The Understory
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Narrated by:
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Karyn O'Bryant
About this listen
Story Easton knows the first line of every book, but never the last.
She never cries, but she fakes it beautifully.
And at night, she escapes from the failure of her own life by breaking into the homes of others, and feeling, for a short while, like a different, better person.
But one night, as an uninvited guest in someone's empty room, she discovers a story sadder than her own: a boy named Cooper Payne, whose dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest and discovering the moonflower from his favorite book, Once Upon a Moonflower, died alongside his father.
For reasons even she doesn't entirely understand, Story decides that she will help Cooper and his mother. She will make his dream come true.
When the decision is made, the lives of other broken people start to come together: Hans Turner, the door-making magician who can't shut the door on his past; Martin Baxter, the author of Cooper's beloved book, who wrote it with the daughter he misses every day; and Claire Payne, Cooper's mother, struggling to keep her son sheltered from the anger that threatens to consume her.
The Understory is a magical, moving, funny, and poignant story of failure and success; of falling apart and rebuilding; and of coincidences that never really are. Part comedy, part drama, and part fairy tale, Elizabeth Leiknes's second novel is a wonder you won't soon forget.
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Put this one on your list!
- By Ryan Hooey on 03-02-18
By: Kasie West
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Inheriting Edith
- A Novel
- By: Zoe Fishman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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For years Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies, leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance - a house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: the deceased's 82-year old mother, Edith.
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Narrator is distracting.
- By Onelove on 05-13-20
By: Zoe Fishman
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Witches of East End
- By: Melissa de la Cruz
- Narrated by: Katie Schorr
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The three Beauchamp women—Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid—live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret—they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries....
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Actually a nice, light listen
- By Theodore on 03-15-12
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Everybody's Son
- A Novel
- By: Thrity Umrigar
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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During a terrible heat wave in 1991 - the worst in a decade - 10-year-old Anton has been locked in an apartment in the projects, alone, for seven days, without air conditioning or a fan. With no electricity, the refrigerator and lights do not work. Hot, hungry, and desperate, Anton shatters a window and climbs out. Cutting his leg on the broken glass, he is covered in blood when the police find him. Juanita, his mother, is discovered in a crack house less than three blocks away, nearly unconscious and half-naked.
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Engaging and insightful
- By Amazon Customer on 07-12-17
By: Thrity Umrigar
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Shadow Show
- All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury
- By: Sam Weller - editor, Mort Castle - editor
- Narrated by: George Takei, Edward Herrmann, Kate Mulgrew, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Ray Bradbury - peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors - is a literary giant whose remarkable career spanned seven decades. Now 26 of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.
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THE MAN WHO FORGOT RAY BRADBURY
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 05-27-17
By: Sam Weller - editor, and others
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Starworld
- By: Audrey Coulthurst, Paula Garner
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Emma Galvin
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility.
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lovely story
- By Chess on 11-05-19
By: Audrey Coulthurst, and others
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The Life List
- A Novel
- By: Lori Nelson Spielman
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Brett Bohlinger has forgotten all about the list of life goals she’d written as a naïve teenager. In fact, at 34, Brett seems to have it all—a plum job at her family’s multimillion-dollar company and a spacious loft with her irresistibly handsome boyfriend. But when her beloved mother, Elizabeth, passes away, Brett’s world is turned upside down. Rather than simply naming her daughter the new CEO of Bohlinger Cosmetics, Elizabeth’s will comes with one big stipulation: Brett must fulfill the list of childhood dreams she made so long ago.
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Truly Terrible.
- By Cricket on 04-27-14
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Nearly Normal
- Surviving the Wilderness, My Family and Myself
- By: Cea Sunrise Person
- Narrated by: Cea Sunrise Person
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In her best-selling memoir North of Normal, Cea wrote with grace about her unconventional childhood - her early years living in a tipi in Alberta with her pot-smoking, free-loving counterculture family. But her struggles do not end when she leaves her family at the age of 13 to become a model. Honest and daring, Nearly Normal reveals the many ways that Cea's unconventional childhood continues to reverberate through the years.
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This one is just not for me
- By Pamela Plimpton on 03-15-19
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The Wrong Sister
- By: T. E. Woods
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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From behind the wheel of her car, Tess Kincaid glimpses a woman walking down a Madison, Wisconsin, street. They've never met, but Tess sees the same features every time she looks in the mirror. Tess introduces herself and discovers that she and her doppelganger, Mimi, have more than appearance in common. They even share the same birthday. Mimi - confident and outgoing where Tess is understated and shy - is convinced they're twins, separated shortly after birth. When a body is discovered in a local marsh, Tess is entangled in a search for the truth....
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Nothing like anything T E Woods has written B4!!!
- By shelley on 03-01-18
By: T. E. Woods
What listeners say about The Understory
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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Story
- Carlissa
- 07-22-15
Very unique story
Well, what can I say about this audiobook? It's a very unique book within a book - I love how it weaves the story of a children's book into the main story - but I almost gave up on the book at the very beginning as the main character, Story Easton, was rather creepy and unbelievable. She likes to sneak into other people's houses and find an empty room and sleep there, and if there are shoes in the room, she'll try them on and pretend she is someone else. Something made me keep reading though, and I ended up wanting to find out how everything was going to end up. The narrator, Karyn O'Bryant, was very good.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook for an honest review.
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Story
- Felisha
- 06-30-15
No really, Let go!
I must admit I had no idea where the plot was going to go in the beginning but I was pleasantly surprised by how it unfolded to reveal a meaningful, funny, and authentic story. Journeying alongside Story Easton's failure of a life, she discovers that just when one thinks they’re at the end and nothing more can be done, all they have to do is let go and see what happens. Elizabeth Leikness masterly weaves the stories of all the characters to a magical end, leaving you feeling nostalgic and ready for new adventure at the same time.
I truly enjoyed Karyn O'Bryant's narration. She has a abundant range of voices that very with age and depth. I loved listening to her bring the story of Story to life.
I would recommend this book.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
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1 person found this helpful
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Story
- A. Sines
- 09-11-15
so nice
Any additional comments?
I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher, and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlastdotcom
I can’t say I was transported to another world while listening to this book. I can’t say it moved me as it apparently has others (see the 5 star reviews). What I can say is that it is a unique combination of events put together in such a way as to be on the edge of enthralling. I simply couldn’t stop listening.
Story Easton certainly grows and changes for the better. This is something that current writers are seeming to forget: that protagonists aren’t supposed to be the same at the end of the book as they are at the beginning. We read to escape, yes, of course. We read to peek into the lives of others. (BTW, Story takes that idea to the extreme by sneaking into the homes of others. We should understand that desire even if we never follow through.) Yet, ultimately, when we read, we should see that it is possible to learn, to grow, to change as a person. (OK, so the villains only seem to grow more villainous most times. That doesn’t always apply to the protagonist saturated in the well of goodness.)
But Story isn’t the only one who grows and changes. It’s as though the mere ghost of her presence affects those around her and vice versa.
I can say that this is one story fit for all ages. I can say that what the blurb teases, the book follows through without disappointment. I can also say, this book is worth more than the simply enjoyment a novel usually brings and there are depths there to explore.
It is possible that I will read/listen to this book again and find something I’ve missed which will enthrall me just a bit more.
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Story
- Petrea Burchard
- 01-24-18
A sweet story
A fantastic narrator brings this story to life. Karyn O'Bryant varies characters with nuance and style. A great listen!
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Story
- Mary
- 08-23-15
Outstanding unique coming of age fairy tale fable
If you could sum up The Understory in three words, what would they be?
Poignant, unique, tale.
What other book might you compare The Understory to and why?
This is a very unique book and I can't think of another book to compare it to.
What about Karyn O'Bryant’s performance did you like?
How she did Story's mother's voice.
If you could rename The Understory, what would you call it?
Actually the name is appropriate and I wouldn't change it.
Any additional comments?
Story is sort of the poster child for the poor rich spoiled girl.
She has a bossy, dominant, no nonsense, pragmatic mother who loves Story but never showed Story any affection. The only whimsical thing that Story's mom ever did was in her naming of Story. Story's name is Story Thyme. Ha, ha. Another reason why Story feels unconfident.
Story doubts herself and her abilities and never finishes any thing she starts. She sees herself as a failure and is very sarcastic about the world. The way she gets her ups and jolly's is by breaking into other people's homes, imagining to them and sleeping in their beds. A modern day Goldilocks.
When she discovers a young boy who appears to be more depressed then she is, she decides to change his life and make his dream come true.
All the major characters in the book have issues with unresolved guilt and mourning. Story is the lynch pin which connects all these characters and brings about change, growth and maturation in their lives.
The book may not be one of my personal favorites, however it is a very interesting unique book that would be good for the classroom and or book group discussions.
“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”
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