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Sandcastles (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,044 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Painter Honor Sullivan has made a life for herself and her three daughters–Regis, Agnes, and Cecilia–at Star of the Sea Academy on the magical Connecticut shore. Here she teaches art at the convent school’s beautiful seaside campus, over which Honor’s sister-in-law, mother superior Bernadette Ignatius, keeps a benevolent and watchful eye. No one could have foreseen the day rebellious Regis would come home with the stunning news that she was getting married. Nor could anyone have guessed how that sudden announcement would soon change all their lives forever. Eleven years ago, Honor thought she had the perfect home, the perfect love, the perfect life. Then her husband, brilliant photographer and sculptor John Sullivan, broke her heart–and tore their little family apart. Now, hearing of Regis’s impending marriage, John has ended his self-imposed exile and returned to the family he’s always loved more than anything on earth. What he finds is one daughter still hurting over his abandonment, another who barely remembers him, and a third who may be in more trouble than anyone knows. And then there is Honor herself–and a passion that may have been interrupted but that has never waned. Some things, like sandcastles, don’t survive the changing tides. But love, family, and friendship–just as fragile–have a way of standing against anything. It will take nothing short of a miracle to heal the rift between father and daughter, husband and wife, the past and the present–but a miracle is exactly what is in the works at Star of the Sea Academy. The only question is: Do you believe?
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"Sandcastles was a very good book to read. It was a refreshing change for me to going from steamy romances to a more subtle romance. I love all of Lynn Kurland's books and now I'm starting to read Luanne Rice's and have loved every one so far. There are two couples in here with their own problems, but they are still all connected together so it doesn't confuse you or get you irritated by going off topic. One couple John and Honor learn to forgive and forget after John's been in jail for 6 years after committing a crime he didn't do. They still love each other deeply, but they wedged apart by the missing truth, dangerous feelings and the past."
— Kiana (5 out of 5 stars)
Sandcastles Listener Reviews
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" Loved this book...kept me intrigued throughout and wanting to know what would happen next. Felt like it was actually telling the story of something a real family went through...not always warm and fuzzy but decisions made at the time for reasons that seemed right at the time. Very gripping. "
— Cher, 2/16/2014 -
" Emotional, deeply touching, a story about family, deep, never ending love, passion, forgiveness. "
— Desislava, 2/15/2014 -
" This book was recommended to me - so I felt 'duty-bound' to finish it - it's slow moving for at least the 1st half - then picks up a bit - it's rather predictable. I did enjoy the book location of Connecticut - familiar towns, etc... I rated it as 'OK' and it is. "
— Nancy, 2/5/2014 -
" I enjoyed the writing style, descriptive, but not over done. It was refreshing actually to read about how each family member worked through/processed a horrible trauma in their own way in the attempt to restore the family unit. Good clean reading too. "
— Tammys, 2/4/2014 -
" I knew figured out what had happened way early with John & Regis. I didn't really follow Honor's problems. There was an interesting parallel with the Irish immigration and the characters' visit back to Ireland. "
— June, 1/27/2014 -
" Definitely not the best book I've ever read. The thing that kept me going was the way the author writes. Once I got about 3/4 through the book I actually was interested in what the ending might be, but it took a while to actually get caught up in the story. "
— Jennifer, 1/26/2014 -
" Not the best Luanne Rice book i have read but it was good. It was about a family struggling to become a family again after tragedy strikes their family, i was suprised with how the book ended but in a good way. "
— Sarah, 1/22/2014 -
" just finished this book. Nice read, clean. About a family and the trials they go through. "
— Neena, 1/19/2014 -
" I loved it. Great characters and the next one is What Matters Most and I loved it too. "
— Helen, 12/26/2013 -
" very heart felt. I enjoyed it. "
— Charee, 12/25/2013 -
" Thank god my roomy lemme borrow this :)) "
— Mikee, 12/22/2013 -
" so-so, predictable story without much substance, ok beach read but doesn't make me want to rush out and read more by Rice "
— Irene, 12/19/2013 -
" Had a hard time getting into it and was about to return it when it caught my interest. It got better as it went on. The nun with a mysterious past was interesting. "
— Amie, 12/15/2013 -
" Liked,but not Luanne Rice's best. "
— Kristin, 12/12/2013 -
" This book was a little too slow for my taste. It failed to keep my attention. "
— Linda, 12/10/2013 -
" 8-27-08. Sweet story...very predictable. "
— Shay, 11/8/2013 -
" *yawn* kind of a boring book, I knew the "secret" early on and the book moved too slow to me to reveal it. "
— Breezy, 9/13/2013 -
" Not as good as other books by Luanne Rice. I have read almost all her books and although this story is OK, it does not pull you in as other books do. "
— Annalisa, 8/25/2013 -
" A story that takes place in Ireland and Connecticut. A family learns the truth about the past after the father does six years in prison. "
— Carol, 4/16/2013 -
" It took me a little while to get into the story but once I did I found myself immersed. This story was one of love...love between family, friends, and lovers. "
— Jennifer, 3/13/2013 -
" A story of family, love, friendship, and heartache. Let's just say I shed tears of sorrow and tears of joy. "
— Shannon, 1/12/2013 -
" A good story, a little predictable, but some good writing. I will be reading the sequel. "
— Mayde, 1/6/2013 -
" Really enjoyed this - probably because I was familiar with the places in Ireland that were referenced, so that made it fun for me. "
— Sharon, 11/12/2012 -
" very SLOW - kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did. "
— Traci, 10/7/2012 -
" I wasn't all that impressed with this particular book by Luanne Rice.....it was very slow moving....it was definitely about family who truly cared for each other and the life and love of their ancestors. "
— Pat, 9/2/2012 -
" Wonderful story of family and the ups and downs you must go through "
— Sheila, 4/10/2012 -
" I liked this book, easy read not too complicated plot. First time with this author. "
— Sandra, 9/22/2011 -
" I needed a short easy read and this was it. Barely OK though..... "
— Jen, 8/23/2011 -
" First book by this author and fell in love with it. "
— Teresa, 5/9/2011 -
" I really liked this novel. I don't remember all of the reasons, but I liked the characters and family development. I would love to reread this one. "
— Hannah, 4/11/2011 -
" Emotional, deeply touching, a story about family, deep, never ending love, passion, forgiveness. "
— Desislava, 3/26/2011 -
" Too full of angst, too predictable, little mystery solved too soon. "
— Gail, 3/7/2011 -
" First book by this author and fell in love with it. "
— Teresa, 2/12/2011 -
" The story was a little drawn out and predictable. I think I would have enjoyed the story better if it had been told from the perspective of just one main character. "
— Mary, 1/26/2011 -
" I almost gave up on this book. It took some time to get into it, but once I did, I had to find out about all of the subplots, twists and turns. You also learn about Ireland where the families involved have their roots. "
— Jeannie, 1/22/2011 -
" Not the best Luanne Rice book i have read but it was good. It was about a family struggling to become a family again after tragedy strikes their family, i was suprised with how the book ended but in a good way. "
— Sarahlentin, 1/13/2011 -
" I really liked this book. A little slow-moving, but very touching. "
— Angela, 1/6/2011 -
" This book was okay. At times I really liked it and at other times I could not get into the story at all. It took me a long time to finish which isn't like me at all. I really can't put my finger on what exactly didn't work for me in this book, but I would not recommend it. "
— Bri, 11/22/2010 -
" This book was recommended to me - so I felt 'duty-bound' to finish it - it's slow moving for at least the 1st half - then picks up a bit - it's rather predictable. I did enjoy the book location of Connecticut - familiar towns, etc... I rated it as 'OK' and it is. "
— Nancy, 11/8/2010 -
" I had a hard time getting into this one. "
— Kelly, 10/21/2010 -
" I really enjoyed it at the time I read it, but it isn't something I really plan on reading again. "
— Brianna, 10/11/2010
About Luanne Rice
Luanne Rice is the author of more than thirty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Sandcastles. Many of her novels have been made into movies for television. Her short stories, essays, and articles have been widely published in magazines and newspapers. She received the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and lifetime achievement in the Literary Arts category.
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.