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The Lovers Audiobook
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(3.00) - 993 listener ratings
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“Vendela Vida has written a riveting and suspenseful novel about an American woman’s voyage to self-discovery.”
—Joyce Carol Oates
“Stunning. A masterful meditation on grief and love. The Lovers is a sensational novel from one of our finest writers at the height of her craft.”
—Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries
In 2007, Vendela Vida’s novel Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. With her new novel, The Lovers, former Kate Chopin Writing Award winner Vida tells a powerful and beautiful tale of a widow returning alone to the site of her honeymoon in Turkey, and her subsequent journeys through her past and her present.
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"This book is deceptively simple, gently incisive. Think Joanna Trollope meets Dostoyevsky. It is the story of a widow who grapples with her grief, the complexities of her relationships, her view of humanity through the veil of grief and her own fatalistic attitude, during a few days of vacationing in Turkey. It is an incredibly engrossing read that somehow manages to be a beach book and a profound book at the same time. Definitely the sort of book I'd love to write."
— Sarah (4 out of 5 stars)
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“[Vida’s] third novel is further evidence that she can fashion characters as unpredictable as they are endearing…[The Lovers] is a satisfying, often brilliant portrait of a woman searching for relief from things that will not, she discovers at last with something like acceptance, go away.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Vida’s work becomes clearer and more sophisticated with every book she writes; and The Lovers is her best and most disturbing novel yet.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“Quietly provocative, The Lovers explores the perils of self-involvement and the ease with which we destroy one another’s lives.”
— People -
“A languorous meditation on how accidents of fate shape a life.”
— Vogue
The Lovers Listener Reviews
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" Quick read, but I was really moved by this story. "
— Michelle, 2/14/2014 -
" I really wanted to like this book, since I loved my time in Turkey. However, I found the events unrealistic and couldn't get past this. The ending was preposterous! "
— Jennie, 1/22/2014 -
" Simple and short. But, powerful - though I know many that might not agree with me.... "
— Rachel, 1/18/2014 -
" I like Vendela Vida's style: lonely, remote travelogue with unexpected bits all over the place. The ending felt frantic and manic but everything before that was just the right amount of something interesting. "
— Kate, 1/10/2014 -
" The first half was well-paced, the second half seemed manic; suddenly she was spiraling out of control. I suppose it's like that joke about how the person went into bankruptcy: first slowly, then all at once. But I stopped enjoying it. "
— Laurie, 1/7/2014 -
" This was a quick read and I found the cultural references very interesting. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending but need to reflect on the significance more. "
— Tennille, 12/21/2013 -
" Descriptive, tight prose. Affecting. Well written without being overbearing. "
— Lana, 12/18/2013 -
" I started out liking this book but Yvonne really became annoying. The Turkish setting was interesting. "
— Joey, 12/14/2013 -
" I was intrigued by the books setting in Turkey. There us an article in today's NYTimes Travel section (8/15/10). I wish they book was longer because I really loved the characters that I was introduced to. A great book! "
— Stephanie, 12/11/2013 -
" Well written and at times insightful. "
— MountainShelby, 5/24/2013 -
" Her sparse use of words is elegant. I remained curious about what would happen right to the end. "
— Rhonda, 2/21/2013 -
" this started off so strong and then the ending felt rushed and disappointing "
— janis, 2/19/2013 -
" I kind of want this book to be over. "
— Ellie, 12/10/2012 -
" thoroughly enjoyable. Almost more like a well-developed short story. Interesting look at being alone vs. loneliness. "
— Cathy, 11/8/2012 -
" This book made me really anxious - the writing is lovely, but couldn't handle the sadness and suspense. Preferred "Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name" "
— Gretchen, 6/12/2012 -
" After a promising beginning, this fizzled for me. I have difficulty being patient with intelligent characters who repeatedly make stupid decisions! I tired of Yvonne's passivity. "
— Judy, 4/14/2012 -
" I just never became interested in any of the characters. "
— Fred, 4/29/2011 -
" I started out liking this book but Yvonne really became annoying. The Turkish setting was interesting. "
— Joey, 4/10/2011 -
" I love this story. I love her writing. I don't even know what to say about it. Honest. And so lean. "
— Sean, 3/24/2011 -
" Above average. It wasn't earth shattering, but pretty engaging and a very quick read. "
— Robin, 3/18/2011 -
" Nicely written book -- would read more of hers, ending a bit odd but enjoyed - quick, easy read and lovely descriptions of Turke. "
— Cinda, 2/11/2011 -
" This book is beautifully written in a subtle, understated way that is both evocative and moving. I think I would have cried a couple of times if I hadn't been reading it in Starbucks. Vida captures her characters in unique detail and yet they somehow represent us all. "
— Al, 1/24/2011 -
" Quick read, but I was really moved by this story. "
— Michelle, 1/23/2011 -
" Setting interesting. Main character not. End of story. Next! "
— Cheri, 1/20/2011
About Vendela Vida
Vendela Vida is the award-winning author of six books, including Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty. She is a founding editor of The Believer and coeditor of The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers and Confidence, or the Appearance of Confidence, a collection of interviews with musicians. She was a founding board member of 826 Valencia, the San Francisco writing center for youth.
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.