Listen free for 30 days
A Cup of Friendship
People who bought this also bought...
-
Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
- By: Deborah Rodriguez
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The honest, entertaining and life-affirming sequel to The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, featuring the same loveable cast of characters, from internationally best-selling author Deborah Rodriguez. In a little coffee shop in war-torn Kabul, five very different women unite for one important cause: to protect the women in Afghanistan. Now back home in the US, Sunny, the founder, is finding it difficult to settle and dreams of returning to her beloved coffee shop.
-
-
A welcome catch up to the original book! :)
- By Sue Jackson on 20-04-16
-
And the Mountains Echoed
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Navid Negahban
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this tale revolving around not just parents and children, but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.
-
-
A touch disappointed
- By R. Singh on 06-09-16
-
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
- A Moving Testament to the Human Spirit
- By: Christy Lefteri
- Narrated by: Art Malik
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nuri is a beekeeper, his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Belle on 25-07-19
-
The Bastard of Istanbul
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is 19 years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life. Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kaznci men die in their early 40s, so it is a house of women, among them Asya's beautiful, rebellious mother Zeliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster.
-
-
Beautifully written as ever
- By M. King on 08-12-19
-
Honour
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Colleen Pendergast
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Pembe leaves the Kurdish village of her birth, and her twin sister with it, it is for love. She follows her husband, Adem, to London with the hope of making a new life, but the family soon faces a stark choice: to stay loyal to the old traditions or try their best to fit in. When Adem abandons his family, it is Iskender, Pembe’s eldest son, who must step in and prevent shame from falling on the family name. And when Pembe begins a chaste affair with a man named Elias, Iskender will discover that you could love someone with all your heart and yet be ready to hurt them.
-
-
Honour - a clash of culture,murder, family honour
- By AmyAlice on 19-02-14
-
The Kite Runner
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.
-
-
outstanding
- By Mrs Melanie Shaw on 02-02-15
-
Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
- By: Deborah Rodriguez
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The honest, entertaining and life-affirming sequel to The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, featuring the same loveable cast of characters, from internationally best-selling author Deborah Rodriguez. In a little coffee shop in war-torn Kabul, five very different women unite for one important cause: to protect the women in Afghanistan. Now back home in the US, Sunny, the founder, is finding it difficult to settle and dreams of returning to her beloved coffee shop.
-
-
A welcome catch up to the original book! :)
- By Sue Jackson on 20-04-16
-
And the Mountains Echoed
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Navid Negahban
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this tale revolving around not just parents and children, but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.
-
-
A touch disappointed
- By R. Singh on 06-09-16
-
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
- A Moving Testament to the Human Spirit
- By: Christy Lefteri
- Narrated by: Art Malik
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nuri is a beekeeper, his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Belle on 25-07-19
-
The Bastard of Istanbul
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is 19 years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life. Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kaznci men die in their early 40s, so it is a house of women, among them Asya's beautiful, rebellious mother Zeliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster.
-
-
Beautifully written as ever
- By M. King on 08-12-19
-
Honour
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Colleen Pendergast
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Pembe leaves the Kurdish village of her birth, and her twin sister with it, it is for love. She follows her husband, Adem, to London with the hope of making a new life, but the family soon faces a stark choice: to stay loyal to the old traditions or try their best to fit in. When Adem abandons his family, it is Iskender, Pembe’s eldest son, who must step in and prevent shame from falling on the family name. And when Pembe begins a chaste affair with a man named Elias, Iskender will discover that you could love someone with all your heart and yet be ready to hurt them.
-
-
Honour - a clash of culture,murder, family honour
- By AmyAlice on 19-02-14
-
The Kite Runner
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.
-
-
outstanding
- By Mrs Melanie Shaw on 02-02-15
-
The Architect's Apprentice
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together ...Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare and valuable white elephant destined for the palace menagerie. So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan's court.
-
-
Spoiled by the narrator
- By Chris on 13-10-15
-
The Gatecrasher
- By: Madeleine Wickham
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fleur is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of The Times announcements page, she gate-crashes the funerals and memorial services of the wealthy, preying on rich, vulnerable men. She charms her way into their lives and onto their platinum credit cards, takes what she can, and then moves swiftly on. When Richard, a dull but wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at his wife's memorial service, he's bowled over.
-
-
Not a party I would ever gatecrash!!
- By Anonymous User on 11-02-19
-
Absolution by Murder
- Sister Fidelma Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Peter Tremayne
- Narrated by: Caroline Lennon
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the leading churchmen and women gather at the Synod of Whitby in AD 664 to debate the rival merits of the Celtic and Roman Churches, tempers begin to fray. Conspirators plot an assassination, while mysterious, violent death stalks the shadowy cloisters of the Abbey of St Hilda. When the Abbess Etain, a leading speaker for the Celtic Church, is found murdered, suspicion inevitably rests on the Roman faction. Attending the Synod is Fidelma, of the community of St Brigid of Kildare.
-
-
Like wading through treacle.
- By D. A. Morse on 27-09-19
-
The Taliban Cricket Club
- By: Timeri N. Murari
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A soaring novel of resilience, hope, strength and tenderness, The Taliban Cricket Club reveals how love can overcome, and outwit, even the power of tyrants. Rukhsana, a spirited young journalist in Kabul, is summoned to the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to face its terrifying minister, Zorak Wahidi. A cricket tournament is announced, with the winning team to travel to Pakistan for training and then represent Afghanistan at an international level.
-
-
Absolutely brilliant.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-10-16
-
My Italian Bulldozer
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Timothy Ackroyd
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative.
-
-
Good quality easy listening.
- By Mary Carnegie on 26-06-16
-
The Forty Rules of Love
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his 40 rules of life and love, she is shocked out of herself. Turning her back on her family, she embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work.
-
-
near to perfection
- By Amazon Customer on 23-11-19
-
Once Upon a River
- By: Diane Setterfield
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child. Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can it be explained by science? An exquisitely crafted multilayered mystery brimming with folklore, suspense and romance as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield’s best seller The Thirteenth Tale.
-
-
Wonderful!
- By Amazon Customer on 21-01-19
-
Everything I Never Told You
- By: Celeste Ng
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee - a girl who inherited her mother's bright-blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt, and Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to hold someone accountable. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who may be the only one who knows what really happened.
-
-
Superb!
- By Deb Murphy on 22-04-16
-
The Keeper of Lost Things
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Sandra Duncan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before. Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners. But the final wishes of the Keeper of Lost Things have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters....
-
-
A story to become lost in...
- By Mrs JEL on 02-04-17
-
The Miniaturist
- By: Jessie Burton
- Narrated by: Jessie Burton
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed...On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift.
-
-
I'm still waiting for something to happen.....
- By Fiona Keates on 28-02-16
-
The Glorious Heresies
- Winner of the Baileys' Women's Prize for Fiction 2016
- By: Lisa McInerney
- Narrated by: Shelley Atkinson
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He was definitely dead, whoever he was. He wore a once-black jumper and a pair of shiny tracksuit bottoms. The back of his head was cracked and his hair matted, but it had been foxy before that. A tall man, a skinny rake, another string of piss, now departed. She hadn't gotten a look at his face before she flaked him with the Holy Stone, and she couldn't bring herself to turn him over. One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland's post-crash society.
-
-
A fantastic listen
- By ros on 05-06-16
-
The Salt Path
- By: Raynor Winn
- Narrated by: Raynor Winn
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky.
-
-
<br />went way beyond my expectations<br />
- By Anonymous User on 26-09-19
Summary
From the author of the “bighearted . . . inspiring” (Vogue) memoir Kabul Beauty School comes a fiction debut as compelling as real life: the story of a remarkable coffee shop in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there - thrown together by circumstance, bonded by secrets, and united in an extraordinary friendship.
After hard luck and some bad choices, Sunny has finally found a place to call home - it just happens to be in the middle of a war zone. The thirty-eight-year-old American’s pride and joy is the Kabul Coffee House, where she brings hospitality to the expatriates, misfits, missionaries, and mercenaries who stroll through its doors. She’s especially grateful that the busy days allow her to forget Tommy, the love of her life, who left her in pursuit of money and adventure.
Working alongside Sunny is the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban and now must hide a modern romance from her ultratraditional son - who, unbeknownst to her, is facing his own religious doubts. Into the café come Isabel, a British journalist on the trail of a risky story; Jack, who left his family back home in Michigan to earn “danger pay” as a consultant; and Candace, a wealthy and well-connected American whose desire to help threatens to cloud her judgment.
When Yazmina, a young Afghan from a remote village, is kidnapped and left on a city street pregnant and alone, Sunny welcomes her into the café and gives her a home - but Yazmina hides a secret that could put all their lives in jeopardy. As this group of men and women discover that there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they’ll form an unlikely friendship that will change not only their own lives but the lives of an entire country.
Brimming with Deborah Rodriguez’s remarkable gift for depicting the nuances of life in Kabul, and filled with vibrant characters that readers will truly care about, A Cup of Friendship is the best kind of fiction - full of heart yet smart and thought-provoking.
Critic reviews
More from the same
What members say
Average customer ratings
Overall
-
-
5 Stars5
-
4 Stars2
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
-
5 Stars4
-
4 Stars1
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
-
5 Stars3
-
4 Stars2
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall

- teatime
- 19-06-11
A cup of friendship
This is a lovely little book and easy to listen to. I also learned a lot about Afganastan and the Taliban. The story is fairly predictable, but told in a way that was interesting and held my attention ... yes, even while driving on the Interstate. Perfect summer book.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Donna
- 08-01-14
Love it!!!!
What made the experience of listening to A Cup of Friendship the most enjoyable?
With so many words not familiar to an English speaker it was entertaining to hear how to pronounce them correctly.
What was one of the most memorable moments of A Cup of Friendship?
I can not pick just one. So many great sub plots.
What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Of course Deborah Rodriguez writes the most amazing novels and I am waiting for her next, but I need to sign the praises of the narration. Mozhan Marno is a joy to listen to. She never screeches, always has a pleasant voice. Marno has a numerous accents down pat, and gives different characters their own cadence. Isabell sounds haughty, Yasminia sounds humble. What a joy! I will look for other books read by her!
If you could rename A Cup of Friendship, what would you call it?
I liked the original name. Cup of friendship doesn't tell me that it is about life in Afghanistan. If I wasn't looking for more books written by Deborah Rodriguez, I wouldn't have found this book.
Any additional comments?
Debbie, please write more books.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kate Yonder
- 12-10-19
Short and Educational
This book was chosen for our international Bookclub. Though short and a bit whatever regarding the love life of the coffee shop owner, I found the novel to be both eye opening and educational. Prior to this, I had no idea how Afghan women are treated until this very day. Quite sad and most unfortunate. Worth the time to read. Performance is great!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- SungHee Michelle Lim
- 02-10-18
A perfect first fiction on audible, no regrets
I was recommended to read this book and it was my very first audible fiction I read and the first one ever to actually have gone through the ending as I tend to easily get sick of books about half-way through. This was the first one I actually came to listen to every single day and just loved it, which made me feel like wanting to purchase the e-book version of the following series. Lovely storyline with detailed description of the traditional costumes, not very overwhelming explanation of the background which didn’t disturb reading it through without much of the cultural background of the setting. I loved it!
-
Overall

- Kelsey White
- 10-01-18
Colorful and heartwarming
A charming story about how a little coffee shop changed the lives of the many that frequented it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mia
- 20-12-14
A match for The Kite runner!
If you could sum up A Cup of Friendship in three words, what would they be?
Female - power, friends love
What other book might you compare A Cup of Friendship to and why?
The Kite runner! They both discuss Afghanistan and the people who lives there. This book addresses the female but unlike the follow - up to The kite - runner this leaves you with hope.The help: Also about friends and the fight for FreedomWho asked you? Same topic
What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She gives each their true voice.
Who was the most memorable character of A Cup of Friendship and why?
Jack: A brave man who is not afraid to risk his life to save his female friends.
Any additional comments?
Totally wow - listen! Honesty, I have listened 20 times since buying it and I am delighted to say it still takes me to new levels.