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The Mermaid Chair Audiobook
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(2.00) - 43,652 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A transcendent tale of a woman's self-discovery—the New York Times–bestselling second work of fiction by the author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings Inside the church of a Benedictine monastery on Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion. When Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to the island to cope with her eccentric mother’s seemingly inexplicable behavior, she is living a conventional life with her husband, Hugh, a life “molded to the smallest space possible.” Jessie loves Hugh, but once on the island, she finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk about to take his final vows. Amid a rich community of unforgettable island women and the exotic beauty of marshlands, tidal creeks, and majestic egrets, Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, with a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right, and with the immutable force of home and marriage. Is the power of the mermaid chair only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie’s life? What happens will unlock the roots of her mother’s tormented past, but most of all, it will allow Jessie to discover selfhood and a place of belonging as she explores the thin line between the spiritual and the erotic.
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"Jessie's story of rediscovering herself and the people in her life fit so perfectly into the background of a small island. I loved that she had to go home and find acceptance there and let go of her past in order to embrace her future. And just like life, it was messy."
— Tamara (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of Quill Award
The Mermaid Chair Listener Reviews
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" Loved this book. Short chapters and loved her writing. She also had some challenging vocabulary words which I loved! Awesome read :) "
— Sandra, 2/17/2014 -
" not nearly as good as The Secret Life of Bees "
— Llyn, 1/31/2014 -
" I really enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees and looked forward to The Mermaid Chair. What a disappointment. Nothing much about this story worked for me. I didn't like the writing, nor did I care for the characters. The word contrived comes to mind when thinking about the story, the ending in particular. A pathetic follow up to Bees. "
— Deb, 1/17/2014 -
" Well written and entertaining. Read it on the beach on vacation. "
— Cbrion, 1/15/2014 -
" Wow. What a journey. "
— Casey, 1/11/2014 -
" A little slow-moving and a theme that's been done many times before. "
— Chris, 1/11/2014 -
" Didn't love this one nearly as much as Bees. "
— Sandy, 1/4/2014 -
" I honestly expected more from this authoer, as I thought she did a great job with 'The Secret Life of Bees.' I felt like this was more of a 'beach read,' but it was still an enjoyable book. "
— Mary, 12/28/2013 -
" I love the author's use of language and she writes beautifully. I just couldn't love this story. I loved the women of the island and would much have preferred their story to the one being told. "
— Angela, 11/9/2013 -
" Disappointing after Secret Life of Bees! Choppy. "
— Debra, 11/9/2013 -
" Like "The Secret Lives of Bees" in the powerful relationships between women and description of place. A good summer romance, but it didn't transcend that genre for me. "
— Gabrielle, 10/14/2013 -
" A very good story of facing one's past in order to fully live in the present. "
— Kim, 8/25/2013 -
" Great story, I liked the spiritual/psychological/physical aspects! "
— Jenna, 6/21/2013 -
" Was annoyed at all the uneccessary drama, but still unable to put book down. "
— Sabra, 4/9/2013 -
" I think I liked this much better than a lot of people. I enjoy this author and enjoyed the plot (though it started slow). "
— Kayla, 4/1/2013 -
" Interesting story, but nowhere as good as The Secret Life of Bees. I like her writing style and characters, easy read. "
— Vanessa, 10/1/2012 -
" The Mermaid Chair improved as it went along and I enjoyed the way the truth was revealed and liked the character of Nelle. The questions for reading group discussions in my copy added a depth to the tale but I found a lot of it quite unbelieveable. Definitely a holiday/beach read. "
— Lis, 8/27/2012 -
" I usually like Sue Monk Kidd books but I didn't like the premise of this one. A middle aged woman who leaves her husband to care for her mentally unstable mother only to have an affair with a monk. Rather far fetched, don't you think? "
— Linda, 7/7/2012 -
" Not as good as Secret Life of Bees "
— Tilynn, 5/24/2012 -
" I was severely disappointed in what could have been a great story if the characters, plot, well, frankly everything, had been more completely thought out and developed so that the reader could buy in to the story. I kept reading hoping for a revelation, a spark...but nothing. "
— Dmahon, 1/26/2012 -
" Awful! I loved The Secret Lives of Bees, so I thought I would like this. The story was implausible (she falls in love with a monk?!) and predictable and I thought the main character was selfish and whiny. "
— Patty, 1/23/2012 -
" Nicely written, well constructed etc but rather dull. "
— Joanna, 12/8/2011 -
" I was in Italy when I read my first novel by Sue Monk Kidd. It was nice to get a bit of home from this love story set in my home-state of South Carolina. The mixture of Southern Catholic traditions and folklore added an appealing dimension to the plot. "
— Nicole, 10/2/2011 -
" It took me a few chapters to get hooked into the story but then I read the second half in one go! It was a very poignant story which brang tears to my eyes. "
— Karen, 5/17/2011 -
" Really enjoyed the author's descriptions of this book's setting: the Carolina barrier islands that I explored a little bit last summer. Also learned a bit more about the Gullah culture. The story line was a little predictable,though. "
— Karen, 5/16/2011 -
" Did she really have to have an affair to find herself? "
— Allison, 5/16/2011 -
" An excellent read. Makes me think of home and all... "
— Crestina, 5/16/2011 -
" I really liked and enjoyed this book "
— Andi, 5/14/2011 -
" Great Book! Good story, although I wasn't a fan of the affair. I couldn't put it down. "
— Erin, 4/27/2011
About Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd is the author of the New York Times bestselling
novels The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair, the
memoirs Traveling with Pomegranates, which she wrote with her
daughter Ann Kidd Taylor; The Dance of the Dissident Daughter; and When the Heart Waits, and Firstlight,
a collection of her early writings. The Secret Life of Bees has
spent more than 220 weeks on the New York Times bestseller
list and was adapted into an award-winning movie starring Dakota Fanning, Queen
Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys. The Mermaid Chair, a #1 New
York Times bestseller, was adapted into a television movie. Both of
her novels have been translated into more than twenty-four languages. The recipient of
numerous literary awards, Sue lives with her husband on an island off the coast
of Florida.
About Eliza Foss
Eliza Foss is an actress who has appeared in numerous theaters in New York City and around the country. She has narrated over thirty books and short stories, been featured in AudioFile magazine, and won five AudioFile Earphones Awards for her narrations.