Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Masterpiece
- Author: Francine Rivers
- Narrator: Susan Bennett
- Length: 15:45:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 06/02/2018
- Publisher: Recorded Books
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Religious & Inspirational
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
The first time I pressed play on Francine Rivers’ “Masterpiece”, I was driving through the winding roads of Topanga Canyon – the very landscape where much of this poignant story unfolds. Susan Bennett’s voice filled my rental car with such warmth that I had to pull over at the next vista point, suddenly needing to absorb this narrative with my full attention. It reminded me of those magical evenings in Oaxaca, where stories weren’t just told but performed with the kind of emotional authenticity that lingers in your bones.
Rivers has crafted a modern parable of redemption that resonates deeply with anyone who’s ever felt like their past mistakes defined them. Roman Velasco, the tortured artist protagonist, could easily have been a caricature – the brooding bad boy with a heart of gold – but through Rivers’ nuanced writing and Bennett’s sensitive narration, he becomes achingly real. I found myself thinking of artists I’ve met in my travels, from the graffiti crews in Lisbon to the muralists in Bogotá, all using their art to exorcise personal demons.
The audiobook’s greatest strength lies in how Bennett captures the push-pull dynamic between Roman and Grace. Her performance of Grace – all quiet strength and guarded vulnerability – particularly moved me. There’s a scene where Grace describes her failed marriage that transported me back to a conversation I had with a woman in a Chilean café, her hands wrapped around a mug of mate as she whispered her own story of survival. Bennett delivers these moments with such restraint that the emotional impact sneaks up on you.
Rivers explores themes of identity and transformation with her characteristic spiritual depth, though never veering into preachiness. The metaphor of God as the ultimate artist shaping broken lives into masterpieces is woven throughout with subtlety. As someone who’s documented religious traditions from Mexican Day of the Dead ceremonies to Buddhist temple rituals, I appreciated how Rivers honors the messiness of faith journeys.
The production quality is excellent, with crisp audio that does justice to Bennett’s dynamic range. She particularly shines in differentiating characters – her male voices, always a challenge for female narrators, are distinct and believable without slipping into caricature. The pacing feels natural, allowing space for Rivers’ lyrical descriptions of California landscapes to breathe.
If I have one critique, it’s that some plot developments lean toward the predictable, particularly in the romantic arc. Yet Bennett’s narration elevates even these moments, finding emotional truth where a less skilled narrator might have leaned into melodrama.
For listeners who enjoy character-driven inspirational fiction, “Masterpiece” offers a rich audio experience. It pairs well with Rivers’ “Redeeming Love” or Lisa Wingate’s “Before We Were Yours”, though with a more contemporary setting. The themes of artistic expression and personal redemption also brought to mind “The Secret Life of Bees”, though Rivers’ spiritual perspective is more overt.
As I finished the audiobook, watching the sunset paint Topanga Canyon in golds and purples, I realized this story had done its work on me. Like all great art, it had cracked me open just a little – and that, perhaps, is the true measure of a masterpiece.
With ears open to stories that transform,
Marcus Rivera