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All the Lives We Could Have Led: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

In Eshed Dagan’s All the Lives We Could Have Led, a mother and her son journey across California in an interpersonal odyssey of love, comfort, and reconciliation.

As Avia and her son, Lavi, get off the plane in San Francisco, the first stop of their trip across the Golden State, she cannot help but feel just a little hopeful. Maybe their time together will bring them closer and even bridge the emotional chasm separating them – filled with silences and volatile, intense confrontation.

Since before her divorce, both Avia and Lavi have held on to pieces of their past – shards and fragments that continue to drive a wedge through their relationship: an abusive husband, a domineering father, illness, addiction; pieces Avia hopes to put together as they tour the landscape of Lavi’s blissful childhood, and her gravest mistakes.

As river valleys give way to deep forests and wide ridges, each stop delicately peels off a different layer of their relationship. Avia is a survivor – she’s always been a survivor. But as they approach their final destination, as the core of their emotional journey is revealed, she wonders: Is it too late for them to finally accept each other – and to have a second chance at a happy family?

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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 2 minutes
Author Eshed Dagan
Narrator Linda Graves
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 09, 2024
Publisher eBookpro
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0D3RW2HN5

Customer reviews

3.1 out of 5 stars
27 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023
    So I just read this book on a Sunday.
    It is a captivating autobiography of a strong woman who moved through a lot.

    If you like family constellations and real raw emotions dealing with really difficult life situations: ancestral trauma, cultural trauma, childhood trauma, empathy, chronic disease, relationship trauma, difficult divorce, relationship with a narcicist, money trauma, parenting trauma, aging parents struggle, sibling struggle…

    This is life. Raw, for many heavy and at times desperate, yet worth the grind.

    And to witness someone embracing it all with so much grace and love for humanity…

    I closed myself in a room and cried and cried as I read it. Then I cried some more after I was done reading.

    Then the heaviness lifted and I was in awe of what humans can endure. I was in awe what strong Souls and solid characters can accomplish through all of it. I was proud of the author. I was proud of humans who remain human and loving…
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023
    I had a hard time getting into this book, and it wasn't my favorite. Was difficult to stay with it.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023
    Israeli author Eshed Dagan offers her debut novel ALL THE LIVES WE COULD HAVE LED, stepping onto the literary stage as a refreshing voice. Her novel, translated from the Hebrew by Jerry Hyman, from the opening lines establishes interest and probing as she writes, ‘Let us go, my son, to gather our shattered fragments where we lost them…There had to be a compelling reason to convince a teenager to go on such a trip with a mother suffering a midlife crisis. Like a shameful nocturnal emission, Lavi and I were discharged onto the sheet of our lives, bereft of a comforting womb to envelop us, Sometimes I think that if we had taken this trip on a private plane, just he and I, without going through the airport terminal where excitement of thousands of other passengers swallowed up our personal excitement, the whole journey would have been different…’

    A synopsis condenses the plot - ‘As Avia and her son, Lavi, get off the plane in San Francisco, the first stop of their trip across the Golden State, she cannot help but feel just a little hopeful. Maybe their time together will bring them closer and even bridge the emotional chasm separating them – filled with silences and volatile, intense confrontation. Since before her divorce, both Avia and Lavi have held on to pieces of their past – shards and fragments that continue to drive a wedge through their relationship: an abusive husband, a domineering father, illness, addiction; pieces Avia hopes to put together as they tour the landscape of Lavi’s blissful childhood, and her gravest mistakes. As river valleys give way to deep forests and wide ridges, each stop delicately peels off a different layer of their relationship. Avia is a survivor – she’s always been a survivor. But as they approach their final destination, as the core of their emotional journey is revealed, she wonders: Is it too late for them to finally accept each other – and to have a second chance at a happy family?’

    With polished prose and a solid sense of the conflicts between parent and offspring, this sensitive story delivers moments for reflection about our pasts - for all of us. This is a very strong debut novel by an author worthy of following. Recommended
    I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2023
    Dagan's writing style is both tender and introspective, bringing to life the inner struggles and hopes of Avia and Lavi. Through her words, we feel the weight of their shared history and the yearning for reconciliation. The descriptions of California's diverse landscapes serve as a metaphor for the emotional terrain they traverse, adding a vivid and tangible quality to the story. The novel's atmosphere is richly textured, with themes of love, comfort, and redemption interwoven throughout. As we journey with Avia and Lavi, we sense the palpable tension and unresolved emotions, creating an immersive reading experience. "All the Lives We Could Have Led" is a captivating exploration of the complexities of family relationships, filled with moments of poignancy and hope. Dagan's storytelling artistry, emotive prose, and carefully crafted atmosphere make this novel a powerful and resonant read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
    Can you imagine starting over? Not because you want to, but because you need to. And never for your own sake, but for somebody else's.
    She was a daughter that couldn't resist her mother's abusive behavior. She was a wife to a man who controlled her and abused her in every way. She is now a mother watching her son going through the same treatment and slowly losing himself. And that is something she will not stand.
    By saving him, she eventually saved herself. The only thing left is to salvage what is left of her relationship with her son - if that is even possible.
    A very gentle and intuitive story about life and how it was, which lead me to think about all the lives they could've had if things were different.
    3 people found this helpful
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