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The Olive Tree
- Narrated by: Lucinda Riley, Harry Whittaker
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Non-member price: $32.62
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Awesome
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 209
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyed this book
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 231
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4 out of 5 stars
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review
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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5 out of 5 stars
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A great read!
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The Seven Sisters
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 334
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 333
Maia D'Apliése and her five sisters were all adopted as babies. When their father dies each of them are given a clue to their true heritage - a clue which takes Maia across the world… Rio de Janeiro, 1927, Izabela Bonifacio convinces her father to allow her to accompany him to Europe. There, in the heady, vibrant cafés of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again…
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5 out of 5 stars
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Seven Sisters
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The Mystery Woman
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Rebecca Wood takes the role as postmistress in a sleepy seaside town, desperate for anonymity after a scandal in Sydney. But she is confronted almost at once by a disturbing discovery - her predecessor committed suicide. To add to her worries, her hopes for a quiet life are soon threatened by the attentions of the dashing local doctor, the unsettling presence of a violent whaling captain and a corrupt shire secretary, as well as the watchful eyes of the town's gossips. Yet in spite of herself, she is drawn to the enigmatic resident of the house on the clifftop.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Didn’t meet expectations
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The Italian Girl
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Rosanna Menici is just a girl when she meets Roberto Rossini, the man who will change her life. In the years to come, their destinies are bound together by their extraordinary talents as opera singers and by their enduring but obsessive love for each other - a love that will ultimately affect the lives of all those closest to them. For, as Rosanna slowly discovers, their union is haunted by irreversible events from the past....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Stunning moving wonderful Story !!
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The Lost Children
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob. Night after night, wailing bombs and screeching planes skim the rooftops overhead. They cradle each other, shivering in terror, not knowing if they'll live to see dawn. Their mother, Martha, has no choice but to evacuate them to the safety of the countryside. At the train station, Martha bites back tears as she says good-bye to her precious children. Knowing she might never see them again, she gives Jacob a letter, pressing the envelope into his hands and telling him to only read it if they are in danger.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tissues needed often
- By birdie on 02-01-2021
Publisher's Summary
It has been 24 years since a young Helena spent a magical holiday in Cyprus, where she fell in love for the first time. When the now crumbling house, Pandora, is left to her by her godfather, she returns to spend the summer there with her family.
At the difficult age of 13, her son, Alex, is torn between protecting his mother and learning the truth about his real father. Both Helena and Alex know that life will never be the same once Pandora's secrets have been revealed....
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What listeners say about The Olive Tree
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Paddington
- 10-09-2019
Enthralling book
A most enjoyable book with interesting twists and some unexpected turns. Colourful characters involved in modern day relationships and family situations. I loved it. Never boring, kept me interested and keen to know what mystery would be revealed. I’m now a follower of Lucinda Riley and eager for another one of her books.
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
- Zechy
- 22-03-2018
Brilliant
Such a beautiful story, so fabulously written I could imagine myself right there watching the story unfold.
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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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Teresa
- 14-12-2016
Loved Harry Whittaker narrating this book.
The character of Alex was definitely my favourite. He was very amusing and Harry was the perfect narrator. I found myself chuckling.
Chloe was pretty unbelivable. A little one dimensional and her father was a bit of a sap, but I did enjoy this book.
It is a good summer read although I found it a little unbelievable that the family left Pandora empty for so many years. I would want to return yearly.
1 person 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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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Robyn Smith
- 17-10-2019
Terrible
Very disappointing book. Don’t waist your money. Its just not the best from Lucinda Riley.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 20-09-2019
Hidden Secret
Originally from Cyprus this story with its twists and turns took me right back to memories. Beautifully narated by both. i love Lucinda Riley's style
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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
- Jenny
- 10-07-2019
Very good story
I enjoyed the story and how it developed very much. Interesting characters and it had me eager to hear what was going to happen next. Can thoroughly recommend.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- MMA
- 24-06-2019
Longwinded - not her best
I didn't enjoy this book compared to Lucinda's others. Quite boring and longwinded... I liked her other books a lot more (though most follow a very similar theme.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pauli
- 07-06-2019
New style for Lucinda Riley
A very different story line to Lucinda's other books, more in the present, but still well written and a great yarn. keeps you guessing with twists and turns, and her wonderful characters.
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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
- Esther Juon Veitch
- 07-09-2017
Simply brilliant!
I loved the story being read by Lucinda and Harry playing her son. The book is written from two prospective but covers the story and lives of lots of people, all bathed in the lovely Cypriot sunshine. Will listen to this book many more times!
Thank you all so much!
Esther
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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
- Karissa
- 23-07-2016
Best Lucinda Riley Book - Perfect Summer Read
This is now my favorite book by Lucinda Riley. Prior to reading The Olive Tree, my favorite Lucinda Riley book was The Seven Sisters. But Riley's new contemporary novel quickly stole the place of favorite.
Lucinda Riley creates intriguing character dynamics in The Olive Tree and focuses on character development rather than a sweeping story spanning the decades.
This book is a perfect summer read. Set it Cyprus with a tropical locale this book is perfect to read poolside. The drama will keep you captivated throughout with plenty of twists and turns.
I'm an avid reader of Lucinda Riley's book and the first few chapters I thought I had this one all figured out. But I turned out to be wrong and was pleasantly surprised with the twists in store.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 13-11-2016
Pass on This One
I have read all of Ms. Riley's books and it was all I could do to finish this one. Very flat story and characters until the last couple of chapters. Wasn't like her other books. Just droned on. Pass on this one and save the credit.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elice Lehmann
- 02-11-2016
Nice, easy listen, cute story
Nice storyline. Sweet characters. Narrator was good except for the one American voice he tried to do. Thank goodness that person only had a few lines. It was ghastly!
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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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Douglas
- 12-09-2016
Lacking
Made me tired. A depressing story that lacked any real substance. Not what I was expecting from LR.
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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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Liv
- 08-08-2016
Loved it
Nice family drama that keeps the listener wanting to know what happened. Written with scill and humour. I have ready all of Lucindas books, and though this differs a bit from the others IT is just AS good a book. Love the fact that Lucinda and her son narrated this themselves- and did a splendid job too!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jake L.
- 16-08-2016
Enjoyable but not my favorite
I was drawn in by the plot however I felt like the authors world-views skewed every character. The plot and decisions made by each character seemed unrealistic and pretty outlandish. I had a difficult time finding a character I liked and respected.
4 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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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mere
- 29-04-2019
readers voice
the male reader of the story grated on me, didn't get very far before I deleted this book
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Patsy V
- 26-02-2017
Too predictable
The storyline felt too predictable and at times challenged my staying power. The narration was very good, with the author as the main narrator, she did bring the characters to life.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Candice Camper
- 01-12-2016
Not her best work
I suggest listening to her other titles. This story was flat and not as intriguing or complex as some of her other work.
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
- Nathalie Carr.
- 04-10-2016
Standing ovation - bravo!
This book is published under two titles: The Olive Tree and Helena's story.
The first book I read of this talented author was Hot House Flowers. Eagerly I searched for more stories and have consistently loved her work. Entranced by the Seven Sisters series, this book appeared unexpectedly.
What courage it takes to depart from a tried and true genre. The Olive Tree still leaves me wanting more.
Truly this book illustrates both literally and verbally the depth of her talents.
Narrated by Lucinda Riley herself and her son - the story takes us to Cyprus as we join a family on their summer holidays. All families have secrets and secrets are bound to come out.
If Lucinda ever decided she wanted a career change - she'd be snapped up as a narrator in a heartbeat. Her son does a superb job as well. Truly would love to spend a meal with such a talented and vivacious family.
1 person 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
- MaureenS
- 29-07-2016
Mystery!
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
In print, Yes. But as a sound recording definitely NOT
What did you like best about this story?
I enjoyed the way in which the characters were interwoven.
What didn’t you like about Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker ’s performance?
Verbal presentation skills were woefully lacking.
Did The Olive Tree inspire you to do anything?
Yes, it inspired me to not listen to anything else that Ms Riley reads.
Any additional comments?
I have just finished listening to The Olive Tree, by Lucinda Riley.
This is a excellent, stirring story, well written, but spoiled by the author. It is read by the author in such a pedestrian and toe curlingly awful manner as to make it bordering on the boring. That is a great shame. Whoever, at Audible, thought it would be a good idea to have Ms Riley read her own book made a grave mistake. She has skills as a writer but her ability to present her work vocally is non-existent. The book is read appallingly. It is a mystery how she could put so little emotion and intelligence into recording her own work.
Frequently, stress is laid upon the wrong word in a sentence causing it to lack any depth or emotion. Sometimes, stress is placed on the wrong syllable in a word, making it sound ridiculous; an example being 'BEEquest'. No, it's not a hunt for bees, it's the money left to a woman in her mother's will. She reads in such a disinterested manner, without appropriate inflection, that it strips all emotion from the narrative.
Effort at characterisation is minimal. The exception is when she has a go at a foreign accent, but all she achieves is to make the character sound bored or ridiculous. It takes more than adding a vowel to the end of a English word to make somebody sound Italian. Necessary pauses are missing and surrounding text blended into speech in a confusing way.
All-in-all this was a very disappointing purchase. I only persisted in listening as I liked the story and and wanted to hear the end, but even so, it was difficult to dispel my constant irritation with Ms Riley.
The male reader, the author's son, was a little better, but not much.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-10-2016
Poor narration
Harry was a very good narrator unfortunately Lucinda's narratives I found very irritating and wooden
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- GillB
- 24-09-2016
Could have been much better
It was difficult to get into this book but once I did it was a good story with interesting characters. The one thing I hated was the constant use of blasphemy. I have read many books with great stories, gripping plots, and interesting characters without the constant use of bad language and blasphemy in particular. To me this was a good read spoiled and if this is the style of writing that Lucinda Riley is going to use in her future books, I for one will not be buying them.
4 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
- Amazon Customer
- 09-01-2017
how I loved this book.
This book for me was a slow burn, but after a few chapters, I was hooked. The bit at the end with Lucinda & Harry are also really interesting
3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- White Rabbit
- 23-03-2017
Not her best and I normally love Lucinda's books
Would you try another book written by Lucinda Riley or narrated by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker ?
Ideally not. I found Lucinda's narration very irritating. And lots of words mispronounced which was unexpected for someone speaking in RP English.
What was most disappointing about Lucinda Riley’s story?
It was predictable and slow and I felt that when the secret was revealed the characters reacted in an unbelievable way.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really
5 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
- thevaal
- 19-12-2016
slow burner
at the beginning of the book I felt I could have easily not finished it....but by the end I was hooked and didnt want it to end and I miss the characters and what is happening in their lives
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Angela
- 20-09-2016
fantastic page turner
mystery secrets lies etc and love lost and found. I loved it. written in past and present.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- david dodson (purple triangle ltd)
- 23-09-2016
Good book
Lucinda Riley is my all time favourite author. This book was very good with characters you felt you had met in real life. I laughed out loud at observations in his teenage diary very fun especially with Harry's voice added to them. However I don't think it was as good as Lucinda's historical more classical books such as 'Hothouse' etc....
Lucinda and Harry's narration was fantastic.
This is definitely worth a read as I enjoyed it, however I think you have spoilt me Lucinda. Please more of your historical magical books.
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
- G
- 30-08-2016
Evocative and beautiful story
What did you like most about The Olive Tree?
Lucinda Riley describes Cyprus beautifully and one can just imagine being there. The story is about seemingly perfect people but who in fact have flaws and secrets just like the rest of us!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Alex because he told his part of the story from his point of view in a witty and amusing way
What does Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Although Lucinda's reading was lovely in her very melodious voice and she had a good try at the other voices too, I thought Harry Whittaker's way of reading the story was spot on for a love struck teenaged boy and he put a lot of humour into his reading which made it very enjoyable.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It did make me laugh quite a few times, mainly Alex's part and I felt emotional and very happy when he and Viola got together at the end.
Any additional comments?
I just love all Lucinda Riley's books and this was on a par with all her others I have read, or listened to although I still think the audio version of Midnight Rose is her very best. I can't wait to read or listen to her third book in the Seven Sisters series.
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
- Jacqui Barsky
- 18-08-2016
Contemporary romantic drama
Loved this story by Lucinda Riley.
It is different to her usual stories but I enjoyed the drama and the characterisations. Lucinda always has a way of bringing the threads of a story together and this didn't disappoint. I would definitely listen to another contemporAry book by this writer.
1 person found this helpful
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