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The Emperor's Children Audiobook
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(2.00) - 12,043 listener ratings
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In Manhattan, just after the century's turn, three thirty-year-old friends, Danielle, Marina and Julius, are seeking their fortunes. But the arrival of Marina's young cousin Bootie fresh from the provinces and keen, too, to make his mark forces them to confront their own desires and expectations. The Emperor's Children is a sweeping portrait of one of the most fascinating cities in the world, and a haunting illustration of how the events of a single day can change everything, for ever. 'Brilliant ...a masterpiece' Independent on Sunday 'Intelligent and unsparing ...The Emperor's Children is likely to be one of the most talked-about novels of the autumn ...Buy two copies; give one to a friend' The Economist 'Messud's prose is a timely and intensely pleasurable reminder of the possibilities of the English language. To use the word clarity about her style dense, chaste, luminously intelligent is to return the word to its origins; this is style as illumination, shining a searching yet sympathetic light on the minds and inner worlds of her characters, and as a radiant mode of moral inquiry' The Times 'As large-hearted as it is ambitious, this is a novel that combines the old-fashioned art of storytelling with a clear-eyed view of the modern world' Sunday Times
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"I've always been drawn to stories about the young, rich, and privileged, often full of characters you don't necessarily want to root for, but instead love to watch fall apart. This is one of those books. Set in NY during 9/11 it feels very of the moment and relevant and was a quick enjoyable read."
— Mia (4 out of 5 stars)
The Emperor's Children Listener Reviews
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" Finely crafted and well-written, but midway through I realize I didn't like/care about any of the characters or what happened to them. "
— Kim, 2/16/2014 -
" What a disappointment--pretentious, thin character development, loose ends all over the place. And if she used the word "palimpsest" one more time, I was going to throw the book across the room. Yes, Ms. Messud, we know you're brilliant and erudite, and smarter than all of your readers. Get over yourself already, and give us a novel worth reading. "
— Carole, 2/13/2014 -
" If you believe that people are like this in NYC, don't. Also, I'm not sure if I felt like the city was the backbone of this novel.....don't really think I felt the time and the place accurately at all.....and the people were so.....shallow. grrrr.....but the perspectives were interesting...... "
— Kate, 2/12/2014 -
" I read about 90 pages of this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I just didn't care about any of the characters, nor could I relate to them. "
— Micky, 2/11/2014 -
" It took me about 3 years to finally read this book, after one attempt a long time ago. I thought the characters were developed well, but I didn't like them, not one of the thirty something characters this book revolves around in the back drop of NYC, culminating on 9/11. There were many issues that irritated me in the book, the unethical affairs, the pretense of elitism. What I did like were that the characters were so well-developed that days later, I remember them all as if I might run into them tonight. However, I think I would look the other way. "
— Krin, 2/9/2014 -
" I really did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. The storyline was not at all what I thought it was going to be, and in the end I really did not enjoy the book. It had a sorrowful storyline, and although the interaction of the characters was interesting, I would not recommend this work. "
— Jena, 2/4/2014 -
" A beautiful book, filled with long, flowing sentences and gorgeous dialogue. I devoured this book, and kept wanting more. However, the ending left a rather bitter taste in my mouth, which is the only downfall of the book. It should have made it to at least the Booker short-list. "
— Ben, 1/30/2014 -
" Characters are very shallow and self involved, none of them likeable. Overly verbose and wordy, horrid sentance structure, running on and on . . . "
— Alana, 1/17/2014 -
" Some promising ideas, a few pretty sentences, a lot of boring and/or detestable characters. Forced and pretentious. Initially I felt 1 1/2 stars and rounded up to 2 stars but on further reflection, I hated this book. "
— Texbritreader, 12/17/2013 -
" I love the characters -- the end takes a v.surprising turn "
— Kay, 12/15/2013 -
" Don't even bother with this book. TERRIBLE! I had to go on Amazon.com to read the reviews to figure out what the plot of the book was. I learned from Amazon, that I was correct; the plot is impossible to find. "
— Ann, 12/5/2013 -
" It was the most overindulgent book I have ever read. "
— Cora, 11/23/2013 -
" Received as a gift, so I know nothing about it ahead of time. I've already had to look up three words in the dictionary! So far the writing is lush and detailed. "
— Pamela, 9/12/2013 -
" Just ok. The 9/11 tie in was sort of trite. "
— Margaret, 5/29/2013 -
" This was a guilty read, and I enjoyed it. I was conflicted about the book for a while because it's so different from what I normally read. But with all of it behind me, I have to say that Claire Messud's characters and some of her scenes really linger with me. "
— Timothy, 2/22/2013 -
" This one ended up being a bit disappointing. "
— Christine, 10/23/2012 -
" The writing is phenomenal, but i didn't really like the story. "
— Oana, 10/5/2012 -
" I read a review on this book and was excited to read it and recommended it for my book group. It was terrible not one person from book group finished it except for me. "
— Niki, 7/8/2012 -
" Why was this published? If I wanted stories about pathetic, self-centered New Yorkers, I'd hang out on the Upper West Side. "
— Mary, 6/10/2012 -
" Not as breathtaking as The Last Life or The Hunter, but it was still a good read. What bugged me was when she used the term "Best Woman" when I believe she meant "Maid of Honor." "
— Lilian, 11/5/2011 -
" I really liked the way this book was written, but I just could not empathize with any of the characters. "
— Aditi, 6/23/2011 -
" I really did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. The storyline was not at all what I thought it was going to be, and in the end I really did not enjoy the book. It had a sorrowful storyline, and although the interaction of the characters was interesting, I would not recommend this work. "
— Jena, 6/22/2011 -
" I can't believe a book so full of illicit sex was so dissatisfying. That is a problem, Claire Messud. "
— Amanda, 6/16/2011 -
" The next time someone tells me I should read a book because it's on the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year, I'll say "Oh yeah, remember The Emperor's Children? Now be quiet." "
— Mei, 6/14/2011 -
" I really liked this book! Very surprised at the low average rating. Some of the characters annoyed me (Bootie, sometimes Marina, and Ludo), but I loved the writing and finished it within a week. "
— Kara, 5/31/2011 -
" Not sure so far. Seems disjointed and hard keeping track of who's who. <br/>6/11/11. Had to stop and try to find something more interesting. Have now finished 1.5 books and find that I am thinking about it, so I'll probably pick it up after I finish what I am currently reading. "
— Kathie, 5/18/2011 -
" I finished this book last night and went to sleep before the announcement of Bin Laden's death--strange to be reading about 9/11 just before that happened. I liked the first third or so of the novel but was disappointed in the rest. "
— Lila, 5/2/2011 -
" Some interesting characters, but they never really came to life - I felt very detached from the storyline. "
— Alicia, 4/26/2011 -
" This book was weird. That is the best word to describe it. I did finish it though because I was compelled to find out what happened with the characters. That being said I was kind of disappointed by the ended. "
— Stefany, 4/15/2011 -
" Extremely pretentious and not that interesting, except for the affair "
— Gami, 4/15/2011
About Claire Messud
Claire Messud was educated at Cambridge and Yale. Her novels, When the World Was Steady and The Hunters were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her second novel, The Last Life, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and Editor’s Choice at The Village Voice. Three of her books were New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Radcliffe Fellowship, and is the current recipient of the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband and children.
About Suzanne Toren
Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind’s Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas.