This is a double review as I have read the story and listened to the audio. I loved Quincy and ora's story. Both were broken people who stepped up to care for others. It is a story of forgiveness and redemption. I love the gentle storytelling of Rachel Fordham. She tells wonderful stories in a way that keeps you engaged and wanting to spend more time in her world.
As to the audible version, Coleen Marlo does a fantastic job reading the story. She reads the book in such a way that I could easily tell who was speaking, each character had a distinctive "voice".
I highly recommend both versions of Where the Road Bends.
Brew up a pitcher of tea and settle in for a great read whether you prefer printed books or audiobooks.
I was given a copy of both versions by the publisher with no expectations. All thoughts are my own.
From Amazon:
As Norah King surveys her family land in Iowa in 1880, she is acutely aware that it is all she has left, and she will do everything in her power to save it--even if that means marrying a man she hardly knows. Days before her wedding, Norah discovers an injured man on her property. Her sense of duty compels her to take him in and nurse him back to health. Little does she realize just how much this act of kindness will complicate her life and threaten the future she's planned.
Norah's care does more than aid Quincy Barnes's recovery--it awakens his heart to possibilities. Penniless and homeless, he knows the most honorable thing he can do is head on down the road and leave Norah to marry her intended. But walking away from the first person to believe in him proves much harder than he imagined.
Rachel Fordham invites you to experience the strength and beauty of love forged in the crucible of hardship in this heartwarming story.
About the author:
Rachel Fordham has long been fascinated by all things historical or in the words of her children “old stuff”. Often the historical trivia she discovers is woven into her children's bedtime tales. Despite her love for good stories she didn’t attempt writing a novel until her husband challenged her to do so (and now she’s so glad he did). Since that time she’s often been found typing or researching while her youngest child naps or frantically writes plot twists while she waits in the school pick-up line. In addition to her passion for storytelling, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and seeing new places. Rachel lives with her husband and children on an island in Washington state.
Learn more about current projects at rachelfordham.com
About Coleen Marlo:
From AudioFile magazine:
"I've always felt a desire to be able to express the beauty of the world in all of its complexities, and audiobooks give me a chance to do that," says Coleen Marlo, winner of the 2011 Audie Award for Fiction for her reading of Robert Helenga's novel SNAKEWOMAN OF LITTLE EGYPT . "Winning that award was a true fulfillment as well as a wonderful acknowledgment of this craft."
Marlo's life as an audiobook narrator began with her acting training. First and foremost, she credits the consummate actor and teacher Salome Jens with being her mentor and her friend. As a member of the Actors Studio, Marlo has been privileged to work with such master moderators and close colleagues as Mark Rydell and legends such as Martin Landau, Shelley Winters, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino.
"After many years of training and theater work, I auditioned for Dan Musselman at Books on Tape." Eventually, she was asked to record her first audiobook. Each narrator has her own method of preparing for recording. Marlo reads the manuscript before she records. "I approach each book as I would any other acting job, the difference being that I'm now playing all the characters." She keeps her mind open to all the possibilities. "I allow myself to feel the material rather than intellectualize it. I jot down comments on all the characters, noting anything that gives me insight into their souls. Then, by the time I get to the studio, I can just let it sail, allowing it to unfold, moment by moment, yet still remaining open to the discoveries and surprises that come along."
Marlo's AudioFile Earphones-winning recording of NO BIKING IN THE HOUSE WITHOUT A HELMET by Melissa Fay Greene led to some fascinating dinners at Ethiopian restaurants and chats with owners and waiters as she did research on the Ethiopian accent. Recording SOURLAND by Joyce Carol Oates proved a different kind of challenge for the talented narrator. With 16 short stories and some 200
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