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Desert Flowers  By  cover art

Desert Flowers

By: Paul Pen, Simon Bruni - translator
Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
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Publisher's summary

Rose and Elmer have created an idyllic sanctuary for themselves and their five daughters in Mexico's Baja California desert. Out there in the middle of nowhere, blissfully cut off from the burdens of modern society, they're free to raise their beautiful family...and preserve its secret.

And they're never giving it up.

Then a young hiker named Rick comes looking for a place to stay. It's just for the night, he says - but long enough for Rose and Elmer to fear they've made a horrible mistake. As the stranger grows more intrusive and more suspicious, the couple know they must do what they can to protect themselves. What they don't know is that Rick has a secret, too. Soon, home and family will prove to be as cold and dark as the desert nights. And even with so many places to run, there's still no escape from the past that binds them.

©2017 Paul Pen. Translation copyright 2017 Simon Bruni. (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Desert Flowers

Average customer ratings
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • TS
  • 12-12-17

Well played Mr. Pen, well played...

I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to listen to and had a good story line. I got into the characters and found myself really vested in the outcome.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quite a twist!

I had to keep listening ! and with each new chapter I found I had to listen more. It's a story of a family and the Stranger who comes into their lives. sometimes it made my frustrated especially with the oldest dsughter Iris. I wasn't expecting the end, the suprising end both filled me with sadness and satisfaction. I want to read more by this author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Paul Pen is now in my top 3 favorite authors!

Do not hesitate to use your credit for Paul Pen! This book is outstanding! The Light of the Fireflies is also not to be missed! Enjoy!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Desert Flowers

Can see a second part , was very descriptive and left me wishing for one thing but being surprised at ending. Really enjoyed his writing, left me wondering.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written and well narrated.

Though this story did include some disturbing and awkward scenes, the characters were so diverse and dynamic that they all alone with their unique and identifiable personalities. The narrator honored the story and characters with unique character voices throughout the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Didn't Disappoint!

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book... probably because of some of the reviews.
As soon as I started listening I was hooked. I do agree with a few of the reviews that felt that the ending left a lot of room for a sequel! Emily Sutton-Smith was awesome as usual!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Terrible Ending

This story and narration were so addicting I couldn't stop listening - which makes an ending like this even more irritating. Great mystery until the last hour which sadly ruined the entire experience .

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • di
  • 10-20-18

Fantastic read. Paul pen is a great writer can't wait to read his other books.

I loved this book it brought you in from the beginning.,I like books that do this.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow to start but interesting story

The story was slow to get started. I didn't really like the characters. Their behaviors were not realistic and more convenient for whatever direction the author wanted to take the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent story, Narration could be better

I absolutely loved this story. It was so bittersweet and beautiful. Very well written, good pacing, great tone, excellent climax and pay off. However, I wish the voice actor gave Elmer’s character a little more emotion to his voice. All of his dialogue was delivered in the same exact tone and never really matched with what was being said or felt by him in that moment. It kind of ruined his character a bit for me because he basically has no emotion in this reading.

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