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Of Marriageable Age
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A spellbinding story of forbidden love. Three continents, three decades, three very disparate lives: Savitri, intuitive and charismatic, grows up among the servants of a pre-war English household in Madras. But the traditional customs of her Brahmin family clash against English upper-class prejudice, threatening her love for the privileged son of the house.
Nataraj, raised as the son of an idealistic doctor in rural South India, finds life in London heady, with girls and grass easily available... until he is summoned back home to face raw reality.
Saroj, her fire hidden by outward reserve, comes of age in Guyana, South America. When her strict, orthodox Hindu father goes one step too far, she finally rebels against him and even against her gentle, apparently docile Ma. But Ma harbors a deep secret, one that binds these three disparate lives and hurtles them toward a truth that could destroy their world.
Critic Reviews
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What listeners say about Of Marriageable Age
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Danielle
- 04-24-15
Decent story. Terrible narrator.
I enjoy learning about foreign lands and cultures in my fiction, and this certainly did not disappoint in that regard. However, Maas's narrative style has far more "telling" than " showing". It dragged, with long sections of narration that begged for some action or dialogue. I stuck with it to the end, and there was a satisfying (if somewhat too tidy) twist and resolution.
The real problem was the reader. Her whispery, garbled speech was so awful, I almost returned the book after the first half hour of listening. She sounds like she has marbles in her mouth. I would recommend reading the book rather than listening to the audio book if you are interested in the story.
3 people found this helpful
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- alison
- 05-03-15
Beautifully descriptive and a wonderful story
Beautifully descriptive and a wonderful story, terrible narration though. I had to 'tune' myself out to the narrator and focus on the story which meant it took a little while for me to engage with it, but when I did I was hooked. I loved this book - a wonderful blend of romance, history and culture. I was drawn into the story, the characters and how their lives were eventually intertwined. I loved the descriptions, taking you to India, it's sights and smells, occasionally a little overdone but overall beautiful. I was able to engage with all the characters, even the less pleasant ones and wanted to keep listening to find out more about them. A joy.
2 people found this helpful
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- Donna D Sabsook
- 05-02-15
Good
Good story but I found it hard to follow. It ends very nicely. I would recommend to people that are interested in different cultures.
2 people found this helpful
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- Danielle Adkins
- 01-14-20
EXCELLENT IN EVERY WAY
Loved the narrator, really made me think different characters were talking. The story was epic! So good!
1 person found this helpful
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- Lise Telson
- 09-11-16
Wow. What a tough life for many of these woman
So brilliantly written. Reader terrific. Truly enjoyed!!! Complex story, intelligently written and taking place in different countries over a span of 100 years. Be warned, you won't stop listening and it requires concentration!!!
1 person found this helpful
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- JTB
- 07-28-16
Generational Journey
The narrator's voice is quite distinct and was always the first thing I noticed before the words. Her accents and gender voices were great and I always knew who was talking which was vital because this story had a lot of plot twists.
I loved it!
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- Kanthi Iyer
- 07-11-16
Terrible Narration
I loved the story but the narration was awful to the point of distraction. It was most unsuited for this story. Being a native Tamil speaker, it was v painful for me to hear the names and words mangled beyond recognition. It took away the pleasure of the story that much.
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- Avid reader and shopper
- 09-13-15
Excellent story, writing ok
I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this book. The author needs a little more experience so the writing does not sometime read like a "B"movie. Lots of historical background I am going to enjoy researching.
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- Tammi R. Van Volkinburgh
- 07-29-15
Good book, terrible narrator.
The narrator sounds like she has a speech impediment, or something in her mouth. It was terribly distracting.
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- Caroline D. Hayes
- 03-16-15
Loved it, and hated it!
Wow! That is pretty much the extent of my reaction to this piece. Fascinating and frustrating, love it and hate it. A feminist's absolute nightmare, and yet a cultural treasure. It's amazing how much there is to learn about the world, and how different people's beliefs and traditions vary from ethnic group to ethnic group and within those groups. Cultures within cultures without degrading them by calling them SUB-groups. I don't think people can even begin to understand the magnitude and absolute definition of the word "diversity". However, it is through cultural pieces such as this one, even when it is a historical fiction narrative, that I grow as an individual and a global citizen. Works like this one make me abhor the term "tolerance" ever so slightly more, as I view it as having a despicable definition. What we need is "understanding" and "acceptance" to begin to alleviate the world's cultural bigotry, not "tolerance". Let's replace that term with one like: "respect". That sounds more like a great beginning!
2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-05-21
Awful narration
I am half way through this book and immersed in the story. However, the narrator of this book is dreadful and is spoiling my enjoyment of a well written book.
There is no inflection, just a flat, droning intonation of words delivered in such a dull way that leaves me feeling the narrator has no real empathy with either the characters or their lives. I very much get the impression that she finds the whole story boring. There is just no life in the words.
Very disappointing and a good example of how a bad narrator can spoil a good book.
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- Claire
- 02-08-17
Narration is terrible
What disappointed you about Of Marriageable Age?
The story is no doubt great but I have only listened to one hour of the nineteen and I am having to give up due to the irritating robotic narration. The voice is peculiar and staccato in delivery style. Words are also pronounced in a peculiar way and this is also irritating. I am not sure if I can continue with the book on audible and may have to read it on kindle.
Has Of Marriageable Age put you off other books in this genre?
No
Would you be willing to try another one of Anne Flosnik’s performances?
No
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
The book is fine but the narration makes me angry.
Any additional comments?
Be careful choosing the narrator and try out the voice on listeners before you commit to 19 hours with an irritating style of delivery.
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- Sharon
- 02-01-16
A beautiful story, brilliantly written.
Any additional comments?
I loved this book and admire Sharon Maas' ability to weave a gripping story. Highly recommended. I just found that Anne Flosnik's f's often sound like p's and that is a bit irritating - e.g. Chapter 55 sounds like "pipty pibe".
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- GillyD
- 12-09-15
I think I have already read it
Would you try another book written by Sharon Maas or narrated by Anne Flosnik?
I think the author is very good, I am sure I have read this before but the narration was terrible. It was narrated in a very strange way, nothing wrong with the narrators voice but it sounded electronic like the narration on a kindle. I found it so irritating I couldn't proceed with it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-21-17
Enthralling
Loved this story. Complex and detailed and I couldn't leave it be. Narration was also fantastic. Looking forward to my next Sharon Maas book.
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- alison
- 06-04-15
A beautiful book
Beautifully descriptive and a wonderful story, terrible narration though. I had to 'tune' myself out to the narrator and focus on the story which meant it took a little while for me to engage with it, but when I did I was hooked. I loved this book - a wonderful blend of romance, history and culture. I was drawn into the story, the characters and how their lives were eventually intertwined. I loved the descriptions, taking you to India, it's sights and smells, occasionally a little overdone but overall beautiful. I was able to engage with all the characters, even the less pleasant ones and wanted to keep listening to find out more about them. A joy.