
The Turtle House
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Joy Osmanski
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Kelly Wilkinson
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By:
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Amanda Churchill
About this listen
“A heartbreakingly resonant debut, The Turtle House is a tender, big-hearted story about women, family, and the complicated history of Texas. These characters, and their tentative, flawed stumblings toward grace, will stay with me.”—Elizabeth Wetmore, author of Valentine
“Sweeping yet intimate, Amanda Churchill’s Turtle House spans cultures and continents. Minnie and her granddaughter Lia are unforgettable protagonists, whose grit and grace will inspire you. Together, they find a way through in this gripping debut.”—Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City
Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an emotionally engaging literary debut about a grandmother and granddaughter who connect over a beloved lost place and the secrets they both carry.
It’s spring 1999, and 25-year-old Lia Cope and her prickly 73-year-old grandmother, Mineko, are sharing a bedroom in Curtain, Texas, the ranching town where Lia grew up and Mineko began her life as a Japanese war bride. Both women are at a turning point: Mineko, long widowed, moved in with her son and daughter-in-law after a suspicious fire destroyed the Cope family ranch house, while Lia, an architect with a promising career in Austin, has unexpectedly returned under circumstances she refuses to explain.
Though Lia never felt especially close to her grandmother, the two grow close sharing late-night conversations. Mineko tells stories of her early life in Japan, of the war that changed everything, and of her two great loves: a man named Akio Sato and an abandoned Japanese country estate they called the Turtle House, where their relationship took root. As Mineko reveals more of her early life—tales of innocent swimming lessons that blossom into something more, a friendship nurtured across oceans, totems saved and hidden, the heartbreak of love lost too soon—Lia comes to understand the depth of her grandmother’s pain and sacrifice and sees her Texas family in a new light. She also recognizes that it’s she who needs to come clean—about the budding career she abandoned and the mysterious man who keeps calling.
When Mineko’s adult children decide, against her wishes, to move her into an assisted living community, she and Lia devise a plan to bring a beloved lost place to life, one that they hope will offer the safety and sense of belonging they both need, no matter the cost.
A story of intergenerational friendship, family, coming of age, identity, and love, The Turtle House illuminates the hidden lives we lead, the secrets we hold close, and what it truly means to find home again when it feels lost forever.
©2024 Amanda Churchill (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
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In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves.
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Interesting story took a while to get into.
- By Kayla B on 03-13-24
By: Ellen Baker
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The Wild Road Home
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson, Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.
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Good Story, Well Told
- By Jo from Texas on 11-04-24
By: Melissa Payne
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The Light Between Oceans
- A Novel
- By: M. L. Stedman
- Narrated by: Noah Taylor
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1918, after four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia to take a job as the lighthouse keeper on remote Janus Rock. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes only four times a year and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Three years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel is tending the grave of her newly lost infant when she hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up on shore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
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Wonderful story.....terrible narrator.
- By Sandra on 08-14-12
By: M. L. Stedman
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Bitter and Sweet
- A Lowcountry Novel
- By: Rhonda McKnight
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean, Lynnette R. Freeman
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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When summoned to Georgetown, South Carolina, sisters Mariah Clark and Sabrina Holland both assume their ailing grandfather's health has gotten worse. Neither expects their grandmother's undeniable request—save the family restaurant. Mariah is at a crossroad in her life. After being dumped by her husband and forced to walk away from their diner that she helped rescue from bankruptcy, bitter feelings consume her. Even though the restaurant has been in the family for eighty-six years, giving her all to another struggling business isn't something she wants to do.
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Great story & narration!
- By MyraRose on 09-07-24
By: Rhonda McKnight
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The Road from Belhaven
- A Novel
- By: Margot Livesey
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up in the care of her grandparents on Belhaven farm, Lizzie Craig discovers as a small child that she can see into the future. But her gift is selective—she doesn’t, for instance, see that she has an older sister who will come to join the family. As her “pictures” foretell various incidents and accidents, she begins to realize a painful truth: she may glimpse the future, but she can seldom change it. Nor can Lizzie change the feelings that come when a young man named Louis, visiting Belhaven for the harvest, begins to court her.
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Historical cultural context
- By Tullamore on 05-09-24
By: Margot Livesey
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Red Dog Farm
- A Novel
- By: Nathaniel Ian Miller
- Narrated by: Olafur Darri Olafsson
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up on his family’s cattle farm in western Iceland, young Orri has gained an appreciation for the beauty found in everyday things: the cavorting of a newborn calf, the return of birdsong after a long winter, the steadfast love of a good (or tolerably good) farm dog. But the outer world still beckons, so Orri leaves his no-nonsense Lithuanian Jewish mother and his taciturn father, Pabbi, to attend university in Reykjavík.
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So much animal death.
- By S. Nolte on 03-05-25
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The Lost Wife
- A Novel
- By: Alyson Richman
- Narrated by: George Guidall, Suzanne Toren
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of memory.
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Love, Strength & Survival
- By Sara on 01-27-14
By: Alyson Richman
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Crossing to Safety
- By: Wallace Stegner
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the finest American authors of the 20th century, Wallace Stegner compiled an impressive collection of accolades during his lifetime, including a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a National Book Award, and three O. Henry Awards. His final novel, Crossing to Safety is the quiet yet stirring tale of two couples that meet during the Great Depression and form a lifelong bond.
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Amazing Stegner and his beautiful last book
- By Rebecca on 11-16-13
By: Wallace Stegner
What listeners say about The Turtle House
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- J. Bedgood
- 03-16-24
The love of a granddaughter
What a wonderful turn of phrase Amanda has with her writing. I liked the shifts in times and the similarities to Minnie’s and Leah’s stories with overpowering men even generations apart. Both women were strong and resilient. Fantastic book!
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- Therese D. Detrich
- 05-18-24
A Timeless and Timely Read
Amanda Churchill’s novel provides insight into the anguish of being a Japanese-born immmigrant into the US after WWII. Minnie Cope marries an American soldier shortly after her homeland is bombed into submission by the U.S. A character of tremendous strength and keen insight, Minnie has survived war torn Japan through great sacrifice, sending money home to her family, which has never recognized her abilities. Through patience, determination and humor, Minnie learns to navigate a difficult marriage while finding ways to care for her children as she struggles to find acceptance. She and her granddaughter’s lives are thrown together, allowing them to peer at the parallel struggles each has faced or are facing. A wonderful book, painstakingly written, beautifully crafted.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-05-25
Different and moving
Very well enacted. A rich and moving story.
I liked the readers many voices for the characters and you’re able to see the story as it unfolds.
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- Desertdweller
- 03-24-24
The author captured stories that epitomize the indomitable human spirit. Delightful!
As an Audible version I found it difficult to stay on track with the treks from the future to the past and back.
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- Reading Grandma
- 07-10-24
At first the halting cadence of the narration bothered me, but then it added to the authenticity of the grandmother’s story
An interesting and compelling story of a Japanese war bride and her settlement into a new world. It gave me a perspective I’d never considered before. Thank you!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Carrie P
- 08-03-24
Disappointing
Such a great idea but it just never really got there. The end was so disappointing. It’s like the author got in a hurry and just ended it before it could be fleshed out.
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- warren
- 04-30-24
Absorbing multigenerational story of Japanese Americans
An excellent debut novel, capturing great emotional detail the struggles of a Japanese American family starting after World War II to the present time- the characters were extremely well done, and the narrator was superb, especially in the voice of the grandmother
I think it would be an excellent book club book because it embodies many important topics to discuss about Japanese Society and the post World War II Japanese American experience
Give it a try!
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-26-24
MUST READ
How is this book not on the NYT best seller list yet?! So well written! My mom group has a book club on the side, and this book was chosen because we live in the same town as the author. It was a totally random pick, and wow does it not disappoint. The audible was fantastic, and I was easily immersed into both of the main characters lives. Hoping for more great reads from this author!
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- Syd Young
- 03-03-24
Gorgeous
How can a book epitomize Texas and Japan, a woman’s strength and weaknesses, a great love and disaster, the sweeping saga of a people and time who were swept away by their demigod into lands never imagined and a land of a people who’s strength is their diversity, if only they’d see it. Amanda Churchill has written just such a book, and the narration of it is grand and simple, landing just right. I loved the architectural elements in the story, building the turtle house as a frame around the reader and story, so symbolic of hopes and dreams, and yet also a haunting symbol of the yearnings of time past. “Turtles are very good luck and mean a long life.”
This is the story of Mineko. And it is the story of Lia. Grandmother and granddaughter, never particularly close but full of familial love, find their way, together, as they examine their own lives.
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- Cathy C.
- 04-29-24
Loved it!
Very interesting story, great character development, wonderful descriptions without being too wordy. I enjoyed everything about this book and look forward to more by this author. The narrator was terrific, too!
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