The Patience Stone (by Atiq Rahimi)

THE PATIENCE STONE by Atiq Rahimi (unabridged) is presented by Blackstone Audio and comes with what is perhaps the best audiobook app available (see FEATURES, below).

“The Patience Stone is perfectly written: spare, close to the bone, sometimes bloody, with a constant echo, like a single mistake that repeats itself over and over and over.” (Los Angeles Times)

In Persian folklore, Syngue Sabour is a magical stone that absorbs the plight of those who confide in it. Here, it is a man. The Patience Stone captures with great courage and spare, poetic prose the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Self-contained, this audiobook app is perfect for your commute, on a trip, or while relaxing. Based on a library-quality recording, this app was built especially for your iPhone and iPod Touch. No unreadable text, no endless scrolling on a tiny screen. The audio is of higher-than-normal quality, making for a great listening experience that will not tire your ears or grate on your nerves.

NOTICE: This app includes the exact same 5-star recording offered elsewhere at much higher prices. It was professionally recorded by Blackstone Audio’s narrator, Carolyn Seymour. You are not buying yet another amateur or volunteer narration. No clicks, background noises, throat clearing, mispronunciations, tinny voices or monotones will be found here.

“This story from an Afghan-born author is a powerful one, giving voice to the historically downtrodden Afghan woman….truly an expansive work of literature.” (New York Post)

• EXPERIENCE. About 3.5 hours of narration. Created as a Folium enhancedAudio™ edition, this book includes extra functions and features not found on lesser players.

• PLAYER CONTROLS. Includes listen (play), pause, multi-speed fast forward/reverse, jump ahead/back, chapter skip, volume control, one-touch chapter- and bookmark browser. There is also a “scrub” bar that finds any point inside the chapter with just a tap.

• SLEEP TIMER. Have you ever fallen asleep watching TV or listening to a book? If so, youll love this feature. Once set, the book will stop, place a bookmark, and allow you to jump back to where you probably began dozing.

• CLEAR & ELEGANT DESIGN. Simple, clean, intuitive, and smarter than average.

• CHAPTER TIMINGS. Always know how much time it will take to finish a chapter. Plus, the progress bar at the top of the screen shows how far into the book you’ve come.

• OFFLINE LISTENING. You are airplane-ready! Once downloaded, listen uninterrupted without threat from a lost network connection. Downloads are usually just 5-10 minutes, but depend upon your network speed.

• AUTO-BOOKMARKING. The player remembers where you stopped listening and returns to that exact spot when you open the book again.

• TELL-A-FRIEND. An easy way to recommend the book to your friends or Twitter feed.

• FEEDBACK. Share your ideas for books, functions, and features. We are very responsive to our listeners and appreciate all feedback and ideas.


RATING: Suitable for adults who enjoy the literature of Afghanistan and stories of overcoming oppression.

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In Persian folklore, Syngue Sabour is a magical stone, a patience stone, that absorbs the plight of those who confide in it. But here, the Syngue Sabour is a man lying brain-dead, forced to listen as his wife reveals her deepest desires, pains, and secrets. Not knowing if her husband hears, she confesses about sex, love, and her anger against a man who never understood her and who mistreated her, gradually building to the great secret that is unthinkable in a country like Afghanistan. Here Rahimi captures the reality of everyday life for an intelligent woman under the oppressive weight of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.