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Duplicate Keys
Summary
Jane Smiley's talent for creating emotionally gripping tales of family relationships was celebrated when she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for A Thousand Acres. In Duplicate Keys, she displays her flair for creating a haunting mystery.
Critic reviews
"Sharp and memorable....Finely wrought." ( Newsday)
"As taut and chilling as anything Hitchcock put on film." ( San Francisco Chronicle)
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What members say
Average customer ratings
Overall
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars2
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4 Stars1
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3 Stars2
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2 Stars1
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1 Stars1
Performance
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars1
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4 Stars1
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3 Stars0
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2 Stars0
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1 Stars0
Story
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars1
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4 Stars0
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3 Stars1
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2 Stars0
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1 Stars0
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 06-01-11
Reflections
The only Jane Smiley I knew was her Thousand Acres. At first I was disappointed, but couldn't stop listening. Beautifully written of course, and in the end I find myself liking the author tremendously and grateful for all the surprising reflections that floated past me. The reading must have been very good as I didn't notice that there was anyone between me and the text!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Kellmorris
- 20-04-07
Disappointing
This book has been difficult to listen to. There is virtually no story line. Despite the fact that is started with quite well and promised to be exciting, it fizzled out like a damp squid. I believe the reader is bored too because her voice became a constant drone. Very disappointing
2 people found this helpful
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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
- Gretchen
- 16-04-16
this book will make you hungry...
I read this year ago and I forgot all the food descriptions. Very gripping!
it is one of the few books that makes me want to live in New York.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 26-08-12
Beautifully written
Would you try another book from Jane Smiley and/or Ruth Ann Phimister?
Yes I would, I have read A Thousand Acres and I loved it.
How could the performance have been better?
It took a while to get over the overly childish voice and narration of Ruth Ann Phimister.
Any additional comments?
Jane Smiley's talent to describe people and places made the book and the simple plot of it very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Kathy A. Flament
- 26-06-09
Neither fish nor fowl
I love Jane Smiley, but I don't love this book. Jane tries to combine family dynamics with a murder mystery and she doesn't succeed here. Characters are developed, but don't seem to evolve. And, the mystery drags on and on and on.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- A Reader
- 24-03-07
Very disappointing
I was excited to see this book on Audible because I have heard much praise for Jane Smiley's writing. However, I was very disappointed in this novel. The main character of Alice Ellis's naivete bordered on imbecility, which often made the character and her actions, or lack thereof, unbelieveable. The long psychological descriptions, which often changed Alice's mental state from paragraph to paragraph, were also frustrating as this fluctuation of character made it hard to care about what happened to her.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 29-11-17
Weakest Smiley I’ve Heard/Read
This was the weakest of several Jane Smiley works I’ve read. A limp attempt at a “murder mystery.” Centered on a cast of self-interested characters you won’t care about, the story is formulaic and rife with cliches. The reader is ok, except for one or two poor—but blessedly brief—attempts at accents (a Rastafarian, for example). I couldn’t wait for this one to end, so when I fell asleep in the middle and awoke to hear the “reveal,” that was quite enough and I deleted it from my library.
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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
- Stefanie Marlis
- 07-11-17
Psychologically Intriguing Page-Turner
I had modest expectations for this book that were much more than met. The characters were well developed and original. The book had more depth than your average mystery and still kept me turning pages. Surprising! Well crafted!