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Come Sunday: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.04) - 234 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A wonderful new storyteller unleashes a soaring debut that sweeps from the hills of Hawaii to the veldt of South Africa. Come Sunday is that joyous, special thing: a saga that captivates from the very first page, breaking our hearts while making our spirits soar. Abbe Deighton is a woman who has lost her bearings. Once a child of the African plains, she is now settled in Hawaii, married to a minister, and waging her battles in a hallway of monotony. There is the leaky roof, the chafing expectations of her husband's congregation, and the constant demands of motherhood. But in an instant, beginning with the skid of tires, Abbe's battlefield is transformed when her three-year-old daughter is killed, triggering in Abbe a seismic grief that will cut a swath through the landscape of her life and her identity. What an enthralling debut this is! What a storyteller we have here! As Isla Morley's novel sweeps from the hills of Honolulu to the veldt of South Africa, we catch a hint of the spirit of Barbara Kingsolver and the mesmerizing truth of Jodi Picoult. We are reminded of how it felt, a while ago, to dive into the drama of The Thorn Birds. Come Sunday is a novel about searching for a true homeland, family bonds torn asunder, and the unearthing of decades-old secrets. It is a novel to celebrate, and Isla Morley is a writer to love.
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"Excellent first novel. Exquisite use of language. From South Africe to Hawaii, insights into culture, pain, sorrow, and forgiveness. Written with Holy Week to Ascension Sunday as organization and definition of phases of life from death and blame to life and forgiveness. "
— Doris (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Jennifer Wiltsie's resourceful range and vocal skills bring this debut novel to life unforgettably...She perfectly renders the dissolution of their marriage and Abbe's return to South Africa, where she confronts painful memories and essential decisions. Wiltsie's fascinating portrayal delivers on every level.
— AudioFile -
Jennifer Wiltsie portrays the fury and raw pain of this potentially unlikeable character so that listeners sympathize. Wiltsie's mélange of accents, from South African to Hawaiian, add to the author's amazing imagery as does Wiltsie's spectacular range of expression as Abbe travels from suffering to redemption.
— The Chapel Hill Herald
Awards
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Among shortlisted titles for Audie Award Finalist, 2010
Come Sunday Listener Reviews
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" An amazing debut novel! "
— Brent, 2/13/2014 -
" slow moving in the beginning, but absolutely loved the ending. "
— Megan, 2/11/2014 -
" Very difficult to read because it starts with the death of this couples child, but well worth all the tears. A wonderful novel about redemption. "
— Theresa, 2/10/2014 -
" Very good story, riveting in the beginning. It gets somewhat bogged down and would be improved with some judicial editing. I would like to give it 4 stars, but I can't quite do it. "
— Janet, 1/30/2014 -
" I'll be honest. I read 35 pages of this book. I cried my eyes out through the last 10 and then couldn't go on. I don't care if the last couple hundred are the most amazing I've ever read, if I can't make it past page 35 then it's not for me. "
— Cami, 1/19/2014 -
" Sad. Read while on vacation to Mexico over Thanksgiving break. Even more sad to come home to the news that my niece's three-month old son died of SIDS on Thanksgiving night. And I can't help but think my niece will travel many of the same hard paths as Abbe. "
— Pamela, 1/13/2014 -
" Why did I keep reading this book after page 100? Not sure, but I made it to the end. I think the writing style and my curiousity about how the main character would ultimately deal with the grief of the death of her only child kept me reading. "
— Nancy, 10/20/2013 -
" Rather a sad heartbreaking novel. "
— Dilys, 10/10/2013 -
" a great book from an author new to me ~ hard to begin, but worth it! "
— Sarah, 10/6/2013 -
" This book is about how a mother deals with her failing marriage and the death of her daughter. Depressing. I did finish it, but don't think I'd recommend. "
— Laura, 5/9/2013 -
" A sad story about loss, grief, forgiveness, and finding your way back home. "
— Dawn, 2/14/2013 -
" Sad story,the influence from being raised in Africa is isteresting,the protaganist finds a sense of peace. "
— Muffy, 12/28/2012 -
" Wonderful, well written and many many quotable lines. I shall soar. Bid adieu to tuleric shores and bonjour to the winged hope to birth to life once more. End of disc 6. I will be buying this book to have as my own. A must keep and one I will read again and again. "
— Shawna, 12/6/2012 -
" Very difficult book to read if you have children "
— Linda, 9/7/2012 -
" I really liked portions of this book, but I feel like it meandered all over the place. "
— Kara, 7/30/2012 -
" ugh... almost to sad to read... "
— Kellie, 11/29/2011 -
" Some good writing, bt very sad story and a character I really wanted to shake. "
— Holly, 10/10/2011 -
" I think that the main character is well-written. She is understandably tormented by the death of her child. However...the whole South Africa trip seems like it belongs in a different book. I "
— Lynne, 7/5/2011 -
" It was a good read. I enjoyed how the main character despite struggling greatly did not entirely give up on life. "
— Jess, 6/26/2011 -
" Very difficult to read because it starts with the death of this couples child, but well worth all the tears. A wonderful novel about redemption. "
— Theresa, 1/11/2011 -
" Rather a sad heartbreaking novel. "
— Dilys, 1/5/2011 -
" Sad. Read while on vacation to Mexico over Thanksgiving break. Even more sad to come home to the news that my niece's three-month old son died of SIDS on Thanksgiving night. And I can't help but think my niece will travel many of the same hard paths as Abbe. "
— Pamela, 11/28/2010 -
" Very difficult book to read if you have children "
— Linda, 11/2/2010 -
" slow moving in the beginning, but absolutely loved the ending. "
— Megan, 10/13/2010 -
" I really liked portions of this book, but I feel like it meandered all over the place. "
— Kara, 9/24/2010 -
" reader does a good job in the audio version "
— Barbara, 9/16/2010 -
" I think that the main character is well-written. She is understandably tormented by the death of her child. However...the whole South Africa trip seems like it belongs in a different book. I "
— Lynne, 8/7/2010
About Isla Morley
Isla Morley grew up in South Africa during apartheid. During the country’s State of Emergency, she graduated from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth with a degree in English literature. By 1994 she was one of the youngest magazine editors in South Africa, but she left career, country, and kin when she married an American and moved to the United States. For more than a decade she pursued a career in nonprofit work, focusing on the needs of women and children. Now in the Los Angeles area, she shares a home with her husband, their daughter, two cats, a dog, and a tortoise.
About Jennifer Wiltsie
Jennifer Wiltsie is an actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator. Her films include Wendigo, Uninvited, and The Fever. She has guest starred on HBO’s The Sopranos and Masterpiece Theatre’s Clarissa. On Broadway she has performed with Matthew Broderick in Night Must Fall, and her off-Broadway credits include Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. In London’s West-End, she starred in Alan Ayckbourn’s revival of Absurd Person Singular.