
Sweet Ruin
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.05
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ellen Archer
-
By:
-
Cathi Hanauer
About this listen
Thirty-seven-year-old Elayna Leopold used to be a New York magazine editor, until she and her young family moved to suburban New Jersey. Two years ago, the death of an infant son sent her into a deep depression, a darkness that begins to lift in the company of a handsome, unattached neighbor. As she fights yearnings that could destroy everything that gives her life shape, a threat to her young daughter's welfare emerges from an unlikely source, throwing Elayna's questionable morality into stark relief and forcing her to make choices she never dreamed she would have to make.
Smart and gripping, Elayna's story raises heart-rendering questions about the challenges of ordinary life (marriage, career, independence, and sexuality) that have no easy answers. Sweet Ruin is a triumph of contemporary fiction from a writer known for her candor and wisdom.
©2006 Cathi Hanauer (P)2006 Tantor Media IncListeners also enjoyed...
-
Sundays at Tiffany's
- By: James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother, Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. She does have one friend - Michael - but no one can see him except her. When Jane is in her 30s, working for her mother's company, she is just as alone as she was as a child. Then she finds Michael again - handsome and just the same as she remembers him, only now he's not imaginary.
-
-
Not your average James Patterson
- By Susan on 06-23-08
By: James Patterson, and others
-
The Summer I Turned Pretty
- By: Jenny Han
- Narrated by: Lola Tung
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
-
-
FOR TEENS
- By Bradley Cooper on 06-23-22
By: Jenny Han
-
If You Only Knew
- By: Kristan Higgins
- Narrated by: Xe Sands, Amy Rubinate
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate understands the happily ever after business, yet somehow she's still involved in her ex-husband's life. In fact Owen's new wife may - inexplicably - be Jenny's new best friend. Sensing this, well, relationship isn't helping her move on, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she'll be able to bask in her sister Rachel's picture-perfect family life...and hopefully make one of her own.
-
-
Great story and amazing performance!
- By Rannie on 07-27-16
By: Kristan Higgins
-
On Second Thought
- By: Kristan Higgins
- Narrated by: Sands Xe, Amy Rubinate
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ainsley O'Leary is so ready to get married - she's even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn't anticipate is for Eric to blindside her with a tactless breakup he chronicles in a blog - which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her half sister, Kate, who's already struggling after the sudden loss of her new husband.
-
-
A Wonderful Story!!
- By VickyJ on 03-19-17
By: Kristan Higgins
-
Orange Mint and Honey
- By: Carleen Brice
- Narrated by: Cherise Booth
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After grad school, Shay Dixon feels like she's had enough for awhile. Inspired by her spiritual adviser - a soul-soothing blues player named Nina Simon - Shay calls her estranged mother Nona for the first time in years, and shocks herself by asking if it would be okay to come home for a while.
-
-
One For The Money
- By DiaRose on 09-25-17
By: Carleen Brice
-
F*ck Love
- By: Tarryn Fisher
- Narrated by: Marisa Vitali
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Helena Conway has fallen in love. Unwillingly. Unwittingly. But not unprovoked. Kit Isley is everything she's not - unstructured, untethered, and not even a little bit careful. It could all be so beautiful...if he wasn't dating her best friend. Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others. Until she doesn't.
-
-
Left me feeling confused?
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 09-15-16
By: Tarryn Fisher
-
Sundays at Tiffany's
- By: James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother, Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. She does have one friend - Michael - but no one can see him except her. When Jane is in her 30s, working for her mother's company, she is just as alone as she was as a child. Then she finds Michael again - handsome and just the same as she remembers him, only now he's not imaginary.
-
-
Not your average James Patterson
- By Susan on 06-23-08
By: James Patterson, and others
-
The Summer I Turned Pretty
- By: Jenny Han
- Narrated by: Lola Tung
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
-
-
FOR TEENS
- By Bradley Cooper on 06-23-22
By: Jenny Han
-
If You Only Knew
- By: Kristan Higgins
- Narrated by: Xe Sands, Amy Rubinate
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate understands the happily ever after business, yet somehow she's still involved in her ex-husband's life. In fact Owen's new wife may - inexplicably - be Jenny's new best friend. Sensing this, well, relationship isn't helping her move on, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she'll be able to bask in her sister Rachel's picture-perfect family life...and hopefully make one of her own.
-
-
Great story and amazing performance!
- By Rannie on 07-27-16
By: Kristan Higgins
-
On Second Thought
- By: Kristan Higgins
- Narrated by: Sands Xe, Amy Rubinate
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ainsley O'Leary is so ready to get married - she's even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn't anticipate is for Eric to blindside her with a tactless breakup he chronicles in a blog - which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her half sister, Kate, who's already struggling after the sudden loss of her new husband.
-
-
A Wonderful Story!!
- By VickyJ on 03-19-17
By: Kristan Higgins
-
Orange Mint and Honey
- By: Carleen Brice
- Narrated by: Cherise Booth
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After grad school, Shay Dixon feels like she's had enough for awhile. Inspired by her spiritual adviser - a soul-soothing blues player named Nina Simon - Shay calls her estranged mother Nona for the first time in years, and shocks herself by asking if it would be okay to come home for a while.
-
-
One For The Money
- By DiaRose on 09-25-17
By: Carleen Brice
-
F*ck Love
- By: Tarryn Fisher
- Narrated by: Marisa Vitali
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Helena Conway has fallen in love. Unwillingly. Unwittingly. But not unprovoked. Kit Isley is everything she's not - unstructured, untethered, and not even a little bit careful. It could all be so beautiful...if he wasn't dating her best friend. Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others. Until she doesn't.
-
-
Left me feeling confused?
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 09-15-16
By: Tarryn Fisher
-
The Opposite of Me
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Pekkanen
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-nine-year-old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her ravishingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named VP creative director of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of 80-plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully constructed life implodes. Humiliated, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home.
-
-
Wonderful Story of Sisters
- By Dmc on 12-24-18
By: Sarah Pekkanen
-
My Life Next Door
- By: Huntley Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: Amy Rubinate
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not: loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, 17-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them...until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
-
-
A well written coming of age book
- By Ezinwanyi on 10-23-15
-
Inheriting Edith
- A Novel
- By: Zoe Fishman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For years Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies, leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance - a house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: the deceased's 82-year old mother, Edith.
-
-
Narrator is distracting.
- By Onelove on 05-13-20
By: Zoe Fishman
-
Skipping a Beat
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Pekkanen
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
High-school sweethearts Julia and Michael have left their humble West Virginia roots far behind for a glamorous life in Washington, D.C. As they achieve more in their careers - she as a high-end events planner, he as the CEO of his own sports-drink company - they lose themselves as a couple.
-
-
Excellent!!
- By Elizabeth on 09-26-16
By: Sarah Pekkanen
-
Like a House on Fire
- By: Lauren McBrayer
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 12 years of marriage and two kids, Merit has begun to feel like a stranger in her own life. She loves her husband and sons, but she desperately needs something more than sippy cups and monthly sex. So, she returns to her career at Jager + Brandt, where a brilliant and beautiful Danish architect named Jane decides to overlook the “break” in Merit’s résumé and give her a shot.
-
-
Been there
- By M. Barn on 05-11-22
By: Lauren McBrayer
-
Shelter Me
- By: Juliette Fay
- Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
the tradition of Marisa de los Santos and Anne Tyler comes a moving debut about a young mother’s year of heartbreak, loss, and forgiveness—and help that arrives from unexpected sources.
-
-
Beware of swearing
- By Judith A Casey on 02-07-21
By: Juliette Fay
-
The Scent of Hours
- A Novel
- By: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nikki Bridges has it good. An enviable home in an upscale neighborhood, a heavenly-scented hobby making personal-blend perfumes, a cherished daughter, and comfortable rituals with a husband she loves. How was she to know it would all blow up with her husband’s affair, a blindsiding divorce, and an identity crisis she never saw coming? With little money, less work experience, and a modest apartment, Nikki is tentatively moving on. Along the way: a waitressing job, a bond with an empathetic group of friends, and reentering the dating game at fortysomething.
-
-
Good healing example
- By Lynn on 04-19-25
By: Barbara O'Neal
-
Things You Won't Say
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Pekkanen
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There's been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn't hurt, but his longtime partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband's insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting - but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.
-
-
Perfect for my long car ride
- By CMSCO on 06-04-15
By: Sarah Pekkanen
-
If You Ask Me
- By: Libby Hubscher
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Violet Covington pens "Dear Sweetie", the most popular advice column in the state of North Carolina. She has an answer for how to politely handle any difficult situation...until she discovers her husband, Sam, has been cheating on her. Furious and out of sensible solutions, Violet leaves her filter at the door and turns to her column to air her own frustrations. The new, brutally honest Dear Sweetie goes viral, sending more shock waves through Violet’s life.
-
-
Enjoyable imperfection …
- By Amazon Customer on 01-17-23
By: Libby Hubscher
-
Love Walked In
- By: Marisa de los Santos
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
-
-
Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
-
Portland Devils Boxed Set
- Silver-Tongued Devil, No Kind of Hero, Shame the Devil
- By: Rosalind James
- Narrated by: Emma Wilder, Tanya Eby
- Length: 41 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rosalind James brings her sports-romance chops to three tales of football, family, and fantasy of the steamy variety. There’s more than one way to play the game, and there’s definitely more than one way to win. Meet a bossy retired quarterback with a bad knee, a coveralls-wearing, house-painting stained-glass artist who’s nobody’s pushover, a lawyer who schedules her own breakdown, a single mom who knows the cheapest cut of every meat, prize bull Marble Hill Ranch No. 11, and more.
-
-
Such a great collection of stories!
- By Cynthia Day on 09-03-24
By: Rosalind James
-
Love at Last
- By: Claudia Connor
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Easy to love, easy to leave. With her ex-fiance's words, "I'm in love with someone else," still ringing in her ears, Clare Franklin flies off on her would-be honeymoon alone. Resigned to the fact that not everyone gets a happily ever after, she's sworn off men. Until she gets tangled up, quite literally, with one very sexy veterinarian. The only thing Dr. Deacon Montgomery is looking to share is his surgical expertise, but his instant attraction to Clare makes him wonder if he could be more than just a doctor and daddy to his twin two-year-old daughters.
-
-
Beautiful, Slow Burn Romance!
- By kgagnon on 07-24-18
By: Claudia Connor
Critic reviews
"Given Hanauer's keen perceptions and delicate sensitivity, one cannot help but acutely feel the emotional and moral turmoil engulfing this winsome young wife and mother." (Booklist)
"Excellent characterizations....Dialogue and the spot-on representation of the family dynamic make this book difficult to put down." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Sweet Ruin
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Texasrodie
- 12-15-06
Great untill ending
I really got into this book, it had a good story and the narrating was great. But I was so disappointed in the ending or should I say lack of ending. I wish the author at written one more chapter.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- S
- 04-22-08
enjoyable
I enjoyed the reader and the story. the characters were authentic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James Parrish
- 04-10-22
Lowlife Cheating Wife
She didn’t deserve her husband or her daughter. Hopefully Paul will get a DNA test and divorce her. Selfish and lowdown woman that didn’t deserve a happy ending. She put her child in danger with a pedophile sho she could screw a kid. She was no better than her dad.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Mandy
- 11-13-06
Best so far this year!
Wow! And you thought 30 somthing year old Mommys had a boring life? The characters and plot are so very realistic. This really could happen and probably does every day. Don't be shocked... this ones steamy, but not in a cheesy silly romance novel kind of way.
The narrator was awesome. I did not have to struggle to hear what she was saying, nothing was muffled or distorted by any kind of strong accent. Just very nice smooth voice with the exception of the little girl who tends to be a little whiney for my tastes.
This truly was one of my favorites this year. You may also enjoy Between, Georgia and What Comes After Crazy. All are pretty much in the same genre of womens fiction. Meant for those over 30 years old.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- suzanne
- 02-08-09
pretty dull
Well, I was able to finish it, but it never got better. It wasn't so bad that I stopped listening, but I was really happy when it was done and I could move onto another book. I would not waste your credit on this one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful