9780062572622
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The Woman in the Photo audiobook

  • By: Mary Hogan
  • Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
  • Category: Contemporary Women, Fiction
  • Length: 10 hours 56 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: June 14, 2016
  • Language: English
  • (2652 ratings)
(2652 ratings)
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The Woman in the Photo Audiobook Summary

In this compulsively-readable historical novel, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Two Sisters, comes the story of two young women–one in America’s Gilded Age, one in scrappy modern-day California–whose lives are linked by a single tragic afternoon in history.

1888: Elizabeth Haberlin, of the Pittsburgh Haberlins, spends every summer with her family on a beautiful lake in an exclusive club. Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains above the working class community of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the private retreat is patronized by society’s elite. Elizabeth summers with Carnegies, Mellons, and Fricks, following the rigid etiquette of her class. But Elizabeth is blessed (cursed) with a mind of her own. Case in point: her friendship with Eugene Eggar, a Johnstown steel mill worker. And when Elizabeth discovers that the club’s poorly maintained dam is about to burst and send 20 million tons of water careening down the mountain, she risks all to warn Eugene and the townspeople in the lake’s deadly shadow.

Present day: On her eighteenth birthday, genetic information from Lee Parker’s closed adoption is unlocked. She also sees an old photograph of a genetic relative–a 19th Century woman with hair and eyes likes hers–standing in a pile of rubble from an ecological disaster next to none other than Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross. Determined to identify the woman in the photo and unearth the mystery of that captured moment, Lee digs into history. Her journey takes her from California to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, from her present financial woes to her past of privilege, from the daily grind to an epic disaster. Once Lee’s heroic DNA is revealed, will she decide to forge a new fate?

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The Woman in the Photo Audiobook Narrator

Tavia Gilbert is the narrator of The Woman in the Photo audiobook that was written by Mary Hogan

 Mary Hogan is the bestselling author of Two Sisters and the historical novel, The Woman in the Photo. Previous novels include the young adult titles, The Serious Kiss, Perfect Girl and Pretty Face (HarperCollins). Mary lives in New York City with her husband, actor Robert Hogan, and their Catahoula Leopard rescue dog, Lucy. maryhogan.com

About the Author(s) of The Woman in the Photo

Mary Hogan is the author of The Woman in the Photo

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The Woman in the Photo Full Details

Narrator Tavia Gilbert
Length 10 hours 56 minutes
Author Mary Hogan
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date June 14, 2016
ISBN 9780062572622

Subjects

The publisher of the The Woman in the Photo is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Contemporary Women, Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the The Woman in the Photo is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062572622.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede

April 27, 2018

This is the first historical fiction I have read that deals with the flooding of Johnstown on May 31st, 1889. This is a very dramatic and tragic aspect of the book and one of the reasons I liked the book so much was just the fact that it really moved me.But, I'm getting ahead in the story. We are first introduced to the characters in the dual stories, Elizabeth Haberlin a rich young woman who spends the summers by the beautiful lake above the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She spends the summers rubbing shoulders with the Carnegies, Mellons, and Fricks and she seems at first to be just another rich spoiled girl. But, as the story progresses do we learn more and more about her she is actually a very bright, although sheltered girl. And, a disastrous event will change her whole life...In the present story do we meet Lee Parker, who on her 18th birthday finally learns more about her real mother. She was adopted as a baby and she loves her adopted mother, but she has a need to find out more about where she came from. In her papers is there a photo of her mother, standing in a pile of rubble from a disaster, besides Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross. She got curious and decides to find out more about this...I really liked this book, the class differences that are a large part when it comes to both stories. At first, I found Elizabeth Haberlin a bit hard to connect to, but after a while did she start to grow on me and towards the end did I find myself really liking her. Contrary did I find Lee Parker to be right from the very start a fabulous character, easy to connect with. I also liked how the Jewish lifestyle was a big part of both stories. All and all is this a great book!

Karyn

April 19, 2016

Two thumbs up!

Grace

June 16, 2016

This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...The Woman in the Photo by Mary Hogan is a new historical fiction/contemporary novel that explores the Johnstown Flood. In the late 1800s, a bunch of rich Pittsburgh industrialists (Carnegie, Frick, etc.) had a private lake in South Fork, PA. The lake was man-made, held in place by an earthworks dam. The industrialists did not maintain the dam, and in 1889, after a particularly rainy Memorial Day weekend, the dam burst. Thousands of people downstream died, and nobody was held accountable.The story of the Johnstown Flood is one that’s close to my heart, as I was born in Johnstown, PA and grew up in one of the small towns nearby. I’ve been to the Flood Museum on many occasions, and have gone hiking in the bed of the valley that was once Lake Conemaugh. Despite the fact that Andrew Carnegie is viewed as one of the heroes of my profession (so many Carnegie libraries), all the philanthropy in the world could not make up for the lives lost through carelessness and irresponsibility, and I was filled with silent rage every time one of my library school professors sang his praises.When I first heard about The Woman in the Photo, I was excited and nervous, especially as the book jumps between the Johnstown of the past and the Johnstown of today. I hoped that the author would be able to get Johnstown right–it’s a city full of proud and hardworking people, despite the fact that the economy there isn’t what it used to be (when the 2008 recession happened, nobody really noticed it, because after the mills and the mines closed 20 years before, there wasn’t much of anything left to crash). It’s a city filled with history, with resolve, and with the will to persevere even when times are hard. I was heartened the moment that I read the book’s dedication: To the resilient people of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Past and present.Now, enough backstory. On to my review.Elizabeth Haberlin’s father is a physician who treats Pittsburgh’s elite. Her family has a cabin along Lake Conemaugh, where they escape each summer to a world that’s entirely carefree. As we hear Elizabeth describe her pursuit of the handsome Mr. Tottinger, we see her gradually come to realize her position of privilege, and her isolation from the rest of the world. This becomes especially obvious after a chance encounter with Eugene Eggar, a local mill worker, who warns her about the dam’s dangerous potential.Meanwhile, we’re introduced to Lee, a young woman living in California. She had the grades to go to an Ivy League school, but then the recession hit. Her family lost everything, and her father and brother left town. Lee and her mother are now living in the pool house of the rich lady for whom Lee’s mom works as a maid. Lee is also adopted, which is where her story intersects with Elizabeth’s–although it was a closed adoption, Lee sees a photo in her file of a young woman standing next to Clara Barton standing in a pile of rubble. Lee begins researching the photo trying to find clues about her birth family’s identity.As I mentioned earlier, I had some initial concerns about whether The Woman in the Photo would really get the story right. That was especially true as I started reading about Elizabeth, and found it an interesting choice to use a protagonist who was an insider at the Club. However, Mary Hogan managed to strike a good balance in creating a character whose eyes are opened as the story progresses, and who eventually has to make hard choices about what her own values are.While Elizabeth and Lee are two very different people from two very different worlds, they have many similarities. Each of them struggles with issues of social class–Lee as she begins to fall for a Beverly Hills boy, and Elizabeth as she begins to leave her sheltered world to confront the much harsher realities of life. The two women are both independent, free-thinking, and resilient, and it’s a pleasure to see each of them make their way in the world.The one major weakness in The Woman in the Photo had to do with shifting protagonists and points of view. Elizabeth and Lee were the main point-of-view characters, and were excellent. However, two other characters had point-of-view moments–Lee’s mom and Clara Barton. Lee’s mom’s moments were usually embedded within Lee’s own chapters, and seemed unnecessary. And Clara Barton was a tertiary point-of-view character who didn’t show up until midway through the book, and whose character could have used some expansion.The Woman in the Photo was a solid read, and I will recommend it to friends and family without hesitation. It joins a handful of other books in sharing the story of the flood, only some of which I’ve read. These include:In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden by Kathleen CamborThe Johnstown Flood by David McCulloughJulie by Catherine MarshallThree Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood by Jame Richards

Vera

August 11, 2018

Knowing little of the Johnstown flood, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, alternating between 1889 — the story of Elizabeth Haberlin — and Lee Parker in the present day. Lee Parker’s world has fallen apart and she decides to look for her birth mother. Elizabeth Haberlin’s story is one of supreme courage. One of the original feminists before feminism was born. How these two stories intersect, is of course what brings this very readable book to its inevitable conclusion.

Nicole

July 16, 2016

I was so intrigued by this story line that I could not pass up a chance to read about the Johnstown Flood. I live not far from the town; I have traveled there on numerous occasions for work or fun. I always held the knowledge that once upon a time, there was a catastrophe that happened there, but I had never learned any of the details. I had never taken a look at what stands today or given thought to what had preceded our time.This had me feeling like I was taking a step back in time. The detail that described the events had me feeling like I was right there as Elizabeth. The structure of the story was well put together. Elizabeth Haberlin's portion of the story is told from the first person, while a brief piece about Clara Barton along with the modern day Elizabeth's (or Lee, as her adopted mother names her) are in third person. Each chapter is marked with the year it is taking place, so you are able to transport from one to the other with ease. I found myself equally wanting to know how present-day Elizabeth manages to find her birth family, along with desiring to know the events surrounding the flood. The detail of the historical events felt well researched. I could easily relate to Elizabeth, watching the events unfolding in front of her eyes. I could feel her emotions. While some things, she did on a whim, I could understand what she does without knowing her exact motivations. I was also fascinated with the other historical figures mentioned in the story; the Fricks and Carnegies. I currently reside about half way between Pittsburgh and Johnstown, so these are people that I'm aware of, but have never read their histories. Seeing them as personalities in this story really helped me cement this in our region. As for Lee's story, I was interested in learning about her. While I could only imagine how she'd feel as an adopted child, I did understand her feeling of not quite belonging and searching for the thing that connects her to her heritage. She embodies a balance of appreciating what she has left after a scandal, while desiring for more. There was a rawness to some of her reactions to things that really brought her to life. There were so many things to take away from this story. Several of the characters took charge of their own lives, casting off what was given to them by birth to create powerful personalities. I've actually fallen on both sides of the question "does your DNA determine who you will become" because I've seen people go against their bloodlines and others who aren't exposed to things that take on the qualities of their family members. This story will make you think about so many things. I'd highly recommend this story. It isn't a quick read, but a thought-provoking one that will tempt you to delve more into the history of our area. But whether you are from the Pittsburgh region or not, I think people who love seeing history come alive will appreciate this novel. Also, the additions of the photographs from 1889 were delightful. I also very much enjoyed reading the few pages added at the end where the author told how she developed the story; an extended version of the Q&A included above.My recommendation: buy the paperback so you can loan it to friends and family members. I received a copy of this story from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Suze

January 02, 2018

It's 1888 and Elizabeth's family has enough status to spend their summers at a lake in the Allegheny Mountains. The lake is above Johnstown. The inhabitants of the town don't interact much with the people who are staying at the club. The members are elite, people who are proud to be able to afford a place there and look down on the inhabitants of the town. However, Elizabeth doesn't blindly follow the opinions of her parents and can think for herself. Something isn't right with the lake, there's a danger she can't quite process. She also doesn't believe in staying away from the people who are living in Johnstown and becomes friends with Eugene, who works at the local steel mill. When a disaster is about to happen Elizabeth has to make a tough choice, what will she do?Lee and her mother are living in poverty. She was supposed to go to university, but there's no money left to pay for the tuition. Lee's almost eighteen years old and that's when the genetic information of her closed adoption will become available. Lee would love to know more about her ancestors and is especially curious after seeing a photo of one of them standing next to Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross. Lee's search brings her to Johnstown, will she like what she finds there and will she be able to embrace her family history?The Woman in the Photo is a beautiful story about two strong girls in different times. Lee is a smart girl who has a glorious future ahead of her. Unfortunately something went wrong and she has to start over with nothing. She's determined to find a way to make her dreams come true in a different way and I admired her spirit and resourcefulnesses. She doesn't give up and even though it isn't easy she's trying to make the best of her situation. Meanwhile she's also looking for her family. Elizabeth is an interesting ancestor. She's clever and headstrong and she and Lee have a lot in common. It was interesting to find out more about their connection and about their lives. I loved how Elizabeth makes up her own mind and tries to follow her own path, no matter the consequences. Mary Hogan writes about two beautiful strong women and I enjoyed every single page of her story.The Woman in the Photo is an impressive coming of age story. Mary Hogan describes life in society with its etiquette and expectations in a gorgeous impressive way. I was intrigued by Elizabeth's world, the rigidity of it, the suffocating rules and customs and the way she tries to escape the shackles that bind her. Mary Hogan skillfully alternates between the past and the present and the stories are equally fascinating. The way she writes about the lake kept me on the edge of my seat. I was spellbound by her story from beginning to end and highly recommend this fantastic book.

Hart's

July 23, 2016

I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review--so, here it is!This was my first book by Mary Hogan and, after reading the blurb, I was rather intrigued. I occasionally like to dig into stories without romance or suspense--I'm eclectic like that. This story was chronicle of two different women across two different generations. They're both dealing with what life throws at them with grace and a heaping helping of learned lessons.The beginning was a little slow, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with an engrossing tale that left me with a happy feeling.The one complaint I have about the story is that Lee, the modern day chronicler, has kind of a rude attitude regarding her biological family. She doesn't show understanding or curiosity or any soft emotions for the people who were her blood. And, because her family wasn't at fault for the things that happened in her life, I was expecting a LITTLE bit of warmth toward her family. I don't know. I was raised by my birth mother, so I can't possible understand what Lee was going through. But the author made Lee out to be a mean-spirited person, and I don't think that was what she was trying to accomplish.Overall, the story is great. I recommend it highly!Read the full review on my website.

Nancy

September 11, 2016

This book was highly recommended and I was not disappointed. Although I knew about the Johnstown flood I did not realize many of the circumstances tha caused this terrible event. The book is an easy read and the story-although taking place in the past and present-is very clear. Historical fiction can often not capture the emotions of the past. I think this book did.

Susan

November 12, 2017

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoy books that go from past to present with each chapter. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Mary Hogan's beautiful writing style made you wanting for more. Her descriptions were so accurate.

Roberta

July 01, 2018

It's been a minute since I had a marathon reading session, but this one gave just cause. 'The Woman in the Photo' is a beautifully written work of fiction based on a horrific fact: the Johnstown Flood in western Pennsylvania in 1889. Books with literary devices are fascinating to me. The idea of parallel stories in different times has been used by many different authors over the years, some more successfully that others. Mary Hogan's work in this novel goes in the Winner's Circle. Not only does Hogan make each storyline engaging and engrossing, they are written in the first person voice of how the woman in question would write/think at the given time. One story is set in 1888-1889 in Johnstown, the other in present day California. It is about two women with the same first name and very different background and circumstances. Lee Porter lives in present time while Elizabeth Haberlin dwells in the past. Surrounding them are other characters, but in each time there is one woman who provides guidance and strength. In the present it is the Lee's adoptive mother, Valerie, who encourages her daughter while also fearing losing her love forever. In the past, it is none other than Clara Barton who helps Elizabeth find a purpose in life. This is a novel about young women and older women trying to make sense out chaos and disaster and to find meaning and love and connection. It is about mothers and daughters and the power of the genetics of DNA as well as the bonds of the heart. Warning: don't plan on getting any housework done until you finish this book. It is VERY hard to put down!

Christie

June 06, 2019

Very interesting book about the Johnstown flood which I knew nothing about. Some of her description was so vivid it was difficult to read. Highly recommend!

Leah

August 13, 2021

Loved this book!! So fascinating learning more about the context of the Johnstown Flood catastrophe. Also, I live in Upper St Clair, where the family featured in this book lived in 1889. Cool to read about that local connection. The only thing holding me back from 5 stars was perhaps more back story on the Jewish roots in the family and how that played out over the generations.

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