Charms for the Easy Life

By: Kaye Gibbons

Narrated by: Kate Fleming

A family without men, the Birches live gloriously offbeat lives in the lush, green backwoods of North Carolina. In a sad and singular era, they are unique among women of their time. For radiant, headstrong Sophia and her shy and brilliant daughter Margaret possess powerful charms to ward off loneliness, despair, and the human misery that all too often beats a path to their door. And they are protected through the years by the eccentric wisdom and muscular love of the most stalwart Birch of all—a solid, unbending, and uncompromising self-taught healer who can cure everything from boils to broken hones to broken hearts…a remarkable matriarch who calls herself Charlie Kate.
Charms for the Easy Life is the passionate, luminous, and exhilarating New York Times bestseller by Kaye Gibbons, the acclaimed author of Ellen Foster and Sights Unseen.

So Lovely!

I adore this book so much! I read it years ago and downloaded the audible to "read" it again. This narrator is really good! The book is much better than the movie they made out of it. This is well worth the money or credit.

Toss Up

I recently listened to this twice . One book is read by the author but was abridged , so I purchased this copy to hear the complete story.
The book is about 3 generations of women living together My favorite character was the Grandma, who was feisty and outspoken , and sort of known as a healer of sorts.
I found both narrations unique , although if you want a book professionally narrated, I’d go with the unabridged version read by Kate Fleming.
I liked the version by the author. It was no frills, but I liked listening to her accent.

poignant, sweet and beautiful

read this book years ago...and at that time in my life I identified with margaret...now many years and a divorce later I identified with sophie...I wish I had a strong woman like grandma in my life for guidance. wisdom
and good sense...

Read it in the mid 90's. Still love the story.

This family would be my kind of people. Independantly minded, fiercly loving with a strong sense of justice. The grandmother is my "spirit animal". Loved it.

terrible book

this book is so disgusting, also is a bit racist in it, the grandmother sends cards about sex to kids when they turn 13 yes 13!! who does that? also has a bit more raunchy details in it, don't waste your time on it if you want to read it for fun.