Seeking Sara Summers

By: Susan Gabriel

Narrated by: Susan Gabriel

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Sara Summers Stanton has raised three children and works as a high school teacher at the same school she attended growing up. Her 25-year marriage is showing cracks in the facade and now she's dealing with breast cancer. In a rare moment of taking care of herself instead of everyone else, Sara takes a sabbatical and goes on the trip to Italy she has always dreamed of taking. This search for a more authentic life leads to Julia, a friend she hasn't seen since they were inseparable as girls, nearly 30 years earlier.

They reunite in Florence and their friendship continues where they left off, resulting in an unexpected attraction to each other that threatens to turn Sara's already shaky world upside down. What do you do if you fall in love with your best friend? Sara's inner conflict and subsequent choices reveal an unpredictable yet dynamic future for all the characters. Seeking Sara Summers is an emotional and lyrical novel, a timeless story about love, commitment, and transformation.

©2008 Susan Gabriel (P)2013 Susan Gabriel

A classy love story with wonderful Italian setting

I’ve read (or listened to) plenty of fiction in my life, everything from junky beach books to classic literature. I loved this audiobook. Gabriel is a clever, funny, profound writer who quickly takes you into the inner world of her characters, while taking you on an external journey that kept me listening. Sara’s character comes across very clearly and her transformation is inspiring. Big life changes in middle age are rarely easy and the author treats the challenges intelligently. A really satisfying story. And I enjoyed the narration a lot!

Good story not so good narration

Really wish the author didn't attempt to read her own book. I enjoyed the premise of the story and it wasn't badly written but it was sometimes hard to get through the narration.

Good book!

Enjoyable book and a story that rings true for a lot of women in their 40’s-50’s. Makes me want to take a trip to Italy. The main character is weak and whiny at times which was somewhat annoying. I️ did not particularly enjoy the performance of the author. I️ feel the story may have told better by someone else but that is just my opinion. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.

Narration

The book was very good. Nice easy read. However the narration was awful. Broken up, voice had no emotion and you could hear background noises.

A story of renewal and love

Sara and Julia renew their friendship after years apart. The changes in Sara’s life lead to her awakening to new horizons. But changing a life of doing ones duty is near impossible. A visit to Italy opens a gate to possibly.

Totally Captivating

This story had me in its grips from beginning to end. I was not sure how such conflict could be resolved, but the plot was woven into a beautiful conclusion. Gabriel is a masterful writer.

Good read!

I enjoyed the story but I wish the narrator was a little more animated. The story took some nice unexpected turns.

Couldn't Make It

Not sure if the story was good or not. The narration put me to sleep. Her monotone voice made it too boring to go on.

Dated, Overly Dramatic, Monotone Narration

The headline pretty well conveys my feelings. I was surprised when I saw that the publication date was 2008, it felt more like the late 80's, early 90's. None of the characters seemed three dimensional and Sara acted out as if she were sixteen years old. Finally, as so often is the case the writer doesn't make a very good narrator as she drones barely changing tones throughout the reading. It's too bad because this could have been a pretty good love story. If you enjoyed the theme you might like French Summer by Lise Gold or French Lessons by Natalie Vivien.