Starburst

By: Robin Pilcher

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Every summer, the Edinburgh International Festival attracts celebrated artists, musicians, comedians, and actors to the beloved Scottish city. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the town to join in the magnificent celebration.

This year, the annual Edinburgh festival draws six unique and vibrant individuals, who all come together to follow their dreams and seek success, love, fame, and happiness: Angélique, the beautiful and renowned violinist whose fame hides her secret heartache; Tess, a member of the festival marketing team and a newlywed struggling with her own secrets; Roger, whose dazzling fireworks display will be the grand finale of the festival and his career; Leonard, the aging cinematographer who wants one last time to shine; Rene, the feisty comedienne who is reaching for the stars; and Jamie, the handsome young flat owner who brings everyone together and finds love along the way. Each of them is trying to discover what destiny holds in store, and during this one magnificent summer, paths cross and lives are forever changed.

Inspiring, funny, engrossing, and full of vivid descriptions of the incredible sights and sounds of Edinburgh, Starburst is another Pilcher winner.

©2007 Robin Pilcher (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"Dynamic...[a] nicely handled ensemble novel...Pilcher keeps the stage full of light and color." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Pilcher...tells a beautiful and cohesive story about the human spirit and our capacity for adaptation and growth." ( Booklist)

One of my favorites

Lovely gentle story of lives interwoven in the context of the famous international festival of Edinburgh Scotland. John Lee is, as always, exceptional at bringing this mixed cast of characters to life. Great writing, great reading, great listening! Thank you.

So glad I stuck with it

I thought about giving up on this book early on, but I'm so glad i stuck with it. Pretty soon it all came together. Many different stories and wonderful characters. I was very sad when it ended. The narration is out of this world. John Lee is outstanding! I love the other titles I've listened to by Robin Pilcher, and now this one too.

Double Entendre

It is hard not to like a book with Edinburgh as the background setting. AND, the mention of August,the month of festivals, theaters, plays, etc. brought special memories. The characters were well developed and fun to read about. I really liked the book and enjoyed seeing how the author brought the title into the lives of the characters.

Another Winner

Robin Pilcher has written his best novel since An Ocean Apart. It is always fun to travel to where Mr. Pilcher wants to carry us and the where he takes us along the way provides all the fun. Well written and adept at bringing the six uniquely different individuals together at the Festival.

kids loved bookcover

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

no, too lengthy. I will always recommend audiobooks narrated by John Lee, his performances are always worth it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Starburst?

There wasn't a memorable moment.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

I didn't have a favorite character. John Lee gave an excellent narration, that is the reason I chose to keep listening, because he keeps you listening.

If you could rename Starburst, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename it.

Any additional comments?

None

Quite enjoyable!

This is an enjoyable listening experience even if you are not at all familiar with Edinburgh and even more enjoyable if you are - because you've been on Prince's Street and to the Castle and Waverly Station and up and down the steep streets and can more easily envision what is happening. John Lee does a very good job with the various accents. There are different strands of the story with different sets of characters very well done - and they ARE tied back together, with the Festival as the unifying element. The listening hours go too quickly.