
Awful Beautiful Life
When God Shows Up in the Midst of Tragedy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.48
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Becky Powell
-
Stephanie Willis
About this listen
A gripping story of grace, faith, and triumph for a woman whose world shattered hours after her husband's suicide.
Becky Powell faced the unthinkable on May 16, 2013. Her husband, Mark, called and said, "I've done something terrible." Within hours, she learned that he had taken his own life and, over a period of several years, millions of dollars from friends and colleagues. Everything she believed to be true, the very fiber of her marriage, was called into question. Within a week, rather than planning carpool runs and volunteer fundraisers, she owed almost 100 creditors millions of dollars and had her own team of 10 lawyers. She was also the subject of open FBI, SEC, and DOJ investigations - and faced potential criminal charges. And, although she instantly denounced every cent of Mark's $15M in life insurance and promised to repay every penny taken, her lawyers knew that, in reality, she faced years of court battles and lawsuits, and possible jail time.
Yet from that first horrific moment, God was there. He showed up in his word, in Becky's friends, in her lawyers, and in the generosity of those around her. He worked miracles. CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and others covered the first moment, but what about the last? What about the story in which God gives your next breath because you can't find it on your own? What about the story of a mom and three kids trying to make sense of their pasts, present and future while living under a microscope?
Awful Beautiful Life is Becky's journey through the two years surrounding Mark's death and how she overcame. It came down to a loving God who surrounded her, a present and dedicated family, and friends who made her life, offered her sanctuary, and showed up for her and her kids in tangible ways. This is a story of remarkable grit, strength, and what the Body of Christ in action looks like.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Becky Powell, Katherine Reay (P)2019 Faith WordsListeners also enjoyed...
-
The London House
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caroline Payne thinks it’s just another day of work until she receives a call from Mat Hammond, an old college friend and historian. But pleasantries are cut short. Mat has uncovered a scandalous secret kept buried for decades: In World War II, Caroline’s British great-aunt betrayed family and country to marry her German lover. Determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, Caroline flies to her family’s ancestral home in London.
-
-
The bones of the story were great
- By Carmen Gibson on 01-26-22
By: Katherine Reay
-
A Shadow in Moscow
- A Cold War Novel
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vienna, 1954 After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.
-
-
Powerful
- By Jocelyn Green on 07-19-23
By: Katherine Reay
-
The Printed Letter Bookshop
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly 20 years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt - and the now struggling bookshop left in her care. While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas.
-
-
Underneath it all
- By LuckyL42 on 08-05-20
By: Katherine Reay
-
Dear Mr. Knightley
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is that both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore. But life for the 23-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor calling himself Mr. Knightley offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.
-
-
Stilted narrator
- By Hannah Dahl on 05-11-22
By: Katherine Reay
-
Counting the Cost
- By: Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard - contributor, Craig Borlase - contributor
- Narrated by: Jill Duggar
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines.
-
-
A Naive Account from a Reality TV Personality
- By Lora Kyle on 09-12-23
By: Jill Duggar, and others
-
All My Knotted-Up Life
- A Memoir
- By: Beth Moore
- Narrated by: Beth Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.
-
-
Finished in one day
- By nedmac mama on 02-22-23
By: Beth Moore
-
The London House
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caroline Payne thinks it’s just another day of work until she receives a call from Mat Hammond, an old college friend and historian. But pleasantries are cut short. Mat has uncovered a scandalous secret kept buried for decades: In World War II, Caroline’s British great-aunt betrayed family and country to marry her German lover. Determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, Caroline flies to her family’s ancestral home in London.
-
-
The bones of the story were great
- By Carmen Gibson on 01-26-22
By: Katherine Reay
-
A Shadow in Moscow
- A Cold War Novel
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vienna, 1954 After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.
-
-
Powerful
- By Jocelyn Green on 07-19-23
By: Katherine Reay
-
The Printed Letter Bookshop
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly 20 years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt - and the now struggling bookshop left in her care. While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas.
-
-
Underneath it all
- By LuckyL42 on 08-05-20
By: Katherine Reay
-
Dear Mr. Knightley
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Reay
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is that both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore. But life for the 23-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor calling himself Mr. Knightley offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.
-
-
Stilted narrator
- By Hannah Dahl on 05-11-22
By: Katherine Reay
-
Counting the Cost
- By: Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard - contributor, Craig Borlase - contributor
- Narrated by: Jill Duggar
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines.
-
-
A Naive Account from a Reality TV Personality
- By Lora Kyle on 09-12-23
By: Jill Duggar, and others
-
All My Knotted-Up Life
- A Memoir
- By: Beth Moore
- Narrated by: Beth Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.
-
-
Finished in one day
- By nedmac mama on 02-22-23
By: Beth Moore
-
The Next Chapter
- Making Peace with Hard Memories, Finding Hope All Around Me, and Clearing Space for Good Things to Come
- By: Jana Kramer
- Narrated by: Jana Kramer
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Next Chapter is Jana Kramer’s intimate and moving account about setting her life back on the right path after her sudden divorce. Chronicling the year that follows, Jana relives personal stories of early traumas and past relationships, and with raw honesty she shares topics dear to her heart and music, including hearing God, loving oneself, navigating setbacks, female friendships, grief, and motherhood.
-
-
I like Jana as a performer and actress. I appreciate her sharing her story and the courage it took to put her pain on paper.
- By Carrie on 05-30-24
By: Jana Kramer
-
Firefly Lane
- A Novel
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all - beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn.
-
-
Beachy Fare
- By FanB14 on 04-29-13
By: Kristin Hannah
-
Doing Life with Your Adult Children
- Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out
- By: Jim Burns PhD
- Narrated by: Wayne Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you've raised a child, you know that parenting doesn't stop when they turn eighteen. In many ways, your relationship gets even more complicated--your heart and your head are as involved as ever, but you can feel things shifting, whether your child lives under your roof or rarely stays in contact. Doing Life with Your Adult Children helps you navigate this rich and challenging season of parenting. Speaking from his own personal and professional experience, Burns offers practical answers to the most common questions he's received over the years.
-
-
Some good points but...
- By Millie on 06-15-19
By: Jim Burns PhD
-
The Reading List
- A Novel
- By: Sara Nisha Adams
- Narrated by: Tara Divina, Sagar Arya, Paul Panting
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper. It's a list of novels that she's never heard of before. When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too.
-
-
Fabulous narrators!
- By Barbara S on 10-29-21
By: Sara Nisha Adams
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
The Hiding Place
- By: Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell. For the first 50 years of her life, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to her. She was a spinster watchmaker living contentedly with her sister and their elderly father in the tiny house over their shop in Haarlem. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. But with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, everything changed....
-
-
Inspiring
- By Sara on 03-03-14
By: Corrie ten Boom, and others
-
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet
- Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working
- By: Shauna Niequist
- Narrated by: Shauna Niequist
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just after her fortieth birthday, author Shauna Niequist found herself in a season of chaos, change, and loss unlike anything she'd ever faced. She discovered that many of the beliefs and practices that she usually turned to were no longer serving her.
-
-
It’s ok but feels unfinished
- By andern on 05-05-22
By: Shauna Niequist
-
It's Not Supposed to Be This Way
- By: Lysa TerKeurst
- Narrated by: Lysa TerKeurst, Jolene Barto
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. Some events may simply catch us off guard for a season, but others shatter us completely. We feel disappointed and disillusioned at best and overwhelmed and hopeless at worst. We quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness and why he allows us to suffer and experience grief and loss. Lysa TerKeurst understands this deeply. But after many tears, godly counseling, and prayerful seeking, she's also discovered that our disappointments can be the divine appointments our souls need to radically encounter God.
-
-
My Brutally Broken Heart Needed This Book
- By Ranae on 12-20-18
By: Lysa TerKeurst
-
365 Thank Yous
- The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life
- By: John Kralik
- Narrated by: John Kralik
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his law firm was failing; he was struggling through a second divorce; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer. Then, during a walk in the hills on New Year’s Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.
-
-
Loved this book!
- By Denise T. on 04-07-11
By: John Kralik
-
Are We There Yet?
- My Journey from a Messed Up to Meaningful Life
- By: Jeff Allen
- Narrated by: Jeff Allen
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his signature style of stand-up comedy bits, Jeff Allen shares the inspirational and at times laugh-out-loud story of how God rescued him from alcoholism and despair through the book of Ecclesiastes. At times, his story is tragic and even tear-jerking—but in the end, it demonstrates that God takes a customized approach to reaching each of His children. Known as “the King of Clean Comedy,” Allen’s memoir won’t disappoint.
-
-
The radical change he made in his life.
- By Susan L. Heythaler on 04-14-25
By: Jeff Allen
-
Left to Tell
- Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
- By: Immaculée Ilibagiza
- Narrated by: Immaculée Ilibagiza
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1994, Immaculee Ilibagiza's world was ripped apart when her native country of Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Her family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Miraculously, Immaculee survived the slaughter.
-
-
What a triumphant spirit
- By Kim on 01-22-07
-
Suffer Strong
- How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything
- By: Katherine Wolf, Jay Wolf, Louie Giglio - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: Katherine Wolf, Jay Wolf, Shelley Giglio - foreword
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After miraculously surviving a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, as told in their memoir, Hope Heals, life for Katherine and Jay Wolf changed forever - and so did the way they viewed God, the world, and themselves in it. There was no going back to normal after such a tragedy. Yet Katherine and Jay learned that suffering is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new story. In Suffer Strong, they invite us into this new story as they share universal lessons and helpful practices.
-
-
I love her voice!!
- By Mello on 02-20-20
By: Katherine Wolf, and others
Critic reviews
"Becky Powell is a strong lady who has integrity, honesty, and unequivocal faith. Becky is a dedicated mother who teaches her children these values. When Becky faced a dark chapter in her life, it took all of these qualities to see her through to the light at the end of the tunnel. We are all grateful to have Becky in our lives. She is a role model that we should all strive to become. Becky, well done our friend!" (Linda and Michael McCaul)
"The sad irony of the title of Becky Powell's book, Awful Beautiful Life, is not lost on those of us who know her and her children. Becky's bravery in the face of tragedy is an inspiration to us all." (Tim McClure, author of Don't Mess with Texas)
What listeners say about Awful Beautiful Life
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-07-25
Faith Building!
I love hearing testimonies of how God works in the lives of others! This is a beautiful story of how BIG and faithful God is!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- K. Russell
- 12-29-20
Inspiring
What a great book to read at the end of 2020, the year of Covid-19. It was just the dose of encouragement I needed. This will be my next pick for book club. A life well lived and a story well written!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Claudia
- 03-24-24
Wonderful true story
It was a remarkable story told of a woman’s perseverance through the toughest time in her life and how she overcame all challenges yet remained steadfast in her faith and an extraordinary example of how to face challenges without giving up for her children! God bless Becky Powell. Thank you for sharing this story!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maddie
- 12-08-19
Incredibly heart-warming, humbling and inspiring story
This is the most incredibly inspiring story I’ve ever heard. The book is raw, genuine, intense, comical and humbling all in one. It really makes you grateful for what you have and puts life in perspective. A beautiful reminder that faith, hope and love trump all. Love all the “F” words and the country music playlist! An incredible read and story! I hope everyone gets the chance to hear this. It’s a MUST-READ!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sabrina
- 04-14-20
life changing incredible read
so powerful on how strong Becky remained. an inspiration! recommend this book to all! enjoy
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karen Berlenga
- 12-07-19
Can't stop listening!
From the first chapter, I felt like I was at lunch with a friend as she retells a terrible nightmare in her life. I couldn't stop listening, wanting to cheer her on to see goodness again and to hear how she navigated such troubled waters. Her faith and community rallied around her in a way that shows faithful friendship and love in such a beautiful way.
I can't help but end by praying for the Powell family and many of their close friends and family who experienced so much pain and will continue to in the unraveling of all these details. Thank you for sharing your story Becky, with such honesty and bravery.
The narrator's reading was exciting and passionate. Very easy to listen to!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tara Norton-Loyd
- 03-05-21
Powerful story of overcoming great trials
I was moved by the story of Becky Powell and her unrelenting faith in the midst of awful tragedy and betrayal. Her courage and steel resolve to do what was right and honest is awe inspiring. The world would be a better place if more of us had the quality of character as Becky Powell.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cherie M.
- 01-20-20
Great story!
So thankful to the author for sharing her God story! Very encouraging. Triumph following tragedy
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lisa Pogue
- 03-11-20
Heartbreaking, but Uplifting
This story really touched my heart. The author’s courage and faith are almost unbelievable. I couldn’t help but empathize with the pain she and her family were going through, and I am in awe of the bravery and ethics she showed in this trial of her life. I found the story captivating to listen to, and the readers performance made me feel like I was listening to the author her self.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sally singletary
- 02-22-21
Compelling story with difficult narration
The self-righteous, condescending tone of the narrator made this a difficult listen. I listened to the entire book because I did find the story compelling.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful