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Cleopatra’s Sister Audiobook
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(2.99) - 186 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Paleontologist Howard Beamish is flying to Nairobi on a professional mission when his plane is forced to land in the imaginary country of Callimbia. Journalist Lucy Faulkner, on assignment to write a travel piece for a Sunday magazine, is on the same flight. What happens to Howard and Lucy in Callimbia is one of those accidents that determine fate, that bring love and take away joy, and that reveal the precariousness of our existence.
With intelligence, grace, and gentle irony, Penelope Lively illuminates the age-old dance of myth and reality in a novel sparkling with wit, humor, and keen insight into the storytelling faculty of the human mind.
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"I really liked this. You see the development of the two main characters leading up to their eventful meeting. In between there are rather funny chapters telling the history of the fictional country where they are destined to meet. It wasn't a masterwork but it was very pleasurable reading."
— Lauren (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Written with grace and clarity, and luminous with insights about the human condition, [this novel] is as timely as the evening news and as eternal as the most classic love story…Against all the conventions of contemporary fiction, Lucy and Howard’s mature romance is fresh and convincing.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Lively handles her story with skill, grace, and invigorating charm; with an economy of words, the terror of the hostages is made palpable. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal -
“Amusing in the urbane British way, satiric without ever testing the limits of credibility, larkish but not fluffy—in short, more of the Lively right stuff.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Lively’s prose is intelligent, readable, and practiced, and May’s narration contributes an easy grace.”
— Kliatt -
“Delightful…[Nadia May’s] warm, witty portrayals of the Callimbians are especially good. The combination of excellent text and wonderful reader makes for an entertaining presentation.”
— AudioFile
Cleopatra’s Sister Listener Reviews
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" verbose. redundant. dense. I made it to page 19. disappointed. "
— Lynn, 12/21/2013 -
" This book was hard to get into. "
— Kjirsten, 12/13/2013 -
" Excellent - really enjoyed storyline "
— Linda, 11/23/2013 -
" Actually, I would give it 2 1/2 stars but it's a book club book so maybe I'll end up upping the rating after discussing it. Some of the book may have gone over my head :) "
— Shion, 11/1/2013 -
" This is well-written nothing. I expected much better. The first part got me interested in the characters, impressed by the writing, and intrigued by the conceit--Cleopatra had a sister who ruled the neighboring country of Callimbia --and then went nowhere. What a waste of time. "
— Sherelyn, 9/9/2013 -
" Not my favorite Lively, but enjoyable in its way. I liked the way the romance grew between the protagonists, like in other Lively stories, by chance. "
— Ellen, 5/6/2013 -
" Great descriptions and wonderful character insight, but rather cliched ending. Still, I probably wouldn't have been happy with anything more "realistic," so I suppose I shouldn't complain. "
— Caitlin, 11/26/2012 -
" I found this book very entertaining, and enjoyed to read it. Although it started of slowly for me, I was hooked by the end of it. I found the combination of thrill, politics, and human emotions captivating. Also, I must acknowledge the beautiful language used by Penelope Lively. "
— Tobyh, 11/3/2012 -
" A group of people held hostage from a hijacked plane realize truths about themselves. "
— Dee, 9/30/2012 -
" Nice story and well researched historical fiction that I read for my book club. Not sure it is a realistic ending but I enjoyed the book. "
— Melissa, 9/20/2012
About Penelope Lively
Penelope Lively is an award-winning novelist and author of children’s literature. She received the Booker Prize for her novel Moon Tiger and the Carnegie Medal for British Children’s Books for The Ghost of Thomas Kempe. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a member of PEN and the Society of Authors. In recognition of her contributions to British literature, she has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
About Wanda McCaddon
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.