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- Title: All Your Perfects: A Novel
- Author: Colleen Hoover
- Narrator: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 0.322222222
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 17-Jul
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Genre: Romance, Fiction & Literature, Contemporary, New Adult, Contemporary Women
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Listening to *All Your Perfects: A Novel* by Colleen Hoover, narrated by Madeleine Maby, felt like embarking on a deeply personal journey – one that unraveled the threads of love, heartbreak, and resilience with an intimacy that only the best storytellers can achieve.
I first encountered this audiobook during a quiet evening in Lisbon, sitting on the Alfama district’s cobblestone streets, where the melancholic strains of fado music drifted through the air. As I pressed play, Madeleine Maby’s voice took me far away from the bustle of the city and into the private, raw world of Quinn and Graham. Her narration, textured with emotion and precision, reminded me of evenings spent in Oaxaca, where an elderly matriarch captivated her family with stories. Maby’s performance, like that grandmother’s voice, carried the weight of lived experience – a delicate balance of heartbreak and hope that felt achingly authentic.
The story itself unfolds like a map of a long-married couple’s life – marked with the peaks of joy and the valleys of despair. Quinn and Graham’s relationship starts with a love so profound it seems unbreakable. But as Colleen Hoover so masterfully shows us, even the strongest love can be tested by life’s imperfections. The novel explores themes of infertility, communication barriers, and the silent erosion that can wear down even the most steadfast of bonds.
It struck a chord with me because it reminded me of a time when I was traveling through Patagonia with a couple who had been married for 40 years. They shared their moments of triumph and tribulation over mugs of mate, and I realized then that love is as much about perseverance as it is about passion. Hoover captures this truth in a way that feels heartbreakingly real, every word steeped in raw vulnerability.
Maby’s narration elevates this experience. Her ability to embody Quinn’s pain and Graham’s quiet desperation is extraordinary. You can almost hear Quinn’s voice crack under the weight of her sorrow, and Graham’s moments of tenderness feel like whispers meant for only you to hear. The pacing is impeccable, with Maby allowing the silences to stretch just long enough to sink into your chest like an ache that won’t go away. It’s this kind of storytelling that makes the audiobook experience so unique – the intimacy of hearing a story rather than reading it, the way a voice can bring characters to life in ways the page sometimes cannot.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its exploration of memory and the way it shapes our present and future. Hoover’s prose is deceptively simple, yet it’s layered with meaning. The alternating timelines – one showing the couple’s euphoric beginnings, the other their fraught present – serve as a poignant reminder of what’s at stake. It’s a narrative structure that mirrors the way we often cling to memories of better days when faced with hardship.
For me, it brought back memories of my first great love – the kind of love that feels invincible until the cracks begin to show. I remember listening to *One Hundred Years of Solitude* on audiobook while driving through the Atacama Desert, the surreal landscape perfectly mirroring the tangled emotions of García Márquez’s characters. In a similar vein, *All Your Perfects* juxtaposes beauty and pain, creating a listening experience that feels both cathartic and deeply personal.
As much as I admired the novel, it’s not without its limitations. Some readers may find Quinn’s character difficult to connect with at times; her pain is so consuming that it occasionally overshadows her other dimensions. However, this is less a flaw and more a testament to Hoover’s commitment to portraying the realities of grief and longing. It’s not always pretty, but it’s honest.
Comparing this to other works in the romance and contemporary fiction genre, *All Your Perfects* stands out for its emotional depth and refusal to shy away from uncomfortable truths. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s *After I Do* or Jojo Moyes’ *The Last Letter from Your Lover* will likely find themselves drawn to Hoover’s exploration of imperfect love. Yet, what sets this audiobook apart is Madeleine Maby’s narration, which adds an extra layer of poignancy that is hard to replicate in written form.
If you’re someone who values stories that delve into the complexities of human relationships, *All Your Perfects* is a must-listen. It’s a reminder that love, like life, is often messy and imperfect – but it’s in those imperfections that we find our greatest strengths. For anyone navigating their own struggles in relationships, it might just be the lifeline you didn’t know you needed.
To potential listeners, I’d recommend settling into a quiet space with this audiobook, perhaps with a cup of tea or under a warm blanket. Let Madeleine Maby’s voice draw you in and allow yourself to feel everything – the highs, the lows, and all the in-betweens. This is not just an audiobook; it’s an experience, a journey into the heart of what it means to love and be loved, flaws and all.
With every chapter, I found myself reflecting on my own relationships, the promises I’ve made, and the ones I’ve broken. It’s rare for a story to hold up a mirror so clearly, but *All Your Perfects* does just that in the gentlest, most heart-wrenching way. It’s a story I’ll carry with me for a long time, much like those quiet evenings in Oaxaca or that drive through the Atacama.
I hope this audiobook finds its way into your hands – or rather, your ears – and that it leaves you as moved and contemplative as it left me.
Warmly,
Marcus Rivera
May your stories always find their perfect endings, even in their imperfections. Warmly, Marcus Rivera
