The Rocks Audiobook By Peter Nichols cover art

The Rocks

A Novel

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The Rocks

By: Peter Nichols
Narrated by: Steve West
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“Irresistibly sunny… Set in the brightly lit Mediterranean amid old olive trees and sexual intrigue, music and wine and beautiful women... Propulsive.” –The New York Times Book Review

“The perfect book for pretending it's already beach season.” –O, The Oprah Magazine

A romantic page-turner propelled by the sixty-year secret that has shaped two families, four lovers, and one seaside resort community.

Set against dramatic Mediterranean Sea views and lush olive groves, The Rocks opens with a confrontation and a secret: What was the mysterious, catastrophic event that drove two honeymooners apart so suddenly and absolutely in 1948 that they never spoke again despite living on the same island for sixty more years? And how did their history shape the Romeo and Juliet–like romance of their (unrelated) children decades later? Centered around a popular seaside resort club and its community, The Rocks is a double love story that begins with a mystery, then moves backward in time, era by era, to unravel what really happened decades earlier.

Peter Nichols writes with a pervading, soulful wisdom and self-knowing humor, and captures perfectly this world of glamorous, complicated, misbehaving types with all their sophisticated flaws and genuine longing. The result is a bittersweet, intelligent, and romantic novel about how powerful the perceived truth can be—as a bond, and as a barrier—even if it’s not really the whole story; and how one misunderstanding can echo irreparably through decades. Fiction Sagas Romance Literary Fiction Family Life Genre Fiction Coming of Age Witty

Critic reviews

Praise for The Rocks

“A wondrous novel. The Rocks is clearly the odyssey Peter Nichols was born to undertake.” —Richard Russo

“A Mediterranean idyll, a family saga, a mystery. A love story that’s as weird as real life, as rich and surprising and tender and affecting. The Rocks is all these things. Like Beautiful Ruins, it reminds me of all the reasons I read novels.”—Jennifer Haigh, Pen/Hemmingway Award-winning author of Faith
All stars
Most relevant
Love, history, rich characters, excellent narrative--A clear winner
Sometimes I find stories that don't always refer to the year they are switching to, that I can lose my place in the story and consequently need to rewind.

A hit

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Would you listen to The Rocks again? Why?

Out of the hundreds of books in my library, this is the only one I listened to twice back to back.

What about Steve West’s performance did you like?

Steve West's performance was amazing. I enjoyed his interpretation of the different accents.

Any additional comments?

There were certain aspects of the story I didn't care for but the writing was so wonderfully descriptive I felt transported to exotic locales and because of this it was still a 5 star listen for me.

Oh, this made me want to go to Mallorca!

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This is a great book and I’ve enjoyed listening twice since I first located it.

However, Audibles ability to ensure the chapters follow the books chapters is abysmal and hence retracing / following the story very difficult without the book itself.
Audible please try harder!

Audible mixup

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A wonderful literary summer read! My only complaint is the reader's female voices all sounded the same and were a tad annoying. However don't let that keep you from an otherwise wonderful listen.

Excellently plotted novel

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Would you consider the audio edition of The Rocks to be better than the print version?

Not sure, probably not because I generally believe that the author meant the reader to bring his own voice(s), meter, emphasis to the book.

What did you like best about this story?

Location, location, location. I wanted very much to read a book that was infused with Majorca and this one is. I was slightly put off by the face that the village names and road names are fictitious, but there is enough context that you can get a pretty clear sense of where the story takes place in Majorca.

I also very much liked the multi-generational aspect of the story. It was very well crafted.

One of the main characters is very complicated - attractive and friendly, but also strict, willful, and, frankly, mean. The development of this character is very well done.

Have you listened to any of Steve West’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Who was the most memorable character of The Rocks and why?

Lulu for the reasons described above. Gerald is also memorable.

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: I am embarrassed to say that I have not read the Odyssey. Clearly, this story is tied up in the Odyssey in ways I will never know, but people who are better read than I will enjoy. There is no doubt in my mind that a reader will enjoy this book more if they know the Odyssey.

Geography Is Important

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