The Oak Leaves

By: Maureen Lang

Narrated by: Anne Pepperidge Pepperidge, Beth Gulbrandsen

Drawing on her own Fragile X experience, Christy Award nominee Maureen Lang tells the griping tale of two women wrestling with the same "curse".

Talie Ingram is blessed with a devoted husband, a precious toddler, and a baby on the way. But her ideal world unravels when she uncovers a shocking family secret in the 19th-century journal of her British relative Cosima Escott. Only by reading Cosima's words can Talie make peace with the sobering legacy she has inherited - and already passed on.

©2007 Maureen Lang (P)2007 Recorded Books

Very good story

Enjoyed this read. Was not as impressed with one of the Narrators. But still would recommend.

intriguing story

interesting story line. loved learning about something we never hardly hear about in our society.
great narrators. thoroughly enjoyed the book. thank you team.

Beautiful story, passible narration

Would you listen to another book narrated by Anne Pepperidge Pepperidge and Beth Gulbrandsen ?

Beth Gulbrandsen, yes; Anne Pepperidge, no. Pepperidge's delivery is flat and emotionless, and I almost gave up on this book due to it. Thankfully, Beth Gulbrandsen's narration of the historical portions carried this book through.

Any additional comments?

This book sheds light on a topic that, during Victorian times, was shut away and hidden. Developmental delays were considered a curse, a family's sin. A contemporary woman is dealing with a generic disorder that causes developmental and physical challenges, and discovers a journal written by a distant relative whose family line contains many boys who have these delays.


By far, the historical portions, the journal, those characters were much more fleshed out than the contemporary one. perhaps this is due to Anne Pepperidge's flat delivery, but I found myself skipping through Talie's struggle to get to Cosema's story.

An inpirational story of Faith, Hope and Love

Every parent dreams of a bright future for their child. When a child is diagnosed with a profound developmental disability, it can be devastating. So it is for Talie Ingram. However, reading the journal left by her ancestor, Cosima Escott, forces Talie to see the truth. When she reads of an ancestral "curse" that seemed to cause feeblemindedness in boys, Talie is put to the test of her life. The author combines a contemporary and historical approach to weave a story of hope, love and faith.