is dwindling and the last piece of Austen's heritage is at risk of being sold to the highest bidder.... Drawn together by their love of her novels, eight very different people - from a local farmer to a glamorous film star - must unite to attempt something remarkable.
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Loved this book! Would read again!
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Some Tame Gazelle
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- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 6
It was odd that Harriet should always have been so fond of curates. They were so immature and always made the same kind of conversation. Now the Archdeacon was altogether different...'Together yet alone, the Misses Bede occupy the central crossroads of parish life. Harriet, plump, elegant and jolly, likes nothing better than to make a fuss of new curates, secure in the knowledge that elderly Italian Count Ricardo Bianco will propose to her yet again this year.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An early novel by the highly gifted Barbara Pym
- By Edmund Doogue on 24-06-2020
-
Jane and Prudence
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Maggie Mash
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 5
The setting of this very funny novel, one of Barbara Pym's earliest, is an English village where Jane's husband is the newly appointed vicar, and where Prudence will pay Jane a visit and find herself courted by a fatuous young widower.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another wonderful rendition of a Barbara Pym novel
- By Edmund Doogue on 24-06-2020
-
Less Than Angels
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2
Less Than Angels follows the loves, works and hopes of a group of young anthropologists. Catherine Oliphant is a writer and lives with handsome anthropologist Tom Mallow. Their relationship runs into trouble when he begins a romance with student Deirdre Swann, so Catherine turns her attention to the reclusive anthropologist Alaric Lydgate, who has a fondness for wearing African masks. Added to this love triangle are the activities of Deirdre's fellow students and their attempts to win the competition for a research grant.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
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- By Edmund Doogue on 16-10-2018
-
Excellent Women
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Gerry Halligan
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Mildred Lathbury is one of those 'excellent women' who is often taken for granted. She is a godsend, 'capable of dealing with most of the stock situations of life - birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sales, the garden fete spoilt by bad weather'. As such, she often gets herself embroiled in other people's lives - especially those of her glamorous new neighbours, the Napiers, whose marriage seems to be on the rocks.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gentle and humorous, even laugh out loud funny!
- By liddybird on 14-04-2020
-
Death in a White Tie
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: James Saxon
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 13
A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh’s 1930s novels. The season had begun. Débutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend, Lord Robert Gospell, at the scene. But someone else got there first....
-
2 out of 5 stars
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- By Anonymous User on 13-06-2018
-
The Jane Austen Society
- By: Natalie Jenner
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 89
Only a few months after the end of the Second World War, a new battle is beginning in the little village of Chawton. Once the final home of Jane Austen, the Chawton estate is dwindling and the last piece of Austen's heritage is at risk of being sold to the highest bidder.... Drawn together by their love of her novels, eight very different people - from a local farmer to a glamorous film star - must unite to attempt something remarkable.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved this book! Would read again!
- By Jessica King on 15-06-2020
Publisher's Summary
Barbara Pym's early novel takes us into 1950s England, as seen through the funny, engaging, yearning eyes of a restless housewife.
Wilmet Forsyth is bored. Bored with the everyday routine of her life. Bored with teatimes filled with local gossip. Bored with her husband, Rodney, a civil servant who dotes on her. But on her 33rd birthday, Wilmet's conventional life takes a turn when she runs into the handsome brother of her close friend. Attractive and enigmatic, Piers Longridge is a mystery Wilmet is determined to solve. Rather than settling down, he lived in Portugal, then returned to England for a series of odd jobs. Driven by a fantasy of romance, the sheltered, naïve Englishwoman sets out to seduce Piers - only to discover that he isn't the man she thinks he is.
As cozy as sharing a cup of tea with an old friend, A Glass of Blessings explores timeless themes of sex, marriage, religion, and friendship while exposing our flaws and foibles with wit, compassion, and a generous helping of love.
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What listeners say about A Glass of Blessings
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- julia de vos
- 28-06-2020
My favorite author
I’ve loved Barbara Pym for years. Excellent Women is my favorite, and I pleaded with Audible to find or make more Pym audio recordings. Imagine my delight when I found several recently. I used all my points to purchase the new Pym recordings. I had listened to a sample if Mary Sarah reading one or two and was concerned about her fake British breathy, oddly-phrased reading. Mary Sarah comes VERY close to making these recordings unlistenable— she’s absolutely horrible. I’ll try to persist as any other recordings are nearly impossible to obtain. But I must ask Mary, would finding out how the British pronounce “mass” be so difficult ?
7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Penny G.
- 04-08-2020
Terrible narrator for a wonderful book!
Once again, I found the narrator terrible and I can’t imagine why she was hired to narrate these wonderful Barbara Pym books.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bell
- 22-07-2020
From elation to bitter disappointment
Was so excited to see the Barbara Pym books. But the reader calls to mind a high school drama student doing her best. If it were your daughter I’m sure you’d be proud of her, but in a professionally read audiobook, it’s unacceptable. Along with the sub-par English accent, the reader has a stilted cadence, a wet p, and a percussive t. I do hate to be so negative - and in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if the reader is just fine with American stories. But this is a terrible fit and it’s maddening to listen to it. The humor and subtlety is lost. Audible, please re-do these wonderful Pym stories with a different reader. I beg you for a do-over.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- uptowngirl
- 12-10-2020
A great novelist butchered by a terrible narrator
Audible has got to be the cheapest outfit for around. How dare they hire of someone as untalented as Mary Sarah Thomas better known for soft points and bodice rippers, To read one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century? I'm sure she came cheap because she's American and is using a phony English accent which is so terrible I almost threw my phone against the wall the 4th time she said "chopp-ter" to introduce the next chapter. Really appalling. Common words are mispronounced as well. Clearly there was no editing or oversight for this piece of garbage.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Holly
- 13-06-2020
Delightful, absorbing and insightful
Insightful and charming, another wonderful Barbara Pym novel, that so accurately reflects a time, place and strata in post WWII England. One of her very talented attributes is the seamless and usually very funny, or at a minimum, highly interesting, inclusion of small subplots and minor characters. The minor characters and their situation are highly memorable and absorbing. An example in this novel is the minor characters associated with St. Luke's, such as the young man obsessed with his car. One aspect I love about this novel is that the author's portrait of the main character is affectionate...in the hands of a less subtle novelist, she would probably be vilified and ruined. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leonie
- 21-01-2021
Terrible Accent
Fabulous novel. I had to switch off as the accent was so poor. Disappointed unfortunately.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- agatha christie
- 12-03-2021
a blessing
enjoyed this book,both reading and listening on Audiobooks. Really a blessing.Barbara Pym I can enjoy always.Trulely a delight.
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