Listen free for 30 days
-
The Morning Gift
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Categories: Children's Audiobooks, Literature & Fiction
People who bought this also bought...
-
A Song for Summer
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, she soon knows she's found her calling. Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her. But it's the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her - Marek, who has a dangerous secret. As Hitler's troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness.
-
-
A fairy tale...
- By Erica Austin on 10-01-20
-
The Secret Countess
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion.
-
-
Alright
- By Hannah Cline on 14-01-21
-
A Company of Swans
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weekly ballet classes are Harriet Morton's only escape from her intolerably dull life. So when she is chosen to join a corps de ballet which is setting off on a tour of the Amazon, she leaps at the chance to run away for good. Performing in the grand opera houses is everything Harriet dreamed of, and falling in love with an aristocratic exile makes her new life complete. Swept away by it all, she is unaware that her father and intended fiance have begun to track her down.
-
-
odd narration!
- By Amazon Customer on 17-12-18
-
Magic Flutes
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1922. Tessa is a beautiful, tiny, dark-eyed princess who’s given up her duties to follow her heart and work backstage at the Viennese opera. She keeps her true identity a well-guarded secret, but when a wealthy, handsome Englishman discovers this bewitching urchin backstage, Tessa’s two lives collide - and in escaping her inheritance, she finds her destiny....
-
-
Disappointing
- By Fredfiend on 21-03-16
-
Madensky Square
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Susanna Weber is the best dress maker in Imperial Vienna. Through skill and hard work, she now owns her own dress shop, looking out over the beautiful Madensky Square. To do so, she has left her past behind, if not without regret, at least resolutely. Looking around her, at her customers and friends, Susanna is aware that she has more than most - but a few small changes cause her to realize just how precarious her situation is.
-
-
Viennese delight
- By Katharine on 20-04-16
-
Journey to the River Sea
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at 13, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in this highly colourful, joyous, and award-winning adventure.
-
-
Great story for kids - let's go to the jungle!
- By Mr Dan on 17-04-15
-
A Song for Summer
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, she soon knows she's found her calling. Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her. But it's the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her - Marek, who has a dangerous secret. As Hitler's troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness.
-
-
A fairy tale...
- By Erica Austin on 10-01-20
-
The Secret Countess
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Sian Thomas
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion.
-
-
Alright
- By Hannah Cline on 14-01-21
-
A Company of Swans
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weekly ballet classes are Harriet Morton's only escape from her intolerably dull life. So when she is chosen to join a corps de ballet which is setting off on a tour of the Amazon, she leaps at the chance to run away for good. Performing in the grand opera houses is everything Harriet dreamed of, and falling in love with an aristocratic exile makes her new life complete. Swept away by it all, she is unaware that her father and intended fiance have begun to track her down.
-
-
odd narration!
- By Amazon Customer on 17-12-18
-
Magic Flutes
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spring, 1922. Tessa is a beautiful, tiny, dark-eyed princess who’s given up her duties to follow her heart and work backstage at the Viennese opera. She keeps her true identity a well-guarded secret, but when a wealthy, handsome Englishman discovers this bewitching urchin backstage, Tessa’s two lives collide - and in escaping her inheritance, she finds her destiny....
-
-
Disappointing
- By Fredfiend on 21-03-16
-
Madensky Square
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Susanna Weber is the best dress maker in Imperial Vienna. Through skill and hard work, she now owns her own dress shop, looking out over the beautiful Madensky Square. To do so, she has left her past behind, if not without regret, at least resolutely. Looking around her, at her customers and friends, Susanna is aware that she has more than most - but a few small changes cause her to realize just how precarious her situation is.
-
-
Viennese delight
- By Katharine on 20-04-16
-
Journey to the River Sea
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at 13, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in this highly colourful, joyous, and award-winning adventure.
-
-
Great story for kids - let's go to the jungle!
- By Mr Dan on 17-04-15
-
The Star of Kazan
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Ruth Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1896, in a pilgrim church in the Alps, an abandoned baby girl is found by a cook and a housemaid. They take her home, and Annika grows up in the servants' quarters of a house belonging to three eccentric Viennese professors. She is happy there but dreams of the day when her real mother will come to find her. One day a glamorous stranger arrives at the door.
-
-
A true parent is the one who loves you for real
- By Tisha on 05-12-15
-
The Devil in the Marshalsea
- By: Antonia Hodgson
- Narrated by: Joseph Kloska
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1727 - and Tom Hawkins is about to fall from his heaven of card games, brothels, and coffeehouses to the hell of a debtors' prison. The Marshalsea is a savage world of its own, with simple rules: those with family or friends who can lend them a little money may survive in relative comfort. Those with none will starve in squalor and disease. And those who try to escape will suffer a gruesome fate at the hands of the gaol's rutheless governor and his cronies.
-
-
One of the best audio books I've chosen recently
- By D on 28-10-14
-
The Shuttle
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Tabi That
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rosalie Vanderpoel, the daughter of an American multimillionaire marries an impoverished English baronet and goes to live in England. She all but loses contact with her family in America. Years later her younger sister Bettina, beautiful, intelligent and extremely rich, goes to England to find what has happened to her sister. She finds Rosalie shabby and dispirited, cowed by her husband's ill-treatment. Bettina sets about to rectify matters.
-
-
killed by narrator - sorry!
- By Holly on 17-11-20
-
Over Sea, Under Stone
- Book 1 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence
- By: Susan Cooper
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On holiday in Cornwall, the three children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that - the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their lives in peril.
-
-
Classic fantasy novels for children and adults.
- By Katheryn on 22-07-15
-
The Unknown Ajax
- By: Georgette Heyer
- Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miles from anywhere, Darracott Place is presided over by irascible Lord Darracott. The recent drowning of his eldest son has done nothing to improve his temper. For now he must send for the unknown offspring of the uncle whom the family are never permitted to mention. Yet none of that beleaguered family are prepared for the arrival of the weaver’s brat and heir apparent.
-
-
Immense enjoyment
- By Kathryn on 08-11-13
-
Bath Tangle
- By: Georgette Heyer
- Narrated by: Sian Phillips
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Earl of Spenborough has always been noted for his eccentricity. Leaving a widow younger than his own daughter Serena is one thing, but quite another is leaving Serena's fortune to the trusteeship of the Marquis of Rotherham -- a man whom Serena once jilted and who now has the power to give or withhold his consent to any marriage she might contemplate. When Serena and her lovely young stepmother Fanny decide to move to Bath, Serena makes an odd new friend and discovers an old love, Major Hector Kirkby.
-
-
Enjoyable, but an 'almost but not quite'
- By Maggie on 12-07-14
-
V for Victory
- By: Lissa Evans
- Narrated by: Lucy Briers
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by, with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel (almost 15) to clothe and educate. When she witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvellous and potentially disastrous – disastrous because Vee is not actually the person she’s pretending to be, and neither is Noel.
-
-
a wonderful series
- By L. Cox on 29-08-20
-
False Colours
- By: Georgette Heyer
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The honourable Christopher Fancot, on leave from the Diplomatic Service in the summer of 1817, is startled to find his entrancing but incorrigibly extravagant mother on the brink of financial and social ruin - and more than alarmed that his identical twin, Evelyn, Earl of Denville, has disappeared without trace. Christopher, or Kit, the respectable brother, is forced into an outrageous masquerade by his wayward family's tangled affairs. But in the face of Evelyn's continued absence, even Kit's ingenuity is stretched to the limit.
-
-
Entertaining Romantic Comedy in Regency England
- By Andrew John Rae on 21-10-13
-
An Offer from a Gentleman
- Bridgerton Family, Book 3
- By: Julia Quinn
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball, or that 'Prince Charming' would be waiting there for her!Even though she's the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
-
-
Badly written but good story
- By Stephen Sharpe on 12-08-20
-
The Searcher
- By: Tana French
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After 25 years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can't make himself walk away.
-
-
Haunting
- By bellyanna on 29-11-20
-
Summerwater
- By: Sarah Moss
- Narrated by: Morven Christie
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the longest day of the summer, 12 people sit cooped up with their families in a faded Scottish cabin park. The endless rain leaves them with little to do but watch the other residents. A woman goes running up the Ben as if fleeing; a retired couple reminisces about neighbours long since moved on; a teenage boy braves the dark waters of the loch in his red kayak. Each person is wrapped in their own cares but increasingly alert to the makeshift community around them.
-
-
Thoughts for our fractured times - brilliant
- By Rachel Redford on 29-08-20
-
Hamnet
- By: Maggie O'Farrell
- Narrated by: Daisy Donovan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.
-
-
Narrator fights writing and wins (sadly)
- By Leaf Green on 20-07-20
Summary
Ruth lives in Vienna and is wildly in love with Heini Radik, a brilliant young pianist. When Hitler’s forces invade, Ruth’s family flees to London, but she cannot get a passport.
Quin, a young professor and friend of the family, visits Ruth and offers a marriage of convenience. On their return to London, Quin begins to fall desperately in love with her. But then Heini turns up.…
More from the same
What listeners say about The Morning Gift
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- angela
- 23-10-16
Beautiful story RUINED by this narrator
Who gave this narrator the job
There must have been no editor or producer to supervise
Absolutely terrible narration. The voices for the characters, tempo. Sentiment. All terrible
Ruined the story completely
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- carole
- 23-09-15
This is the worst narrator I have Ever listened to
Would you try another book written by Eva Ibbotson or narrated by Kate Lock?
The narrator was so awful that I found it impossible to get beyond the first chapter, therefore I cannot comment on Eva Ibbotsons work. May I suggest Kate Lock is better suited to narrating children's books?
What was most disappointing about Eva Ibbotson’s story?
See above
Would you be willing to try another one of Kate Lock’s performances?
Never.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Morning Gift?
Not applicable.
Any additional comments?
None
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Melian
- 13-09-18
Atrocious Narration
This is a wonderful book. I was really looking forward to listening to it, unfortunately it was ruined by really bad narration. The narrator puts on a fake Austrian accent for much of the book which ruins the personalities of the characters and is unbearable to listen to. I gave up in the end. Such a shame that more attention is not given to the quality of narration - I'm sure Kate Lock is capable of a lovely performance
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Helena.C
- 03-02-19
A great book spoilt
I love Eva Ibbotson and this book but this a painful rendition. I usually listen to audio books at bedtime but I find this version actually stressful to listen to. The way the characters are voiced is both irritating and a poor reflection of the way their characters are described.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Katherine Rugen
- 21-10-18
Appalling narration
I love this story. It's one of my favourite books ever, and when I saw it on Audible I was excited to buy it, but the narration is so unbearable I couldn't possibly listen to it - and I gave it a good chance, in hopes of it acquiring some redeeming features. It did not. The characters' voices are just horrendous: rich, complex characters with great intelligence reduced to caricatures with horrible whiny faux-Austrian accents. The problem is this is narrated as if it's a book for 7 year olds, when it is not a children's book at all. I don't even agree with its recategorisation to YA to be honest but that's a separate point. All in all, wonderful, beautiful story. Horribly narrated. I'm terribly disappointed. Addendum: out of interest I searched for reviews of other books narrated by Kate Lock and every single book I looked at had poor reviews for narration. I really hate to say this, but I will remember her name as I would be 100% put off by listening to any book narrated by her.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 05-03-17
just lovely and absorbing!
One of my favorite books from my teenage years, the rare thing of a genuinely great romance, but with scope and humour and intelligence.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tina
- 19-01-17
I can't hear this audio book. It is horrible
Would you try another book from Eva Ibbotson and/or Kate Lock?
I read all books by Eva Ibbotson, but would never ever buy another book narrated by Kate Lock
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Who want to hear someone narrate a book with a fake German accent? is this supposed to be funny?
On top, the main figure sounds like she has the IQ of a potato chip.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Morning Gift?
non. Unabridged is mandatory.
Any additional comments?
I am very sorry I will never be able to listen to this wonderful book narrated.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tobi
- 01-08-15
Okay
I didn't like the narrator. Her accents were hard to understand and some of her voices were down right irritating. I felt the end of the story was too quick trying to put all the strings together into one chapter. It really left me cold. I will never listen to this book again.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- HolyCats!
- 29-07-15
Bad narration
What disappointed you about The Morning Gift?
I would love to tell you that I loved this story as I love all Eva Ibbotson's books, but I can't. Because five minutes into the audiobook I hated the narrator. 30 minutes in and I had lost all track of what the story was about because I was so disgusted by the narration. This is not a children's book. Please do not narrate it as such. And ending every other sentence on an upswing? Is just annoying. The voices were terrible and the deal breaker for me. If Patricia Connolly did a version of this I would snatch it up is a heartbeat. As it is I'm happy I didn't pay full price because I had to delete it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Wendy
- 23-11-13
Same Storyline
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yes, the characters are likable and it takes place during interesting times. It is however, the same plot as "The Secret Countess," "A Company of Swans" and "Magic Flutes." The leading man and woman are virtually interchangeable in all four books.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
It's a very satisfying ending.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
While does have a pleasant voice, she sounds like she's reading a bedtime story to a child. My biggest complaint is the way she voices the Austrian characters. They sound like Ludwig Von Drake. The children's voices sounded like Ludwig Von Drake on helium. I wanted to pull out my earbuds and stomp on them. The main character, Ruth, is supposed to have gone to an English school and had a Scottish governess. She has an English accent, with a slight "Aberdonian" lilt when she is upset. The narrator gives her a thick German accent. It's very distracting. I think she could be a good narrator, if she had more direction.
2 people found this helpful