Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler audiobook

Calling Me Home

By Julie Kibler
Read by Bahni Turpin and Lorna Raver

Blackstone Publishing 9781250014528
• 13.60 Hours • • Unabridged
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A soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser, Dorrie Curtis. It’s a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mother in her thirties, to drop everything and drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati—with no clear explanation why—tomorrow. Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle’s guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives. Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship: they are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her. Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family’s housekeeper—in a town where blacks weren’t allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle’s first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.

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Summary

Summary

Selected for the February 2013 Indie Next List

A soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship

Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser, Dorrie Curtis. It’s a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mother in her thirties, to drop everything and drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati—with no clear explanation why—tomorrow.

Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle’s guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.

Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship: they are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.

Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family’s housekeeper—in a town where blacks weren’t allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle’s first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“If Julie Kibler’s novel Calling Me Home were a young woman, her grandmother would be To Kill a Mockingbird, her sister would be The Help, and her cousin would be The Notebook. But even with such iconic relatives, Calling Me Home stands on her own; this novel uncovers a painful past that tells us so much about who we are, where we’re going, and the people who are traveling with us.” —Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author
“You’d never guess that Calling Me Home is a debut novel, Julie Kibler’s writing is so wise and assured. Although the two strong women she’s created come from completely different backgrounds, the bond that grows between them is extraordinary, touching, and believable. I laughed out loud in places and had tears in my eyes as I turned the last page. I can’t wait to watch Julie Kibler’s star rise!” —Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author
“Julie Kibler grabbed me on the very first page and didn’t let go…What a marvel of a debut novel. Black and white, young and old, searching and missing and finding in each other a special understanding, companionship, and love, these characters are real and addictive. Calling Me Home was keenly conceived, impeccably plotted, and beautifully written.” —Barbara Delinsky, New York Times bestselling author
“Calling Me Home is journey into the heart where secrets hide and love reigns. Across the bridge of race and generation, Julie Kibler brings together two who profoundly influence each other as they reveal their stories and their heartbreak. With a stunning plot twist, Kibler reminds the reader that things aren’t always as they appear and love has its own life.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author
“Touching and unforgettable, Julie Kibler’s Calling Me Home is the kind of story that pulls you in from page one, grips your heart, and absolutely won’t let go.” —Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author
“A rousing debut about forbidden love and unexpected friendships over the span of six decades…Drawing from her own family history in Texas, Kibler relays a familiar story in a fresh way.” —Publishers Weekly
“A moving tale of young, idealistic love in a headlong conflict with the reality of the injustices of that era…Kibler’s story touches on multiple historical aspects of racial inequality and segregation as well as the lingering prejudice still evident in modern times.” —Library Journal
“Kibler has crafted a wholly original debut.” —Booklist
“From East Texas to Cincinnati, from present-day racism to 1930s segregation, Isabelle and Dorrie travel together, a most unlikely pair of companions, and their stories unfold…Love and family defy the expected in this engaging tale.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Clear your schedule before you open up this thoroughly engaging book. Calling Me Home is a story about love in its many incarnations—in romance, friendships, and families; loves lost, and love regained. Kibler illuminates racial tensions many of us don’t realize still exist in this country and shows how small acts of faith can make big inroads to acceptance. I closed the final page with a smile and a tear, humbled and eager to embrace life.” —Margaret Dilloway, author of How to Be an American Housewife
“Pop some corn and grab a hankie before you start Calling Me Home because you won’t want to put it down until you come to the end of this true journey of the heart.” —Carleen Brice, author of Orange Mint and Honey
“Calling Me Home is a tenderly wrought story of love and secrets, heartbreak and healing, and the remarkable power of friendship to heal two women who find each other across the lines of time, generation, and race. Julie Kibler has written an original and moving debut novel that will linger with you for a long, long time.” —Barbara O’Neal, author of The Garden of Happy Endings
“A deeply affecting coming-of-age story with radiant characters who will remain with the reader long after the last page is turned.” —RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Reviews

Reviews

by Rogue Writer 9/13/2017
Overall Performance
Narration
Story

When History Merges

Told in leap-frogging chapters that span generations, Julie Kibler does a great job creating two distinct voices, settings, and tones. These voices are rounded out even more fully via the spot-on casting of Lorna Raver and Bahni Turpin. Listening as the two main characters’ histories merge and they come together is a delight.
by MissSusie 9/13/2017
Overall Performance
Narration
Story

Beautiful and heartbreaking

This is such a great story! But be careful where you read it and have tissues ready especially towards the end, I happened to be driving at the end of this one!

I fell in love with both of these characters Miss Isabelle and Dorrie were true friends even though such different people. Dorrie is an African American single mother and hairdresser who has been doing 89 year old Isabelle’s hair for over a year and they have grown close but when Isabelle asks Dorrie to drive her from Texas to Ohio for a funeral, Dorrie jumps at the chance to get away from her own troubles for awhile and help the old lady out.

This book is told in alternating chapters by Dorrie and Isabelle, Dorrie dealing with her own problems at home in the present day and Isabelle telling the story of her life; that when she was 17 in Kentucky in the 1930’s she fell in love with a black man and the consequences that occurred due to her actions. Isabelle’s story is so heartbreaking but beautiful and the friendship that grows between these two women is one of the best friendships out there. I adored this book and couldn’t put it down I didn’t want to stop listening I needed to know how the story played out because with each bombshell Isabella would drop you could see so many ways the story could go and most of them had very dire consequences.

I received the ebook galley of this book from netgalley then I heard that it was going to be narrated by, Bahni Turpin & Lorna Raver so of course I waited for the audiobook and I am so glad I did. These two are perfect for the characters Bahni as Dorrie and Lorna as Isabelle bring the emotion of this book bubbling to surface in waves of emotion that will make you feel everything these characters are going through. Loran Raver’s telling of Isabelle’s story is at times pure raw emotion that conveys so beautifully the heartbreak of her long life and Bahni Turpin’s Dorrie is smart yet has this soft vulnerable side that Turpin brings to life without flaw.

I highly recommend this book on audio with these two narrators how can you go wrong! This is one the best books I’ve read this year. If you like southern fiction and beautiful friendship stories give this book a try you won’t be disappointed!

5 stars

Author

Author Bio: Julie Kibler

Author Bio: Julie Kibler

Julie Kibler began writing her debut novel, Calling Me Home, after learning a bit of family lore: as a young woman, her grandmother fell in love with a young black man in an era and locale that made the relationship impossible. When not writing, she enjoys travel, independent films, music, photography, and corralling her teenagers and rescue dogs. She lives in Arlington, Texas.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download, Digital Rental, CD, MP3 CD
Category: Fiction
Runtime: 13.60
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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