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Past Perfect
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
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Past Perfect
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Summary
From number one New York Times best-selling author Danielle Steel, Past Perfect is a spellbinding story of two families living 100 years apart who come together in time in a startling moment, opening the doors to rare friendship and major events in early 20th-century history.
Sybil and Blake Gregory have established a predictable, well-ordered Manhattan life - she as a cutting-edge design authority and museum consultant, he in high tech investments - raising their teenagers, Andrew and Caroline, and six-year-old Charlie. But everything changes when Blake is offered a dream job he can't resist as CEO of a start-up in San Francisco. He accepts it without consulting his wife and buys a magnificent, irresistibly underpriced historic Pacific Heights mansion as their new home.
Shocked by an earthquake the night they arrive, the past and present suddenly collide for them in the elegant mansion filled with tender memories and haunting portraits. The original inhabitants suddenly appear for a few brief minutes. In the ensuing days, they meet the large and lively family who lived there a century ago: distinguished Bertrand Butterfield and his gracious wife, Gwyneth; their sons Josiah and little Magnus; daughters Bettina and Lucy; formidable Scottish matriarch Augusta; and her eccentric brother, Angus. All long since dead. All very much alive in spirit - and visible to the Gregorys and no one else.
The two families are delighted to share elegant dinners and warm friendship. They have much to teach each other, as the Gregorys watch the past unfold while living their own modern-day lives. Within these enchanted rooms, it is at once 1917 and a century later, where the Gregorys realize they have been given a perfect gift - beloved friends and the wisdom to shape their own future with gratitude and grace from a fascinating past.
Past Perfect is Danielle Steel at her bewitching best, a novel for the ages. Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 650 million copies of her novels in print. Her many international best sellers include Magic, Blue, Undercover, Country, Prodigal Son, Pegasus, A Perfect Life, Power Play, Winners, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's book Pretty Minnie in Paris.
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What listeners say about Past Perfect
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- katethestate
- 25-05-24
Great story, but…
I don’t think the narrator has ever heard a Scottish accent - it was so jarring and almost like he was trying to do an Irish accent - which he also failed at…
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- linda young
- 28-01-18
Unusual
Very good different from her normal style
Not really what I expected but really enjoyable
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- H. Ricketts
- 09-01-18
Hated the Subject
What did you like best about Past Perfect? What did you like least?
Danielle Steel is an amazing author and like all her other books, this is well written in a true DS style. However, in her intro DS says should wouldn’t normally do a ghost story and neither should she! Ghosts that send emails - really?! Hated the re-appearing ghost family as they are not in the least believable.
Would you recommend Past Perfect to your friends? Why or why not?
No - hated the ghosts!
Have you listened to any of Jim Frangione’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No but no complaints!
Was Past Perfect worth the listening time?
Frustrating and irritating but I did finish it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Thomas
- 03-12-18
lovely story
What an amazing story couldn't put the book down even adviced my friend to get
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne Roach
- 26-02-24
description of the Butterfield era
I really enjoyed both families blending together as one even though it was a different era between them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Samantha
- 02-02-19
charming.
I enjoyed listening to this book. a truly imaginative book. the reader is easy to listen to, but I think often the Scottish accent is actually more Irish. no complaints, I don't think I would listen to this one again, but overall it was ok.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paula Puddephatt
- 12-01-24
Totally wonderful
This is definitely one of my favourite Danielle Steel novels. It is unusual for Danielle to write about ghosts, although there is also the beautiful Johnny Angel book. Yet, this is classic DS, and therefore, we have an entire family of ghosts, along with a contemporary family. There is much humour here. There is also compassion. An excellent story.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Joan
- 12-12-17
Oh Dear Danielle. Have you lost the plot?
I’ve listened to dozens of DS books but over the last couple of years she has churned out 12 or more, all of which aren’t up to scratch. She writes 2 or 3 at once.
Anyhow. PAST PERFECT is the poorest of the bunch. Total fantasy, with a ghost family living with a contemporary family. Of course it stretches our belief system, but it is poorly constructed and not thought out. It seems rushed and has an abrupt ending.
Of course, DS has a huge talent for writing feel good page turners and some may forgive the unbelievably ridiculous behaviour of some of these characters. I laughed out loud more than once. You could say I was entertained. But how I long for a return to a better standard of story telling. I keep listening and hoping.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lenkar
- 09-07-21
disappointed
struggled to finish the book. it was very strange and I was waiting for "an explanation" at the end which did not come
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Judith Lennon
- 22-12-17
very different to her normal books
I struggled getting to grips with this book but persevered to the end.
very imaginative. Not one I would read again, Dissapointed.
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