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Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger Audiobook
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(3.00) - 409 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Virginia native Lee Smith has won two O. Henry Awards, the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, and the Robert Penn Warren Prize for her engaging works. A collection of 14 tales-both new stories and previously published favorites-Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger is sure to delight listeners with its warm humor and unforgettable characters. "Each tale is beautifully honed ." -Publishers Weekly
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"So many wonderful characters in this book - many different dimensions yet something we could relate to in each of them. Only one story in this collection I didn't care for the rest were beautifully done, well crafted and a joy to read!"
— Kathy (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Smith’s heroines find strength in the moments that push us all forward.”
— People -
“Lee Smith has long had a reputation as a master of the short story, and her new collection…galvanizes that reputation…Smith offers the grit of the domestic scene, the power of the written word, and the transcendent beauty of women as friends, lovers, daughters, and mothers.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune -
“This wonderful writer is a readers’-advisory librarian’s dream. Short stories, ordinarily a relatively hard sell to library patrons, are a different animal when they are Lee Smith’s short stories. In a very hospitable way of talking, reminiscent of Ellen Gilchrist’s style in her delicious writing, Smith offers stories that deliver an irresistible one-two punch. The first punch is—again, like Gilchrist—the humor that fills every page. She doesn’t poke fun at the ordinary folks who stock her fiction but gets us to see, by their plights and successes, the universal absurdity in their struggles to attain love and significance. The second punch is the meaningfulness of every story. All of us, in different garb, appear at some point in a Smith story…The title story is entertaining and riveting from its first line…The most beautiful story is the very short ‘Toastmaster,’ an imaginative narrative from the point of view of a bookish little boy.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of the 1999 Academy Award for Fiction
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger Listener Reviews
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" This book has great characterizations, but seemed a little disjointed to me. Every chapter introduced a new character or scernario and I kept waiting for them to by connected. As always, I love her characters, but I wanted more of a continuous storyline. I did give it an extra point for mentioning the Merle Watson Festival :) "
— Mary, 2/13/2014 -
" I skipped around in this short story collection, not being much of a short story fan. Smith writes in an impressive array of voices and styles, getting out of the way so her characters shine through. Really liked "Bob a Dog." For Southern fiction fans. "
— Phoebe, 2/13/2014 -
" A nice collection of short stories centered around (mainly) Southern characters. "
— Pam, 2/10/2014 -
" The title of this book of short stories is what drew me in. I ended up reading about 4 of them and didn't love any so never finished. "
— Jamey, 2/7/2014 -
" Not my favorite Lee Smith book. Other books had a historical Appalachian context that made them more interesting. This book of short stories was more contemporary and the themes were mostly depressing, in my view. "
— Joyce, 2/6/2014 -
" I have no idea why I put this on hold. I made myself read two of the stories: blech! Maybe I thought it was a Jane Austen spin-off. Dunno... "
— Josie, 1/20/2014 -
" I love Lee Smith's novels but am not a big fan of short stories though. They leave me wondering what happens next. "
— Margaret, 1/10/2014 -
" Short stories book. Like the cover picture. "
— Lauren~, 1/1/2014 -
" I have no idea why so many short-story collections have depressing stories. Written OK, but all the stories focus on the negative or the sad. "
— Ashmi, 12/22/2013 -
" I don't usually get into short story collections, but these all felt so fluid and connected that the sum total was very satisfying. Plus Lee Smith is the sweetest. "
— Andria, 12/22/2013 -
" Not my favorite of Lee Smith's books. Its a collection of short stories, and the quality varied, and some were so good they left me wanting more. "
— Darby, 12/11/2013 -
" This collection of short stories showcases Lee Smith at her best. Story after story features beautifully crafted southern women at defining moments in their lives. "
— Gwen, 8/26/2013 -
" Although I didn't really like the first couple of stories, I'm glad I stuck with this. Each successive story was better than the last, and I absolutely loved the last 4 or 5. "
— M, 7/14/2013 -
" An enjoyable collection of bittersweet stories by a skilled writer. My friend, Avery, recommended this author to me. "
— Linda, 5/26/2013 -
" Wonderful, wonderful short stories with some unforgettable characters in them. I loved it. "
— Molly, 4/15/2013 -
" One story was an almost complete win (Stevie and Mama, if you're wondering) but like all the stories "there was no there there"- just a little weightless, a little false, something that stopped it from being the Southern Alice Munro "
— Kyla, 3/6/2013 -
" A well written collection of short Southern stories with real Southern characters. "
— Krista, 2/14/2013 -
" Thought provoking and in places a bit of a downer....faith, deceit, life cross roads, love, all mixed up...believable and sad all at the same time. Curious as to what others thought. Stephanie "
— Stephanie, 1/2/2013 -
" Love these stories... it's like being inside the head of the leading characters. "
— Dianna, 8/29/2012 -
" I was hoping for more but only half the stories were new and even the new ones seemed a little too familiar. I found a fractured "tibula" and heading down to "Homosassee" and other such egregious errors annoying. A simple spell check program should have caught them all, nevermind proofreading. "
— Judy, 8/1/2012 -
" Short stories are not always my favorite but these I liked very well. "
— Mom/aka:Annette, 7/31/2012
About Lee Smith
Lee Smith is a New York Times bestselling novelist. She has written numerous novels and short story collections, including Saving Grace, Fair and Tender Ladies, and a novella, The Christmas Letters. Her novel The Last Girls won the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature; two of her short story collections also won the O. Henry Award. Smith currently lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
About the Narrators
Anne Rivers Siddons is a New York Times bestselling author who she has written works such as Sweetwater Creek, Islands, Nora Nora, Low Country, Up Island, Fault Lines, Downtown, Hill Towns, Colony, Outer Banks, King’s Oak, Peachtree Road, Homeplace, Fox’s Earth, and Heartbreak Hotel. Her novel The House Next Door was made into a made-for-television movie starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Colin Ferguson, and Lara Flynn Boyle. She and her husband, Heyward, split their time between their homes in South Carolina and Maine.
Susan Bennett, Earphones Award-winning narrator, has enjoyed an extensive career as a vocal artist. She has worked with major agencies on such accounts as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, AT&T, Blue Cross, Goodyear, and Club Med. She also dabbles in the music industry as the singer and keyboardist for The Interactive! Band. Along with her guitarist husband, Rick Hinkle, she is the co-owner of Audiocam Music, a full-service recording studio.