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A Tale for the Time Being
- Narrated by: Ruth Ozeki
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
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A Tale for the Time Being
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Publisher's Summary
Short-listed, Man Booker International Prize
A brilliant, unforgettable, and long-awaited novel from best-selling author Ruth Ozeki
"A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be."
In Tokyo, 16-year-old Nao has decided there's only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates' bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who's lived more than a century. A diary is Nao's only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.
Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao's drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.
Full of Ozeki's signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and listener, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.
What the critics say
“An exquisite novel: funny, tragic, hard-edged and ethereal at once.”—David Ulin, Los Angeles Times
“As contemporary as a Japanese teenager’s slang but as ageless as a Zen koan, Ruth Ozeki’s new novel combines great storytelling with a probing investigation into the purpose of existence. . . . She plunges us into a tantalizing narration that brandishes mysteries to be solved and ideas to be explored. . . . Ozeki’s profound affection for her characters makes A Tale for the Time Being as emotionally engaging as it is intellectually provocative.”—The Washington Post
“A delightful yet sometimes harrowing novel . . . Many of the elements of Nao’s story—schoolgirl bullying, unemployed suicidal ‘salarymen,’ kamikaze pilots—are among a Western reader’s most familiar images of Japan, but in Nao’s telling, refracted through Ruth’s musings, they become fresh and immediate, occasionally searingly painful. Ozeki takes on big themes . . . all drawn into the stories of two ‘time beings,’ Ruth and Nao, whose own fates are inextricably bound.”—The New York Times Book Review
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What listeners say about A Tale for the Time Being
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrea Isabel Álvarez Bazley
- 2019-08-17
Outstanding
Amazing story, so intricate, subtle and deep.
Performance by the author is stellar! So glad I listened to this before reading it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ekta
- 2022-05-14
Buddhist-approved
Compelling writing and narration by Ruth Ozeki. I like it when authors read their stories. I like that she did all the voices. Pronunciation, cultural references and Buddhist practices...Bravo!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-04-02
Didn't want it to end!
What a privilege to get to listen to this book told by Ruth Ozeki herself!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ashley a
- 2019-04-16
Lovely and captivating
The book itself is amazing but author narration just takes it to the next level.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sam
- 2023-04-12
Beautiful
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure of a story. I was pulled in instantly with the whimsy and realness of the main characters. I couldn’t get enough, yet it was just enough. Thank you for inviting to me to this story and introducing me to a unique view of Japanese culture
One of my all time favorite reads!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kathryn
- 2018-06-23
Amazing book that confronts the difficult
A difficult book for those who want easy answers. I see it as a serious exploration of death and life. Don't expect to not feel the pain of life. This book is much needed in such heartbreaking times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ailsa
- 2018-12-03
all-timer
I bought this audiobook 5 years ago now. I've listened to it more than 10 times - at least twice each year - and it never gets old, never loses one bit of its magic. the author narrates the story beautifully and intimately brings each character to life. in my opinion, there's nothing in this world better than the kind of fiction that sweeps you in and immerses you entirely. if that brings you as much joy as it does me, I highly recommend A Tale for the Time Being.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Hamish on the couch
- 2020-07-07
A book to savour multiple times
Every time I listen to this book, I see something i missed before. A Zen meditation wrapped in a novel.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jean
- 2021-11-05
a richly layered and remarkable story
This is among the finest booked I've read. unexpected turns, word play, and forays into the time space continuum make this a fascinating read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 2023-01-25
A New Favourite!
Wonderful book, sad at times but Ruth Ozeki has a way of blending world's together in just the right way. Narration was beautiful and easy to understand.
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