Colony audiobook

For me, this is without a doubt Siddons' best book . I have re-read it twice now, and still enjoy every page. Highly recommended for exquisite descriptions of the coastal area of Maine, for a detailing of the privileged lives of those summering in that area and their relationship to the people who live in the town all year, and mostly for the wonderful story of Maude Chambliss and her family.

Loved it.I've read on my Nook for years, but I have a hard cover copy of this book and I honestly think there is no better way to read Anne Rivers Siddons than an actual physical book with yellowed pages and a glass of Merlot.. or two.. or hell, an entire bottle... ;)This is a long one, but definitely my favorite ARS to date, and I've read, and loved, quite a few. I find it hard to articulate exactly what I like so much about Anne Rivers Siddons, and Colony in particular, but I do know it all has to do with the style of writing and the realness of the words and characters and just the timelessness of it all. I love that I can be reading something written decades ago about things that took place a hundred years ago and it all rings true..and resonates. But I think what I like most about these books, and especially Colony, is the transportation it gives. Look at me, all relaxed and whatnot, from spending a weekend reading a book.. I really feel like I've spent the weekend at Retreat!Definitely makes my top 10 favorites books list.

My all time favorite book! The author's writing resonates with me. I feel myself immersed in the stories and they become part of me. I think a small part of that is that Anne Rivers-Siddons is Southern, as am I. The writing just flows for me. I do not find that at all with British authors, for example.I am a beach baby, having spent my first few years of life playing at the beach. I love the sea and she captures it so vividly - the smell, the quality of the light on the water, the sounds, and the feel of the air.The story line begins with an outsider drawn into a different world, where she assimilates, yet keeps her spirit. I find many parallels between my journey and Maude's. I have read the book several times, and it has a featured spot on my bookshelf. I listened to it on Books on Tape. I just purchased the Kindle version. Colony is that meaningful to me. I love it.

3.5 stars. Trying to find an author like Rosamunde Pilcher but no one ever measures up. This was a good soap opera but a bit unsatisfying. At 500 pages it covers a lot of ground (time and characters), and you only get to know some of the characters very superficially. It’s also too melodramatic at points. But it was easy and fun to read, and that is what I was in the mood for!

One of my favorite books ever. Details the lives of a Boston family through 3 generations, anchored around their summer home at The Colony, a tight knit retreat in Maine founded by their family and many of their upper-echelon peers. Maude, the central character, is a girl from Charleston, South Carolina who marries into the family and struggles to find her place in a vastly different environment and family dynamic.Siddons has had many successes at writing the nuance of relationships, but for me the settings and characters of this particular novel are her best and resonate the most with me.

Read this in college and honestly, the characters have stayed with me throughout my life. A bit graphic at times, but the plot is truly spellbinding and you can't stop till you reach the (bitter? happy? I won't tell!) end. Love the way Siddons throws in twists you can't see coming. This is one of the few books I re-read periodically.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Anne Rivers Siddons but it might be the best. The story revolves around four generations of one family who summer in an exclusive seaside resort in rugged Maine. The family struggles, the losses, the betrayals, the births and celebrations are all portrayed beautifully. It is an elegantly written book.

I've had this on my TBR shelf since 1996 (!) when I received it as a gift. I was sure I wouldn't like it, but for some reason, I kept it.The story of the indomitable Maude who leaves Charleston SC, when she marries the aristocratic Peter Chambliss of Boston. It covers decades and is set in Retreat a town in Maine that functions both as a fishing village and a retreat for wealthy and aristocratic folks from the Northeast. It is a family "saga." The writing is OK, and some of the characters are too good to be true, and some of the action is a little over the top. It is, in short, a soap opera. But it is fun. It is entertaining, and I am so glad I read it. Not everything has to be "literary." There is a place for this kind of book, We should all take some time off a read something that is just plain entertaining. We would all be just a little more relaxed about life.4 stars.

I have to be in the mood for a Rivers-Siddons book and can't read two in a row. Her writing is so dense it cannot be read quickly. The plot of the story becomes hidden in the rich descriptions. But, when I am in the mood, I love it. I can actually go to "Retreat" colony in my mind now, thanks to her - and it is a place of sanctuary.The beginning of this 600 page book is hard to get into at first. The beginning doesn't even particularly make sense (and can't, really. Siddons is doing this on purpose.) I had to go back partway through the book and read the start again and then the lightbulb came on. While most of the characters are disturbingly flawed, there is still a lot of hope shining in Maude, the main character. She keeps me reading on. I find that life - and especially people - can be greatly disappointing, but she gives a vantage point that helped me see how to survive (and thrive) through those times, those people.

The prose here can be dense, particularly at the beginning when Siddons spends a lot of time describing houses and streets and swamps and beaches and cliffs. She's not bad at description -- there's a solid late-twentieth-century occasionally-literary middlebrow quality to her writing -- but the first fifty or so pages felt like a slog. Once it starts getting soapy, though, it's hard to put down; it's a nearly perfect beach read. So much drama for one family! Ultimately all those descriptions paid off, because I have a very vivid picture of Retreat, the characters' summer "colony," in my mind.

One of my favorite books by this author. Family dynamics are dissected and put on display for all to see here. What happens when a child and mother don't bond. How do families encompass love and hate at the same time. How do they cope with tragedy? Joy? How do the generations intermingle and affect one another?Perfectly wonderful book. Easy to fall into like a pool book except this is absolutely literature.

My high school English teacher gave me this book to read - and I loved it. I think it is Anne Rivers Siddons masterpiece.

I read the hardcover many years ago and it is a book I remember fondly. The main character reminded me of my mother in law and I loved viewing a way of life that has vanished.

I read all the time, but; however, only once in a while do I encounter the triple combination of an author with a superb gift, or well-crafted talent (call it whatever you wnt) for storytelling, a captivating story and a phenomenal cast of characters that give that deeply savored enjoyment of what I call "a triple chocolate brownie" reading experience. By that I mean, it's not like a book you read every, which could be good books, enjoyable books, but not quite to the level of that "apecial recipe" combination. This type of book in experienced only once in a while, and when you're reading one, you savor every bit of it because you know you won't be reading something this deliciously good for a while, maybe only once a year. The flavor and texture of true pleasure, true enjoyment and satisfaction stay with you for a long, as you read and enjoy other good books, but look forward with great anticipation for the next opportunity for a "triple chocolate brownie" book to come your way. It's like this - I eat good food, healthy for breakfast every day and breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. However, once a year and ONLY once a year, I give myself a real treat for breakfast. I butya big iced cinnamone roll and eat it for breakast on Christmas morning. Only once a year. I look forward to it every year and believe me, I savor EVERY bite and I make it last as long as I possibly can. Pure enjoyment!! So, I highly recommend Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons. She's one of my favorite authors and Colony is one of her best works. ENJOY!!A book like this convinces me all over again why I LOVE to reaad.

I've read this book almost every summer for the last 20 or so years. Got it from my mom and it has some of her thoughts written in the margins or underlined....one of my treasured books. I don't usually read books a 2nd time, much less 15 or so but ARS writes so beautifully about nature, surroundings, Maine, family, love, friendship, motherhood etc....that I just get lost and find something new every time I read it. Sure, it's a bit soap opera'ish but the main character Maude Chambliss is a hero to me....the summer time spent with family at the colony of Retreat and all the characters that you hear about year after year are so endearing. Hers and Peter's relationship, along with her mother in law, best friend and a whole other cast of characters are wonderful to hear about and grow with. Truly one of my favorite books...