The Warbler Audiobook By Sarah Beth Durst cover art

The Warbler

A Novel

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The Warbler

By: Sarah Beth Durst
Narrated by: Caitlin Davies, Sara Sheckells, Marni Penning
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lies Among Us comes a magical tale about mothers and daughters, choices and consequences, and the real meaning of home when every place feels like a cage.

Ten months. That’s the longest Elisa has stayed anyplace, constantly propelled by her fear that if she puts down roots, a family curse will turn her into a tree.

But she’s grown tired of flitting from town to town and in and out of relationships. When she discovers a small town in Massachusetts where mysterious forces make it impossible for the residents to leave, she hopes she can change her fate.

As Elisa learns about the town’s history, she understands more about the women in her family, who seem doomed to never get what they want. Now she believes she’s stuck, too—is that a patch of bark on her arm? But her neighbor’s collection of pet birds sings secrets that Elisa can almost understand—secrets she must unravel in order to be truly alive.

©2025 by Sarah Beth Durst. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Family Life Genre Fiction Magical Realism Women's Fiction
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Original Storytelling • Rich Writing • Compelling Characters • Unexpected Twists • Magical Atmosphere

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When I first started reading this book, I was a little bit confused because it went from one character to another to another. Then I realized that all these women were connected and every time I changed to another character it was telling a little bit more about how the curse started. The ending was a little bit surprising though I was not expecting that. I did feel bad for Lori and Alyssa for having to move around so much because of the curse that was put on them by somebody else because they thought they knew best. Sometimes I thought the narrator got a little bit too emotional.

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Some stories don’t shout, they take root… and sometimes, they trap.
The Warbler is a quiet, magical story about mothers, daughters, and the complicated ways love can become control.
A wish meant to protect ripples through generations, binding some to stay, forcing others to never put down roots. Trees and roots become powerful symbols of memory, inheritance, and the weight of the past, while caged birds linger as haunting reminders of freedom lost.
At its core, it asks: when does protection become a cage?
“Some roots don’t anchor us—they pull us back.”
A beautiful, thoughtful story about breaking cycles and choosing your own path.

A story that took root in my heart

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I originally purchased this audiobook because I stumbled across it while writing a flash fiction about a hedge witch turning into a willow tree as a side effect of her use of green magic. Then I couldn’t bring myself to start it for reasons I can’t explain. But faced with a 6-hour drive I decided to give it a chance. Wow!!! This book is amazing. The writing is rich and lyrical without sacrificing compelling storytelling. The narrator is excellent. That said, when I reached my destination, I immediately downloaded the ebook because I couldn’t wait for my return drive to find out how it ended. Highly recommended!

Absolutely Magical & Mesmerizing

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Great book, great performance! Might be time for a second listen soon. Thank you to everybody involved.

Loved this story

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this was the best book I have read in a long time. Just fantastic

fantastic

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