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Before You Know Kindness (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 5,643 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For ten summers, the Seton family—all three generations—met at their country home in New England to spend a week together playing tennis, badminton, and golf, and savoring gin and tonics on the wraparound porch to celebrate the end of the season. In the eleventh summer, everything changed. A hunting rifle with a single cartridge left in the chamber wound up in exactly the wrong hands at exactly the wrong time, and led to a nightmarish accident that put to the test the values that unite the family—and the convictions that just may pull it apart. Before You Know Kindness is a family saga that is timely in its examination of some of the most important issues of our era, and timeless in its exploration of the strange and unexpected places where we find love. As he did with his earlier masterpiece, Midwives, Chris Bohjalian has written a novel that is rich with unforgettable characters—and absolutely riveting in its page-turning intensity. “Few writers can manipulate a plot with Bohjalian’s grace and power.”—The New York Times Book Review “Chris Bohjalian’s many fans will be glad to know he’s back on the high wire, expertly balancing topical issues with the more timeless concerns of the human heart. His well-drawn, sympathetic characters deepen and intensify the novel’s gripping plot rather than simply serving it. Before You Know Kindness is smart, first-rate storytelling.”—Richard Russo, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls “Once again, Chris Bohjalian dares to tackle the complexities—and complacencies—of modern society at its most vulnerable spot, where the personal clashes with the political, where the private is forced to go public. And once again, he forges a drama that will keep his readers on the edge of their seats...perhaps their conscience as well.”—Julia Glass, winner of the National Book Award for Three Junes “Chris Bohjalian’s magnificent new novel, Before You Know Kindness, is the best work of fiction I’ve read about an American family since Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. It is one of the funniest, best-written, most compassionate, most engaging, and flat-out most enjoyable novels I’ve ever read.”—Howard Frank Mosher, winner of the New England Book Award for A Stranger in the Kingdom “Elegant, refined...a triumph.” —Booklist (starred review) Also available as a Random House AudioBook, a Large Print edition, and an eBook.
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"I liked this book a lot but wouldn't say I loved it for a couple of reasons. I didn't like Chapter Thirty-Five where the author wraps up a part of the story from the viewpoint of a crow. Truly, unbelievable for a dramatic story like this one. "
— Rsvpeterson (4 out of 5 stars)
Before You Know Kindness Listener Reviews
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" Bohjalian's book "Midwives" was one of my very favorites years ago. This one was not quite as compelling (maybe it was the subject matter) but I still loved the way he gives the reader access to the characters. "
— Amy, 2/19/2014 -
" slow start. middle picks up and gets a little interesting. still found myself not really caring about the characters. ending is a bit disappointing. (things are a little too neatly tied up. i was hoping for a little more drama.) "
— Suzanne, 2/7/2014 -
" While I found parts of this book interesting, I never really bought into the characters, so the whole story felt a little flat to me. "
— Elaine, 2/6/2014 -
" B-O-R-I-N-G. Due back to the library (already renewed once) and I don't plan on taking it back out to finish it. Just not interested! "
— Heidi, 2/1/2014 -
" Bohjalian is a very good writer, but his editor was asleep at the pencil. He needs and deserves a better editor. "
— Margaret, 1/29/2014 -
" love chris bohjalian "
— Laurie, 1/24/2014 -
" Interesting novel- about the pain inflicted on a family when a young girl inadvertently fires a weapon. The family slowly falls apart. "
— Barbara, 1/11/2014 -
" A page turner and very rivoting "
— Sandra, 1/2/2014 -
" My favorite book by this author. "
— Lisa, 12/25/2013 -
" Interesting premise, but I struggled with the writing style. I have enjoyed a number of Chris Bohjalian's books, particularly Midwives, but the writing style and tone of this one made it difficult for me to find the principle characters believable. Not bad, but not great. "
— Stacey, 12/18/2013 -
" Everything I like in a book! "
— Patty, 12/8/2013 -
" Great book- but not nearly as impressive as Bohjalian's other works! Glad to have read it. "
— Chloe, 11/30/2013 -
" I really liked this book. Touched on some issues of political and family sensitivity. "
— Linda, 11/27/2013 -
" The first one of his that I read. Good story. "
— Carol, 11/26/2013 -
" This felt like an episode of TV's Brothers & Sisters but with much, much less likeable characters. I'd hoped for more so I'll maybe try something else by the same author! "
— Sarah, 9/8/2013 -
" Surprisingly engaging family drama. Worth the read! "
— Rachel, 8/30/2013 -
" Very sad book that showed how a tragedy can impact a family and bring out the unspoken norms within a family. "
— Stephanie, 7/25/2013 -
" LOTS of unimportant details you had to wade through to finish this book. "
— Jennifer, 6/30/2013 -
" I really liked this, the third book I've read by this author. It was moving and a little suspenseful, and I thought it was a fascinating. "
— Sherree, 6/10/2013 -
" This was a call-in sick to work kinda book...i have it if anyone ever wants to borrow. "
— ashley, 3/3/2013 -
" It was a good story, a bit predictable but entertaining. It was slow moving in spots and was repetitive. "
— Kelly, 1/22/2013 -
" Not the best of Chris'. It took me a long time to read this book and it was story driven rather than character driven. I found it lack the compelling aspects of Midwives and Law of Similars, even Water Witches. "
— Susan, 11/19/2012 -
" Decent book. A little drawn out, but very intricate depictions of family nuances and personalities. "
— Jolene, 10/21/2012 -
" Hated this. Couldn't finish the damn thing. "
— Deb, 4/8/2012 -
" this story dragged on and on- I kept hoping it would get better but it didn't. "
— Kate, 6/25/2011 -
" Not a bad book, but not a good one either. The primary character (Shot in the chest! By his daughter!) was so unsympathetic that It made the book a bit of a slog to get through. I probably would not have been as disappointed as I was if I hadn't enjoyed "Midwives" so much. "
— Diane, 5/15/2011 -
" Took a while to get going but I really enjoyed it. Very elegant writing full of social comment and sometimes very funny. "
— Lesley, 4/5/2011 -
" Unfortunately, I thought it was pretty slow reading. I had high hopes for this book but it took a while to get going and once it did, it kept moving at a slow pace with lots of repetition. The ending was, not surprisingly, predictable. "
— Jodi, 3/8/2011 -
" My first Bohjalian and I was hooked. I love the way he writes and enjoy the moral dilemmas. "
— Teryl, 3/6/2011 -
" This is a great story revolving around the issue of gun control and family conflict...oops, that sounds bad! Well written as all of his books are and off the beaten path of thinking on the topic. "
— Phebe, 2/18/2011 -
" The first one of his that I read. Good story. "
— Carol, 1/22/2011 -
" Pretty boring....glad when it was over.<br/><br/>Family dynamics, vegetarian/vegan movement....taking it too far to where it effects relationships. "
— Lisa, 1/12/2011 -
" I abandoned this book. It was too slow. Not bad necessarily, just slow. I might go back to it one day. "
— Leah, 1/5/2011
About Chris Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four books, including The Flight Attendant, which has been made into an HBO Max limited series. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies. His work has been translated into more than thirty- five languages. He is also a playwright He can be found at chrisbohjalian.com or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Litsy, and Goodreads.
About Blair Brown
Blair Brown is an award-winning narrator and a Tony Award–winning actor. Besides earning several AudioFile Earphones Award, she received the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fiction Narration in 2020. She has appeared on Broadway, in film, and on television in numerous miniseries and TV movies and received five Emmy Award nominations for her starring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.