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The Upper Room Audiobook
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(3.98) - 963 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Nationally best-selling author Mary Monroe createsan unforgettable cast of characters in The Upper Room. Mama Ruby stole her best friend's baby girl, ran off to Florida, and raised her as her own. Maureen is the center of Mama Ruby's world, and she will do anything to protect her and their life together. Now Maureen wants to know what the rest of the world is like. She is determined to find out, but escaping Mama Ruby won't be easy.
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"The story was great. Mama Ruby rules, what I like the most is that all she did (good or bad) she stated that it was the work of the Lord!!! She even believe d that she's the devil working for the Lord. Great read. Now I'm going to read the follow-up book "Mama Ruby""
— Irismichaux (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston…Fantastic and exaggerated, the novel…is a candid portrayal of the cold-blooded yet fascinating Mama Ruby.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Kevin Free is so skillful that the listener will forget the narrator of this dark comedy is a man.”
— AudioFile -
“A chilling story that is bound to astound.”
— Booklist
The Upper Room Listener Reviews
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" Don't like this one at all. Couldn't understand or follow it.... "
— Kendra, 2/19/2014 -
" This was a good read but I wish I would have read this BEFORE Mama Ruby. There were quite a few inconsistencies with the main character that I probably would not have noticed had I read the original before the prequel. Overall, I did enjoy the book. "
— Gwen, 2/11/2014 -
" This is one of my favorite books of all time, the characters are very colorful and memorable. I listen to the audiobook at least once a year. "
— Mschell, 2/7/2014 -
" I laughed my butt off!!!!!!! "
— Miranda, 2/6/2014 -
" I really didn't like any of the books she wrote that I have read. I don't know what compelled me to even continue to read the books. They deal with a harsh subject and it seems like all she writes about is misery. I just didn't enjoy the stories. "
— Kamilah, 1/27/2014 -
" Mama Ruby was CRAZY! The way she treated her "daughter" seriously. "
— Arvetta, 1/19/2014 -
" Liked the prequel "Mama Ruby" better. The main character was much more sympathetic in the prequel. Mama Ruby is almost a mythical character here and the story drags at times. Glad I read it, but certainly not a re-read. "
— Nancy, 1/15/2014 -
" Moma Ruby is crazy... "
— Eddie, 1/13/2014 -
" I loved it, kept me guessing, wondering what will happen next, you will not be disappointed, a little thriller of a read! "
— Denise, 1/3/2014 -
" I couldn't really get into this book... "
— Chinea, 10/20/2013 -
" ONE OF MY FAvorite Mary Monroe Books!!! Very lots of humor "
— Toni, 10/15/2013 -
" this was a read of my book club. We had such fun discussin it! mama ruby was a trip! "
— Beryl, 10/13/2013 -
" When this novel first hit the shelves, I tried to get into it but couldn't. After reading the prequel Mama Ruby (which I enjoyed) this novel made more sense to me. It was a great read and the prequel explained alot of the things that went on in the Upper Room. "
— Shawnte, 10/10/2013 -
" Felt like I wasted my time at the end of the book. It was good all the way through but the ending was like blah... Oh well... "
— Jasmine, 10/5/2013 -
" these book is too crazy but is a really good book "
— Venyke, 9/25/2013 -
" Read in one day. Still like tje Annette Goode (God Don't Like Ugly etc) better but Mamma Ruby & co are an interesting bunch for sure! "
— Patti, 7/16/2013 -
" enjoyable......kept my attention "
— Sonia, 7/14/2013 -
" nice change of pace. different story but fun characters "
— Kathrine, 6/11/2013 -
" I really enjoyed reading this story. It was a page turner to see what was going to happen next. Mama Ruby was something else I must say. Reading this story is why I am reading the story Mama Ruby now. "
— Cindyw626, 6/8/2013 -
" Love Ir! "
— Nazmx3, 1/22/2013 -
" A solid 3. It was full of action yet somehow dragged along. I nearly gave up. The ending was too swift. Most of it packed in a few pages. "
— Janet, 1/2/2013 -
" Very interesting. Many problems...almost more than I wanted to deal with. Not one of my favorite books as the problems were so deep and sad. "
— Pat, 5/14/2012 -
" Mama Ruby was such a great book that right after I read it I hurried up and bought The Upper Room. Mama Ruby is such a kickass character (she rips a man's arm off with her bare hands!) and you'll never forget her. "
— Soapykitty, 3/30/2012 -
" Books certainly introduce one to another world. A bit of a torture reading. The story just keeps going and going. It is an easy read but it is taking me an extremely long time to get to the end (hopefully by the end of tonight). "
— Arlene, 3/21/2012 -
" Good book. Put a light on Mental Illness with violence tendencies. Overall a good read already having read previous work with Mama Rudy Character. Very Enjoyable and thought provoking. "
— Lavunda, 3/18/2012 -
" I just could not get into this book for some reason -- I tried but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the storyline. Read it as a part of a book club and it was one of those selections that left me flat. "
— Tori, 12/2/2011 -
" Mama Ruby is one craaaaazzzzy woman....good story...funny at times heart touching and suspenseful... "
— Juanita, 10/12/2011 -
" Wasn't that interested "
— Kdb1806, 7/24/2011 -
" Mama Ruby is crazy,can't believe she did all that she did. Really wished there would have been a epilogue. "
— Laskisha, 5/8/2011 -
" I couldn't really get into this book... "
— Chinea, 8/7/2009 -
" Fantastically gripping story of a different USA (for non English speakers - it takes a while to get a hang of it since it is written in Southern slang) "
— IronyOnHighHeels, 6/27/2009 -
" My favorite book by Mary Monroe. The main character, Mama Ruby, is someone that I will never forget. "
— D.y., 5/25/2009 -
" Great Read. This is a book I would definitely read again. "
— Nikki, 11/2/2008 -
" I just could not get into this book for some reason -- I tried but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the storyline. Read it as a part of a book club and it was one of those selections that left me flat. "
— Tori, 6/19/2008 -
" this was a read of my book club. We had such fun discussin it! mama ruby was a trip! "
— Beryl, 10/21/2007
About Mary Monroe
Mary Monroe is a New York Times bestselling African American fiction author. Her first novel, The Upper Room, was published in 1985. She is best known for her novel God Don’t Like Ugly, and the series revolves around the characters it first introduced.
About Kevin R. Free
Kevin R. Free is an audiobook narrator and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several AudioFile best narrations of the year selections. Known for his work with young-adult novels, he has read titles by Rick Riordan, Walter Dean Myers, and Joe Haldeman. In 2011 he was named a Best Voice in Young Adult and Fantasy from AudioFile magazine for his narration of Myers’ The Cruisers: Checkmate.