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The Vibrant Years
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Deepti Gupta, Soneela Nankani, Anita Kalathara
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
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Publisher's Summary
“Bursting with humor, banter, and cringeworthy first dates, Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years is a joyful and fun read, but it’s also very much a timely tale about a group of underestimated women demanding respect and embracing their most authentic selves.”—Mindy Kaling
Living on their own terms means being there for one another.
When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded—and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. Desperate to keep the secret, Bindu quickly spends it on something unexpected: a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.
The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for the segment she’s been promised for years at the news station where she works.
As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors—and of course they want the half-baked dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.
From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt novel about three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women navigating bad dates, a spiteful HOA board, reemerging exes, and secrets that refuse to remain hidden. Join the Desai women on a shared journey of self-discovery as they dare to live their most vibrant lives.
Critic Reviews
“Narrators Deepti Gupta, Soneela Nankani, and Anita Kalathara come together to represent three generations of the Desai clan.… With this hilarious cast of characters and the matching range of talented narrators, listeners are in for a rollicking treat. Gupta, Nankani, and Kalathara provide great contrasts to one another as the three women fight for their happiness with wit and humor.”—AudioFile Magazine
“Bindu is a wise, sexy woman and [Deepti] Gupta delivers a well-paced southeast Indian accent. [Soneela] Nankani brings her smoky voice to the recording, her intonations varying with the text. [Anita] Kalthara’s Cullie reflects the character's forthrightness and intensity. The three narrators do an excellent job mirroring each others’ developed characters as well as setting the mood. Fans will eat it up, and those drawn in by the cover's ‘Mindy's Book Studio’ sticker will love Kaling's introduction too.”—Booklist
“Deepti Gupta's portrayal of Bindu as a woman of a certain age with plenty of buried regrets has the most emotional resonance. Gupta's audacious style drives the twisty narrative forward. Soneela Nankani's Aly is gentler and more cautious but provides a solid background to the wilder actions of her daughter and mother-in-law. Anita Kalathara brings out both Cullie's deep anxieties and her unspoken longing tor romance. The three voices interact well, creating a vibrant tapestry.”—Library Journal
What listeners say about The Vibrant Years
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Kindle Customer
- 28-12-2022
Heartwarming and funny
I love that one of the main characters is a sexy free spirited older Asian-American woman. Most grandmothers are portrayed as wise, grumpy or fun, but never as an individual.
This story shines a light on the challenges women have faced and continue to face in their personal and professional lives, in a heart warming way. I loved following the journey of these three women and how they met their challenges with cynicism, humour and strength.
The audible version was fantastic! The actors perfectly capturing the nuances of Indian/American inflections and mannerisms of different generations.
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- Cass Griffiths
- 31-01-2023
Warm hearted generational story.
I enjoyed the story and loved the characters but even sped up the narrators version of Bindu was not great. The Indian accent frequently dropped off particularly in the earlier chapters.
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