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The Promised World Audiobook
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(3.01) - 593 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Now from the bestselling author of The Cure for Modern Life and Once Upon a Day comes a riveting story of suspense about a literature professor whose carefully constructed life is shattered after the death of her twin brother and the unraveling of the secret world they shared. On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother Billy points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. “Suicide by police” was obviously Billy’s intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin—the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world—was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William. As Lila struggles to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in her brother’s complicated past, her job, her marriage, and even her sanity will be put at risk. And when the hidden meaning behind Billy’s stories comes to light, she will have to act before Billy’s children are destroyed by the same heartbreaking reality that shattered her protector and twin more than twenty years ago. The Promised World is a mesmerizing tale of intimacy, betrayal, and lost innocence that will haunt listeners long after the last word.
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"I could not put this book down - The story opens when Lila, an English Professor as she learns her only sibling and twin Billy has died - suicide by cop. Her life comes unraveled then - she and Billy were "unnaturally close" especially according to her husband Patrick and Billy's wife Ashley. Lila has a breakdown and tries to overdose - but she is saved by Billy's children who have run away from home to live with their aunt. She is hospitalized and realizes that she can't remember entire parts of her youth - Billy use to fill in the blanks for her, but now she has to figure out her painful past. Patrick stands by his wife, even though he finds out much of her past is a lie."
— Andrea (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Selected for the September 2009 Indie Next List
The Promised World Listener Reviews
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" Fantastic! I couldn't put it down! "
— Paris, 2/4/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book not because of beautiful writing, although the writing is fine. I liked the mystery of it. Who is crazy? is the question at the heart of the mystery this book is. It's the mystery of a dysfunctional family, several generations of dysfunction. Patrick is too good to be true, but that was fine with me. Lila certainly needed someone this good in order to survive. It was a page turner. Not like the book I'm currently reading, The Three Weissmans of Wesport, which is a page savorer...mostly because of its wicked humor. "
— Jane, 1/11/2014 -
" Very disturbing! A great read about the effects of extreme psychological and physical abuse......I thought the character of Barbra was amazing. She was one f the most evil characters I have ever read about. "
— Lindsay, 1/1/2014 -
" This was a good book about a dark subject. My only criticism is that near the end, it seemed to wrap up too easily & quickly which was not realistic. "
— Deena, 12/26/2013 -
" Not bad, but wraps up a bit tidely and neatly. "
— Elisabeth, 12/20/2013 -
" This is a very compelling work of contemporary fiction. "
— Theresa, 10/27/2013 -
" The poorly conceived ending ruined this book for me. "
— Rosalind, 10/19/2013 -
" Strange disturbing and yet interesting. Go ahead n pick it up. "
— Sarah, 8/6/2013 -
" Lisa is a local author, and I LOVED the Song Reader, but have been disappointed since. Her books seem so contrived. Wish I had given up early on. "
— Stephanie, 5/19/2013 -
" I didn't hate this book but I didn't really like it either. It was so-so. No need for any of my friends to read it :) I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could. "
— Kathryn, 1/2/2013 -
" It was disturbing and unsettling but riveting. Barbara Duval has to be one of the most evil female characters I've ever encountered. "
— Cindy, 7/2/2012 -
" Moving story about the long-terms effects of child abuse. Lila and Billy are twins who are both married, but remain extremely close, until Billy commits suicide by cop. The book explores the impact this has on both families as they try to understand why. "
— Jo, 3/8/2012 -
" When I read the book cover, it said something about how the book would haunt me after I finished the last page so I thought it would be a great ending. The book itself was ok, but the ending was pretty disappointing. "
— Mary, 7/2/2011 -
" Seemed like VC Andrews meets math and English profs. "
— Barbara, 6/12/2011 -
" Book club book. Pam won it in a contest. It was ok...nothing earthshattering. "
— Carrie, 5/24/2011 -
" Don't know if it was just me, but I found this book very hard to follow. "
— Kate, 5/3/2011 -
" Gripping and lyrical. A novel that will leave you gasping for air at the end. We have a rainy weekend coming up here, this is a perfect one to grab and cuddle up on the couch with!!!! "
— Stuart, 3/31/2011 -
" Could of been Jodi Picoult lite but ended up being deeper and darker and much more beliveable. All the characters were flawed but in a way you felt for the them. Even the true "villan" of the story didn't come off as one-dimensional "
— Caroline, 3/20/2011 -
" How fast can the individual's psych deteriorate? This is a well writtine narrative exposing the intricates of human relationships, the horrid consequences of abuse, and the impact of deception on a person. "
— Tovansteve, 1/15/2011 -
" This book had me hanging on every word. It turned out to be a lot different than I expected, but I really enjoyed it! "
— Ryan, 1/2/2011 -
" I found the main characters of this book to be so unlikeable........I disliked them from the very beginning. The story moved along quite quickly but I found it most unbelievable. There was somehing about this book that just didn't do it for me. "
— Cheryl, 10/25/2010 -
" Lisa Tucker is usually such a great author, but I did not like this book very much at all... it was so weird. I only finished reading it because I wanted to see how it would end. I wish I hadn't even read it. "
— Denise, 9/13/2010 -
" Not a bad read but too melodramatic for my taste. "
— Dwanna, 9/7/2010 -
" This was a good book. I like the way the story unfolded, but the end was abrupt and not very memorable. "
— Ann, 9/3/2010 -
" Strange disturbing and yet interesting. Go ahead n pick it up. "
— Sarah, 7/7/2010 -
" I love Lisa Tucker, and I love stories about twins (fave is "I Know This Much is True"), but this was a little too contrived for me. The bond between these two was unnatural, and Billy's secret was too strange for him to bear. "
— Kristi, 4/8/2010 -
" This story is about an adult fraternal twin relationship. While struggling with grief over her twin brother, Billy's suicide, Lila uncovers the abuse from her mother that she has hidden from herself. She also uncovers the stories/lies that her brother has told her her entire life. "
— Julie, 4/7/2010 -
" Very dark. Not what I was expecting at all. "
— Cyd, 3/22/2010 -
" Good book, story of a set of twins who had a difficult childhood. (why do I keep reading about child abuse?) "
— Janeen, 3/21/2010
About Lisa Tucker
Lisa Tucker grew up in Missouri and is the author of six novels. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she went on to receive master’s degrees in English and mathematics and was awarded fellowships in both fields. She has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania, the Taos Writers’ Conference and UCLA. Her short work has appeared in the New York Times, Seventeen, the Oxford American, and NPR’s “Three Books.” She currently lives in Philadelphia.
About Tanya Eby
Tanya Eby is a novelist and an audiobook narrator who has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards and been nominated for the Audie Award. She has a BA degree in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.