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Unfinished Desires: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 898 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From Gail Godwin, three-time National Book Award finalist and acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Evensong and The Finishing School, comes a sweeping new novel of friendship, loyalty, rivalries, redemption, and memory. It is the fall of 1951 at Mount St. Gabriel’s, an all-girls school tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina. Tildy Stratton, the undisputed queen bee of her class, befriends Chloe Starnes, a new student recently orphaned by the untimely and mysterious death of her mother. Their friendship fills a void for both girls but also sets in motion a chain of events that will profoundly affect the course of many lives, including the girls’ young teacher and the school’s matriarch, Mother Suzanne Ravenel. Fifty years on, the headmistress relives one pivotal night, trying to reconcile past and present, reaching back even further to her own senior year at the school, where the roots of a tragedy are buried. In Unfinished Desires, a beloved author delivers a gorgeous new novel in which thwarted desires are passed on for generations–and captures the rare moment when a soul breaks free.
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"I enjoyed this book, although many of my friends found it hard to get through the first 100 pages. The relationship between the girls at the Catholic boarding school and their teachers (Sisters) was the best part. I loved the end of the story. It is always great to find out what eventually happens to our classmates. But, don't look ahead!"
— Rita (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A 2010 Washington Post Best Book for Fiction
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An Indie Next Notable Title, January 2010
Unfinished Desires Listener Reviews
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" Okay - so many things that I like! A Catholic girls school, in a fictionalized Asheville NC, historical as well as physical setting, multiple voices, characters developed in depth. This book may not be to everyone's taste, but I liked it, a lot. "
— Frances, 1/22/2014 -
" Despite its sensationalist-sounding title, Unfinished Desires is a solid, thoughtful novel about power, control, adversaries and friends in a Catholic school in North Carolina in the early 1950s. Godwin does a good job traversing time and intertwining the lives of the characters, adding dimension and sympathy for all. "
— Ellen, 1/21/2014 -
" Double story told in flashbacks and in the present of drama among high school girls and head of a Catholic girls boarding school. I was never that interested in any of the characters- tedious read. Unless you have an interest in Catholic boarding schools and nuns. "
— Rachel, 1/13/2014 -
" I appreciate Gail Godwin's ability to incorporate the life of faith into her fiction in a way that is completely natural and not "preachy". "
— Lori, 11/24/2013 -
" Characters were not interesting to me. "
— Marianne, 11/2/2013 -
" Good story, good writing, good book. For a story that's is pretty slow moving, this book kept my interest. "
— Heidi, 7/3/2013 -
" I was hoping it would be like The Group by Mary McCarthy. I found the plot predictable. "
— Peggy, 3/21/2013 -
" this is a book by Gail goodwin and author whom I really like. It tells the story of an all girls boarding school in North Carolina in the early 50's. A great portrayal of teenage friendships and how they mature. "
— Joanne, 7/30/2012 -
" Really well written from multiple characters' living in different decades. Looking forward to reading more Godwin. "
— Jenn, 3/26/2012 -
" A very confusing tale that spanned generations of girls at a Catholic Boarding School. Many grudges, secrets, and revenge. "
— Shari, 11/1/2011 -
" Starts out a bit slow but by 3/4 way through I couldn't put it down. I don't think it is Godwin's best ( because of the slow start) but it was definitely a Godwin book by the end. I'm a huge fan of Godwin's books and this one didn't disappoint. "
— Deb, 9/29/2011 -
" Characters were not interesting to me. "
— Marianne, 4/23/2011 -
" too long, got bored waiting for the story to move on "
— Mary, 4/12/2011 -
" Good story, good writing, good book. For a story that's is pretty slow moving, this book kept my interest. "
— Heidi, 3/22/2011 -
" really really hated this book. This week, I am 0 for 2. Hoping something will come along that is better "
— Debbie, 2/7/2011 -
" Thought it was slow and anti-climatic. Also, I really did not like any of the characters. "
— Julie, 2/1/2011 -
" I thought it was very interesting and worth reading. I enjoy books about schools! "
— Maelou, 1/16/2011
About Gail Godwin
Gail Godwin is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels, including A Mother and Two Daughters, Violet Clay, Father Melancholy’s Daughter, Evensong, The Good Husband, and Evenings at Five. She is also the author of The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961–1963, the first of two volumes, edited by Rob Neufeld. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts grants for both fiction and libretto writing, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has written libretti for ten musical works with the composer Robert Starer. She lives in Woodstock, New York.
About Kimberly Farr
Kimberly Farr is an actress and winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration. She has appeared on Broadway and at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Roundabout Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, and the American Place. She created the role of “Eve” in Arthur Miller’s first and only musical, Up from Paradise, which was directed by the author. She appeared with Vanessa Redgrave in the Broadway production of The Lady from the Sea and has acted in regional theaters across the country, including a performance in the original production of The 1940’s Radio Hour at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.