Surprise! Christian Fiction

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. The combination of the heavy Christian slant and the voice of one of the narrators spoiled this experience for me. I might listen to another Marie Bostwick book, now that I know it's Christian fiction--I'd just tune out the heavy-handed parts, just as I do with overdone sex scenes--but I won't listen to another book from this narrator.

What other book might you compare Ties That Bind to and why?

Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street books.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Xe Sands sounds tired, bored and condescending, which results in the narrator coming across as passive and tired. If I'd noticed she was one of the narrators I would not have purchased the book.

Do you think Ties That Bind needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I liked the characters and the story. Regular church-going choir member that I am, the heavy-handed Christian elements were quite a bit too much for me.

Any additional comments?

If a book is Christian (or any other heavy-handed religious) fiction, please state that up front so customers are not unpleasantly surprised.

15 people found this helpful

Book Five . . . Wonderful Story

I really enjoy this series about women quilting together, sharing their faith, their joys and their sorrows . . . I am not a huge fan of narrator, Xe Sands, whose voice tends to be whiny at times, but this book, it wasn't as grating . . . the family dynamics of Mari and Margot with their parents was gut wrenching BEFORE Mari's untimely death, and even more so afterward, when Margot's father took it upon himself to fight for custody of young Olivia, despite the fact that Mari clearly left instructions that she wanted her sister, Margot to raise her little girl . . . many ethical dilemmas were presented as the family visited little Olivia in the hospital following the accident, and prepared for the legal battle over custody . . . including an unscrupulous social worker and lazy court system . . . and in the midst of the fight comes a lady pastor, as precious as can be, and a nice, nice man who catches the eye of 40-year-old Margot . . . who has recently sworn off romantic relationships entirely . . . this is a clean, Christian story . . . with a wonderful circle of quilting friends . . . and plenty of wonderful surprises along the way . . . God is good . . . all the time . . .

3 people found this helpful

Great story for kindred spirits in quilting

When I started to listen to this book it was a sad time for me personally and the story started out sad so I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed at first. But I have enjoyed all of the other books in this series by Marie Bostwick so I didn't give up. It turned out to be a much different story than I had anticipated and am not disappointed at the end. I am a quilter and I love stories that I can relate to like the ones by this author. Makes me feel like I could be one of the characters in the story!

3 people found this helpful

Love this series

I must say I was a little put off by some of the reviews. There were several regarding the narrator and being disappointed. But one was completely false; complaining about a narrator reading for a male pastor but was actually an African American woman. Well it was and the pastor was in fact female. So take these reviews with a grain of salt.

1 person found this helpful

Love this series!

I love this series. Learning about each character makes it really hard to stop listening!👍

1 person found this helpful

this book was so freaking boring

for me this book dragged on forever I skipped so many chapters because it was nothing exciting about it

1 person found this helpful

Couldn't make myself finish it

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Probably nothing. I found the story uninteresting and the characters one dimensional and not terribly likable. The various themes of the book (Christianity, quilting, small town life) were not well integrated. Even though there were dramatic events in the story, they were without the complexity and depth of real life experiences so I was never moved by the characters' situation. I rarely stop listening to a book before it's finished, but even though there were only about 2 hours left, I reached a point where I couldn't stand another minute of it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Marie Bostwick again?

No.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bahni Turpin and Xe Sands ?

I am not sure who was who, but the narrator for Margot had a voice and narration style that grated on my last nerve. She spoke in a breathy, over-dramatic manner and her voice tended to trail off at the end of sentences, making the last few words inaudible. I had to keep adjusting the volume and trying to fill in the missing words. I found myself cringing when the narrators switched.

The narrator for Pippa was good although her Boston accent (which she seemed to forget now and then) was terrible.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom, irritation, more boredom

Any additional comments?

I happen to be Christian, live in a small Connecticut town, and quilt as a hobby. This story should have hit a note for me but it didn't come close.

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful and heart warming!

What did you love best about Ties That Bind?

Even though life has given you lemons, the reciept for lemonaide varies from person to person.
It's a great listen, I really enjoyed the series and was sorry that this is the last book.

1 person found this helpful

Not worth it.

What would have made Ties That Bind better?

Story

Has Ties That Bind turned you off from other books in this genre?

YES

Any additional comments?

Very mediocre, and incredibly uninteresting book. Was a complete waste of my time. But decided to listen to the complete book, just because I wanted to finish what I had started.

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful book!!

Where does Ties That Bind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book would rank in the top 10% of the books I have listened to. It is a great story, and the narrators did an excellent job.

Which character – as performed by Bahni Turpin and Xe Sands – was your favorite?

Phillipa was my favorite character. I loved her honesty, sense of humor and spunk!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when Phillipa told her "story".

Any additional comments?

I wish there was a sequel!!

1 person found this helpful