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    Morning Glory
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    Morning Glory
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    Morning Glory
    Audiobook9 hours

    Morning Glory

    Written by Sarah Jio

    Narrated by Emily Durante

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In a Seattle houseboat community, the artistic spirit that has flourished since the 1950s may have ended one life yet saved another.

    On Seattle's Lake Union floats Boat Street. The farthest slip on the dock holds a houseboat sided with weathered cedar shingles and trailing morning glory, the white flowering vine whose loveliness is deceiving. In the 1950s, Penny, newly Mrs. Dexter Wentworth, takes up residence, dreaming of fulfillment as the muse to a successful local artist destined for national renown. In present day, Ada Santorini is drawn to the same floating home, hoping its gentle rocking will lull the pain of the personal tragedy that drove her from New York City.

    As Ada settles in, she discovers a trunk full of mementos of a radiant love affair that unfolded in Seattle's most iconic locales. Neighbors reveal little about the past, only that the beautiful and mysterious Penny had a hold on all who knew her. The travel writer in Ada senses the journey of a lifetime. On Boat Street, Penny's mysterious past and Ada's own clouded future are destined to converge.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 26, 2013
    ISBN9781480541986
    Unavailable
    Morning Glory

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    Reviews for Morning Glory

    4/5

    103 ratings32 reviews

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    • 4/5
      quite an enjoyable story...also suspenseful. I found myself getting tense wondering what happened to one of the characters. Even read ahead. The ending had me totally surprised. I'd recommend this to others and will read another of her books.
    • 4/5
      I want to live on a houseboat! Like her predecessor book [Violets of March], Morning Glory is a romance and a mystery, woven between today's world and an earlier, more innocent, time, and based in the Seattle area. Very readable.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to read this for two reasons: I've liked Jio's stories (usually blending two stories, one historic, one modern day) together, and I also participated in a vote for the cover, though my chosen cover didn't win.Present day story involves Ada, who, while recovering from a personal catastrophe, has left her job for a prestigious New York magazine, and rented a house boat in Seattle (yes, the very setting for that movie.) Backstory is about Penny, the young wife of a Seattle painter, who lived in the very houseboat Ada is renting, and who disappeared years ago, the mystery still unsolved. Some of the characters in each stories overlap; each involves a heart-winning man with a backstory of his own.Both stories provided glimpses into worlds I never would have wandered.I've taken to reading on our balcony in the springtime afternoon sun, before the weather turns too hot. This was a great balcony read.
    • 4/5
      I love Sarah's books - how we hear about current and past people and how they intertwine.

      This was the story of Penny,and Ada.

      Penny meets her husband on her way to finishing school, marries him and they live on a houseboat.

      Many many many years later Ada had a tragedy happen and leaves NY to spend the summer on that same houseboat.

      A great story of love, lose, friendship, houseboats, and even a few recipes thrown in.

      My only problem with this one is once I heard Penny's chapter it took me a moment to realize that Ada didn't know what I did.

      Question.... why was Ester included in this book?



    • 4/5
      A good read, though a little slow. Ada is dealing with loss when she rents a houseboat in Seattle. She finds mystery and friendship & love in the course of the summer.The mystery was very sad...love, betrayal, loss.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed "Morning Glory," although perhaps not as much as the authors other books. I felt like I was waiting for a payoff... and when it came, it wasn't the one I wanted. In particular I wasn't fond of the last chapter, but that's only my opinion. Still looking forward to her next one!
    • 5/5
      A brilliant, poignant, and heart-wrenching story that spins a tale of twisting emotions - a story you don't want to miss. This is definitely a 5 star novel!
    • 4/5
      Morning Glory is my first novel by Sarah Jio in spite of having some of her previous books (The Violets of March and The Last Camellia) on my to-be-read list for quite some time. Name recognition is a big pull for me, so when I picked up Morning Glory I made it a priority - I had to read something by Jio and this is where I would be starting. The end result is enough pleasure that I am bumping up her other books and looking forward to reading them. Still, Morning Glory was not quite perfect and in this review I'll be discussing a few of the things I had a bit of an issue with (although, mind you, it wasn't enough of an issue for this to be a negative review!)Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 15, 2013.
    • 4/5
      Having read all of Sarah Jio's novels, I was super excited to win this through the Early Reviewers program. But as I was reading this novel, I couldn't help but think that with this, her fifth novel, Ms. Jio is following a formula for her novels: 1. Something bad/emotional happens to woman in modern day. 2. Something bad/emotional also happened to woman in past. 3. Modern day woman finds unexpected love while also stumbling upon the "mystery" of the woman in the past. 4. Coincidences between modern day and the past abound. 5. Mystery solved.6. Happy ending.Don't get me wrong, the story was engrossing as it traveled back and forth from the past to modern day, and it kept me reading, to find out what was going to happen. The setting, a houseboat community on Seattle's Lake Union, was interesting. But at times the story was just too predictable, and some of the characters actions were unrealistic. Modern-day Ada is a stereotypical Type A working mom that had a REALLY BAD THING happen to her. Past-time Penny was a weak, naive girl who married a man 20 years her senior who didn't treat her right. Something REALLY BAD happened to Penny in the past. Ada is uncovering clues to find out what happened to Penny, as she also is getting over her own REALLY BAD THING. If you've liked Ms. Jio's other novels, you'll like this one too. It's a quick, easy read. But don't expect anything new or different. Ms. Jio is a talented writer - I hope that with her next novel, she can break free of this formula and write a story with more depth to it.
    • 4/5
      I have read and enjoyed numerous other books by Ms. Jio and MORNING GLORY is no exception. I constantly enjoy the way the author weaves the stories from the past and present into one cohesive storyline. For awhile I actually thought this story could have been titled MOURNING GLORY and it would have been just as accurate. I felt sympathy for the tragic deaths of Ada Santorini's husband and daughter. I applauded her efforts to move on with her life including moving from the East Coast to the West Coast in effort to start again. The romance between Ada and Alex as the contemporary portion of the story. Their burgeoning love affair seemed to follow the path of Penny and Collin's affair from the past. The ending was a bit of a surprise and a let down (can't reveal too much or you won't read it yourself). Overall I found this to be another well-written, dramatic and romantic story by Ms. Jio. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
    • 4/5
      This story reminds me of the TV show Cold Case. It's not just a time slip chronicling two separate stories in two different eras. It's a mystery and as the modern-day heroine digs for answers, the past subtly unfolds, the overlap growing blurry. At times I could visualize the fifties' people standing there looking on, watching from the sidelines as their past was put together and the mystery solved.As always, Ms. Jio impresses me with her writing skills. She's one of the best. Even when I don't care for the actions of some of her characters, I find myself utterly immersed, dying to know what happens next.In the fifities, a woman went missing from her houseboat one night, leaving behind an artist husband, a little neighbor boy who adored her, a boat-maker who wanted her, and a community of people intent on hiding the truth. Did she just sail away? Did someone kill her?The modern-day heroine becomes obsessed with finding out as she resides on the missing woman's former houseboat, recovering from a great loss. The past story is about how you can't play games without others, and possibly yourself. The past heroine messes with people's hearts, can't make up her mind who she wants to be with. The modern-day heroine's story has a theme of moving on, of learning to live with grief.I didn't like Penny, the past heroine. I saw a woman playing games, weak. I like strength in a woman and by strength, I totally realize it doesn't mean wielding a sword or whatever, but strength comes in many forms and this woman had next to none. Her actions were not strong, but selfish. She wanted to bounce man to man, to whomever it was convenient to be with at that moment. She lived in a shadow of another man, was a submissive wallflower. The conclusion in the end, even that was selfish. What she allows people to believe...someone will pay for that, just not her.But I have to admit, despite my dislike of one of the heroine, I was very intrigued by the mystery. It takes a talented writer to keep me interested when I so blatantly dislike its heroine. Now, Ada, the modern-day woman, was strong. I appreciated the theme of overcoming grief without dishonoring the deceaseds' memories.Once again, Jio delivers a great story.
    • 5/5
      I love Jio. Every book she writes is pure magic. She has a way with story telling that few can match. She has great stories, great characters and original stories. There are a few authors that leave you craving the next book by the author even before you finish the one you are currently reading. That is what Jio does for me. She is pure, raw talent!!! Love...I HIGHLY recommend ANY of her brilliant books and MORNING GLORY is up there as one of my favorite titles by Jio!!!!
    • 3/5
      Fast, easy and entertaining read. Not realistic, more like a modern-day fairy tale. But still an interesting setting and a fun story.
    • 5/5
      This is another quick read by Sarah Jio. I have read all her books and have enjoyed every one of them. Morning Glory was no exception. I loved the setting of this novel.It made me want to live in a boat house and be a part of the community on Boat Street. I loved both the present and past stories and was interested in all the characters lives.
    • 3/5
      3.0 out of 5 stars - "Because happiness doesn't help you to grow. Only unhappiness does that."Fleeing tragedy, and fighting a paralyzing depression, Ada Santorini decides to rent a houseboat on Union Lake in Seattle. Once there, she finds healing in a most fairy-tale like manner and helps solve a decades old mystery.The best thing about this novel was the vivid description of life aboard the houseboat and details about the almost clan-like atmosphere among the neighbors living on the dock. I want to live on a houseboat! The story is predictable romance and the characters don't really have much depth, but it was a sweet story if you're in the mood for that.ARC compliments of LibraryThing Early Reviewer.
    • 5/5
      a most excellent 5 star read...:)Well, I did not see that ending coming! I liked it. I do feel bad for Jimmy though.Ada is trying to recover from a tradgedy and decides renting a houseboat in Seatle is just what she needs to heal. Life on the water in a houseboat atracts some fun, quirly and sad people. Ada comes upon a trunk left by a woman who lived on the boat many, many years ago and stumbles upon an old mystery no one is too willing to talk about.As Ada delves back in time trying to unravel this 50 year old secret she starts to forget and heal from her own hurt and finds a whole new life opening up for her. Reading Sarah Jio is knowing you will have a satisfying and mysterious good read!
    • 5/5
      This novel really reinforced my love for all of Sarah Jio's novels. This does follow the same vein of most of her other novels as that it follows two women (one from the past and one from the present) that are struggling with sadness in their life. Ada is the woman from the present and she is struggling with a tragedy she faced that took her family away from her, while Penny is the woman from the past and she is dealing with the loneliness she feels as her artist husband is constantly away from her.I always enjoy that in Sarah Jio's novels both women have such striking similarities in their lives. I loved getting to read about both the women's' interactions with the same people, and seeing how those characters have grown since 1959. One thing that I thought was a bit awkward about this book was the scene in which we finally find out how Ada's family died. Maybe it was the way they died but it just seemed very abrupt and very awkward.I was kept guessing throughout the book as to what really happened to Penny. Most of the time I was wrong. I really loved all the twists at the end, and was pretty excited that I did manage to guess some of them. If you are a fan of Sarah Jio's other novels, you will love this one.[I received this book from a LIbrarything Early Reviewers Giveaway. The content of my review is not affected by that in any way.]
    • 5/5
      This was my first Sarah Jio novel, and I am hooed! Can't wait to read the rest of her books.I enjoyed everything about this book, and I must say - I did not see the ending coming. wow.
    • 4/5
      Although I have heard of the author's other titles, this was the first of her books that I have read. I found it to be a wonderful story. I enjoyed the connections between the two women who both called the same houseboat home. They were both endearing characters dealing with tragic episodes in their lives. The connection in the stories was very well done and made a compelling read. I have struggled lately with finding a book to really sink into and not want to set aside. This one did that and more. I couldn't stop thinking about the story, or how it was going to end. Ms. Jio writes beautifully and made me care about each of her characters. Even the most unlikeable, to my great surprise, I found some sympathy for by the conclusion. This is a story that is both believable and yet has touches of a fairy tale. Not quite "happily ever after" in entirety, the ending still is happy and will put a smile on the reader's face. I will happily look for and read her other titles, and I thank First to Read for the opportunity to sample this book.
    • 5/5
      Another excellent book from Sarah Jio, parallel stories merge to create an incredible read.
    • 4/5
      Morning Glory by Sarah JioHave read many of the author's other works and really appreciated the feeling that she knows me and what I'm going through.This story is about Ada who's left NYC and arrived in Seattle. The houseboats we had visited ourselves a few years ago and love the descriptions of not only the floating houses but the calming effect and the sites of the city. We've yet to visit Glass Works but hope to this year with a kite.Also Penny and Dexter have alternating chapters-they also live on Boat Street. Such a caring community...Bach on the Dock like a block party sounded real fun!Realize a few chapters in that Penny and Dexter lived in the houseboat Ada is renting many years prior. She finds a trunk and lots of treasure and so many mysteries to solve. Love the legends of the morning glory vines.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written with engaging characters you can empathize with and grow to live in their own way. And an ending you will be surprised at, I never figured it out so I was amazing!
    • 5/5
      Good story, kept me wanting to know what happened to Penny. Narrator did a good job which is so important. I've stopped many audiobooks because of a bad narrator.
    • 5/5
      Penny is a newlywed in the 1950s, married to the famous artist Dexter Wentworth living in a houseboat in Washington State; Ada is a young widow grieving her husband and daughter about 50 years later who moves from New York City to that same houseboat to help move on with her life away from the pitiful, caring looks of those she knew. As she begins to find that life can still hold some happiness for her, Ada finds an old chest of Penny’s, and learns that there are secrets kept by the longtime residents of Boat Street.Both Penny and Ada were characters I cared about and hoped the best for. The writing is strong and the two tales are woven together well and with good pacing. The book kept me up past my bedtime. While these are all strong signs, I didn’t love it so much that it was a five star read.
    • 3/5
      Set in Seattle's Lake Union houseboat community, Morning Glory focuses on the dual lives of Penny, a housewife in the 1950s, and Ada, a widowed former magazine editor in modern times. After a tragic accident took the lives of Ada's husband and young daughter, she leaves New York and rents the houseboat from which Penny mysteriously disappeared. After Ada leaves her journalism career, she becomes wrapped up in solving the mystery of Penny whose trunk she finds in the houseboat. With the help of an attractive war photojournalist turned food photographer, Ada discovers the secrets of Boat Street.

      Morning Glory alternates with a split narrative from the perspective of Ada and Penny, which immediately drew me into the story. It's a nice combination of a missing person/murder mystery combined with romance. This was a fun read and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. If you are a Sarah Jio fan, this book is quite similar in style to her others, and you will probably enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Morning Glory was my first book by Sarah Jio and looking forward to reading more of her books, as have added a number of them to my “must read list”!

      Ah, where to start…..this book was so engaging! I was traveling from NC to South Florida (by car), with a 14 hour drive ahead of me with a few good audio books to keep me company. After finishing one on the first leg of the trip, I started Morning Glory on the return trip and finished it before my return. At first it seemed a little slow, and was not sure it would grab me; however, I urge readers to stay with it as within the next few chapters, I was hooked completely!

      The setting was sooooo alluring, as I have spent a great deal of time in Seattle and Puget Sound and love the area, as so serene. The water is so perfect and have great memories there with two different special guys--definitely brought back a few as also dined at the space needle.
      How fantastic ---the author was writing this book on a house boat which made it very special. Having spent time on a house boat in Mt Dora, FL (the New England of the South), can relate!

      The main character, Ada was grieving and guilt ridden and leaves her successful career as a writer in the media travel business in NY, escaping to a houseboat for rent in Washington.

      Little did she know the caring people she would meet and the surprises in store for her as she researches the past of this particular house boat she is renting and the Peyton Place (Boat Street).

      She finds some items in a chest left behind and begins researching the woman who lived there in the 50s, which had gone missing years ago. Wow, was this a story in itself!

      The book switches back and forth from Ada’s present day and her time on this house boat to Penny Wentworth's life on Boat Street years ago. The more Ada researches, the more she is intrigued by this woman’s life and the mystery surrounding her death.

      Penny was a beautiful young woman who married a famous artist – older, good looking, Casanova, wealthy, and was never home. She was lonely and unfulfilled. She loves baking, romance, and sailing. However, never experiences this with her husband.

      While her husband is away for long periods of time (supposedly at his studio in Pioneer Square or off traveling with women celebrities), Penny meets a boat builder named Colin and falls in love. Colin has a past and secrets as well.

      However, she stays with her artist husband as a sense of security. She is pulled toward both men; and the night she plans her getaway – something happens. There is another mystery here with other players (will not spoil this).

      Suspenseful, romantic, mysterious, and a true women’s historical fiction – the author does a magnificent job tying together all the players, their past, and stories for an inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming story with lots of twists and turns and ones which will make you smile long after the book has ended! Just when you think it is ending, you will get another surprise before it ends in the epilogue. Outstanding!
    • 5/5
      So loved this book. The story was well written, who doesn't want to live on a houseboat! The only problem I have with it is could it have been 500 pages and lasted forever, in stead of a mere 288… onto Sarah Jio other books!
    • 5/5
      Morning Glory by New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Jio, is a marvelous book with a dual story that traces the life of Penny Wentworth, a housewife in the fifties, through the story of Ada Santorini, the deputy editor of Sunrise magazine in 2008. Though the two women lived during different times, they are tied together by a houseboat on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington.Penny Wentworth was a woman who seems to have it all – a fine husband who was a successful artist, a fine home and a passion for baking. But deep inside it was empty. Dexter Wentworth, her husband, was moody and spent much of his time on his own. Ultimately, Penny found comfort and companion in the arms of Collins, her neighbor, a man with a past. They hatched a plan to run away. Though they were deeply in love, his past returns to spoil everything they have been working for the night they were planning to sail away.As for Ada Santorini, she is a survivor. She survived the tragedy involving her husband and daughter. Ada leaves New York City for Seattle hoping a change will bring comfort and healing. She rents houseboat #7 for a summer. Initially she was welcomed. Soon she learns that the last woman who lived there was a housewife by the name Penny Wentworth. She disappeared in 1959, never to be seen again. She then discovers a trunk left behind by the woman. Her curiosity aroused, she was soon involved in investigating about Penny but no one was willing to disclose anything. But with the help of Alex, her houseboat neighbor, she kept on probing, almost forgetting about her own grief.Will Ada be able to solve the mystery and rebuild her own life?Morning Glory is part mystery and part love story which the author weaves together so beautifully. It is a heartwarming story of love and loss. You will love getting lost within the pages of the book. The ending is sure to put a smile on the lips of the reader.
    • 4/5
      Sarah Jio’s books have a wonderful way of staying with the reader long after the book is finished and Jio’s most recent release, Morning Glory, is no exception. Morning Glory is another beautiful, well-written book by Sarah Jio, which takes the reader, and character Ada Santorini from the East Coast, to live on a houseboat in Seattle. I have to say, I never gave much thought about living on a houseboat until I read Morning Glory, however the life intrigued me and Boat Street was well developed and Jio easily made the reader feel as though they were there with Ada and the inhabitants of Boat Street. Ada discovers a trunk from a long ago inhabitant of number 7, and desires to know more about the mysterious Penny Wentworth. Per Jio’s usual, the writing is wonderfully atmospheric, her characters are relatable, and while there is indeed heartbreak in the book, overall, Morning Glory is a delightfully sweet book and one I recommend.
    • 5/5
      I am in a serious reading slump. It is a bad one. For months now I have not been enjoying what I am reading. There have been a few exceptions, but for the most part, the books have really dragged for me lately and I have given up on some. Unlike other slumps, this time I am pushing through. So when this book showed up on my doorstep, I put my other books on the back burner and jumped right in. There is nothing like a great book from a favorite author help lift the spirits.This book starts with poor Ada, who has survived a tragedy involving her husband and daughter. You get the idea early on what happened, but the details come out as Ada’s story evolves. I was able to learn a lot about Ada this way, and it really added to the “characters” of Ella and James.Ada is renting a house boat that used to belong to Penny, who went missing 50 years earlier. Penny’s story is bittersweet, and sets the stage for future events. When Ada finds a box of Penny’s belongings, she decides to find out what really happened all those years ago. All of the neighbors are pretty tight lipped about it, so Ada joins forces with Alex, who lives in the next houseboat. As Ada and Alex discover more about Penny, they also learn more about themselvesAs in Ms. Jio’s other books, this is a dual story line novel. She does this so well; she should teach a class. Clear division between the two plots, and you always know who is telling the story. Plus she goes back and forth logically, so there is no jumping around. The characters were developed well. Many of them appear in both plots, and readers were able to see how the events of the past affected the characters of the present. She even threw in a few of Penny’s special recipes, which I plan to try soon.Her descriptions of the lake were wonderful. I love Seattle. It is my favorite place in the US, but I have never been interested in sailing or the houseboat lifestyle. I am now. I could vividly picture the homes and love the idea of being able to sail away from my own back deck. I enjoyed reading about the Space Needle also.I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read. Ms. Jio really brought all the characters together. There were coincidences that made for a heartwarming story. I won’t say that there were any huge twists or revelations (at least not for me), but that is okay. Even though I could see what was coming, I still enjoyed every minute I was with this novel.FYI, there was some religion in this, which surprised me. I wouldn’t label it Christian Fiction at all, but what was there did seem to stand out. It didn’t bother me, but I thought I would put that out there for others.