The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster
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The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kaye Gibbons (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 136 ratings
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This sequel to Gibbons' beloved classic Ellen Foster stands on its own as an unforgettable portrait of a redoubtable adolescent making herself up out of whole cloth. Now 15, Ellen is settled into a permanent home with a new mother. Strengthened by adversity and blessed with enough intelligence to design a salvation for herself, she still feels ill at ease in the world. Her sole surviving ritual, a visit to the county fair, takes on totemic importance. While she holds fast to the shreds of her childhood, humoring her best friend, Stuart, who is determined to marry her; and protecting her old neighbor, slow-witted Starletta, she negotiates her way into a larger world by selling her poetry to pay her way to a camp for gifted students. With a singular mix of perspicacity, naivete, and compassion, Ellen draws us into her life and makes us fall in love with her all over again.

BONUS: Features an exclusive interview with the author.

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  1. Listening Length
    4 hours and 57 minutes
  2. Author
    Kaye Gibbons
  3. Narrator
    Kaye Gibbons
  4. Audible release date
    December 21, 2005
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B000E1MW4W
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 57 minutes
Author Kaye Gibbons
Narrator Kaye Gibbons
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 21, 2005
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000E1MW4W
Best Sellers Rank #259,127 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#87,185 in Literature & Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#673,057 in Literature & Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
136 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Laura Read
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing View of Triumph threw Chaos
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
This novel speaks to the immense diversity of life experience provided in our world. May others land on the better side of the harm they face in life.
One person found this helpful
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Billie
3.0 out of 5 stars More to come?
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2016
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A good follow-up to the first book.
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Nancy O'Neill
4.0 out of 5 stars If you loved Ellen Foster, read this book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
I loved the book Ellen Foster and wasn’t sure if I would like this second book about her life. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.
2 people found this helpful
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John H. Duncan
5.0 out of 5 stars A sequel that stands on its own.
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2007
Verified Purchase
You fall in love all over again with Ellen Foster and her observations and experiences of the "life around" her. Kaye Gibbons does not disappoint. As a reader of all of Gibbons work and a native of NC, I am continually amazed at her ability to bring the essence of the South in both historical and personal perspectives. The description of the Moravians at the fair and the isolation that she felt at John Hopkins ring true as do the wonderful characters that fill in Ellen's life. For those who felt the dialogue awkward, I suggest a second reading and yes people do burn tires (it was the early 70's) and sell bad poetry - teacher's wouldn't have believed good poetry.
2 people found this helpful
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spicey
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2017
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a book
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Marcela Oleson
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2018
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The book was well written. The prose was interesting and flowed like a brook , at times like a river and even the sea at high tide.
I found Ellen Foster's story to be moving and challenging. Full of woe and challenges she found hope and happiness. Absolutely loved it!
One person found this helpful
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Cindy Frost
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014
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A sequel to Ellen Foster. I've read it twice, found the heroine to be larger than life, actually wished for a third book: the next part of her life.
One person found this helpful
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Brandi Easterling Collins
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to follow, but I love the character of Ellen Foster
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019
I adored "Ellen Foster," so I wanted to love this book too. I just didn't. The story itself was good, but the rambling writing style that made "Ellen Foster" unique (as if told by a child) made this book hard to follow. I would have hoped that our protagonist, Ellen, would have grown up and learned how to coherently express her thoughts at age 15. While the story was difficult to follow, I enjoyed the perseverance that young Ellen shows to fight for her future despite her rough beginning.
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