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Audiobooks > Fiction >  General Fiction > The Light in the Piazza

Download The Light in the Piazza Audiobook

Extended Audio Sample The Light in the Piazza Audiobook, by Elizabeth Spencer Click for printable size audiobook cover
3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 3.00 (83 ratings) (rate this audio book) Author: Elizabeth Spencer Narrator: Hillary Huber Publisher: Blackstone Audio Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download Audio Length: Release Date: August 2005 ISBN: 9781455182732
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The Light in the Piazza takes place in Italy in the summer of 1953. Margaret Johnson and her beautiful, twenty-six-year-old daughter, Clara, are touring the Tuscan countryside. While sightseeing, Clara meets a good-looking young Italian man, Fabrizio, and quickly embarks on a whirlwind romance with him, despite her mother’s stern disapproval.

Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart, not only because of the cultural differences between the young lovers but also because of a family secret that would be revealed: Clara is not quite all that she appears. Considering whether to inform Fabrizio and his family of the truth about Clara, Margaret realizes that it could possibly spoil her daughter’s one true chance for happiness.

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Quotes & Awards

  • “Hilary Huber peoples the story with a sympathetic international cast of characters and keeps the morally murky proceedings somehow as light as the title…This production is a delight.”

    AudioFile

  • “It was more than Italy’s light which affected Spencer’s work; the focus of her writing changed while she was there…In writing about Italy, Spencer began to place female protagonists at the forefront. Italy also challenged her to rethink what it meant to be ‘southern.’”

    Robert Phillips, author and critic

  • “Margaret’s poignant attachment to Clara…is symptomatic of the gaps in her own romantic life, as her marriage to a cigarette company executive has grown as stale to her as Italy comes to seem throbbingly alive.”

    Washington Post

  • “Spencer understood that American innocence can be every bit as morally dubious as European sophistication, and a melodrama of black and white is avoided by the grayness of both sides.”

    Los Angeles Times

  • “Perhaps [Spencer’s] most triumphantly Jamesian contrast of American and European manners and morals.”

    Kirkus Reviews
  • New York Times Bestseller

Listener Opinions

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Marie | 8/7/2013

    " a cute read... although Mr. Niccorelli is rather creepy in my opinion. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Samantha | 5/15/2013

    " Short stories about Southerners in Italy. I think Elizabeth Spencer would be my best friend. Intriguing reading up to this point. Loving every minute. :) "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Emily | 5/13/2013

    " I want to revisit this one again someday! I read most of the stories in this collection. My favorite was "The Light in the Piazza." "

  • 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Bebop2 | 1/1/2013

    " Three stars for Light in the Piazza and Knights and Dragons. Four stars for The Cousins. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Candi | 6/24/2012

    " Okay I finally got through all the short stories in this book. I really liked most of them, short stories are just so charming. I didn't love "Knights and Dragons" it got a little long in the tooth. I adored "White Azalea" and all the others were very winsome. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Denise | 8/10/2011

    " I'm enjoying her style. Lovely short stories. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 John Finnegan | 6/28/2011

    " I was given this as a gift because I love the musical stage version of Light in the Piazza. That story did not disappoint nor did the others. Well worth reading. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Gregory | 4/2/2011

    " Impeccable writing, if uneven collection. In addition to the title, I fell in love with "The Cousins." A must for any Peter Taylor fans. "

  • 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Bebop2 | 12/2/2010

    " Three stars for Light in the Piazza and Knights and Dragons. Four stars for The Cousins. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Samantha | 5/23/2010

    " Short stories about Southerners in Italy. I think Elizabeth Spencer would be my best friend. Intriguing reading up to this point. Loving every minute. :) "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Marie | 6/18/2009

    " a cute read... although Mr. Niccorelli is rather creepy in my opinion. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Candi | 6/8/2009

    " Okay I finally got through all the short stories in this book. I really liked most of them, short stories are just so charming. I didn't love "Knights and Dragons" it got a little long in the tooth. I adored "White Azalea" and all the others were very winsome. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Denise | 3/5/2009

    " I'm enjoying her style. Lovely short stories. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Gregory | 7/1/2008

    " Impeccable writing, if uneven collection. In addition to the title, I fell in love with "The Cousins." A must for any Peter Taylor fans. "

  • 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Jean | 7/2/2007

    " Veeeery short book. Reading this book was kind of like watching 2 strangers meet for the first time and trying to make up their romance story on the spot. "

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About the Author

Elizabeth Spencer is an American novelist and five-time recipient of the O. Henry Award for short fiction. Her novel The Light in the Piazza became a New York Times bestseller and the basis of a major motion picture in 1962 and a Broadway musical in 2005.

About the Narrator

Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards. Her recordings for Blackstone include Skinny Bastard, The Art of Social War, and The Cheater.

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