Audiobooks Like A Painted House

David Lansbury narrates A Painted House with an unhurried, rural gentleness that matches the novel's 1952 Arkansas setting — it's a 12-hour listen that doesn't rush the rhythms of a seven-year-old's summer, and Lansbury keeps the nostalgia from curdling into sentiment. The list skews toward highly rated titles at comparable runtimes, and two more Grisham entries are in the mix, all sharing that same quiet, character-first pace.

10 audiobooks for fans of A Painted House

  1. 1
    Calico Joe cover

    Calico Joe

    by John Grisham

    Narrated by Erik Singer

    4.10 ABR Score (52.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (50.4K) ★ 4.42 Audible (2.0K)
    4h 35m listening time • Released 2012
  2. 2
    Bleachers (Grisham, John) cover

    Bleachers (Grisham, John)

    by John Grisham

    Narrated by John Grisham

    3.78 ABR Score (48.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.54 Goodreads (47.0K) ★ 4.19 Audible (1.1K)
    4h 19m listening time • Released 2003
  3. 3
    Theo of Golden cover

    Theo of Golden

    by Allen Levi

    Narrated by David Morse

    4.85 ABR Score (178.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.57 Goodreads (168.5K) ★ 4.89 Audible (10.3K)
    13h 12m listening time • Released 2025

    David Morse's weathered voice transforms this quiet parable into something hypnotic—each pencil portrait portrait exchange feels like a secret being shared directly with you, making generosity feel less like virtue and more like magic.

  4. 4
    The Hate U Give cover

    The Hate U Give

    The Hate U Give • Book 1

    by Angie Thomas

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    4.83 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.45 Goodreads (1.0M) ★ 4.78 Audible (45.9K)
    11h 50m listening time • Released 2017

    Bahni Turpin's narration gives each character a distinct, lived-in voice that makes Starr's internal conflict feel devastatingly real. This is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand why this book became a cultural phenomenon.

  5. 5
    The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell cover

    The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

    by Robert Dugoni

    Narrated by Robert Dugoni

    4.68 ABR Score (253.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.45 Goodreads (230.8K) ★ 4.67 Audible (22.7K)
    11h 41m listening time • Released 2018

    Robert Dugoni narrating his own coming-of-age story brings an intimacy that transforms a tale of isolation into something deeply moving. His performance captures both the wounded kid and the reflective adult looking back, making this feel less like memoir and more like a friend finally trusting you with his truth.

  6. 6
    Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick cover

    Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick

    by Taylor Jenkins Reid

    Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid

    4.68 ABR Score (778.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (758.2K) ★ 4.7 Audible (19.8K)
    9h 52m listening time • Released 2025

    Multiple narrators embody the fierce ambition and competing loyalties of women breaking into NASA, making this feel like you're in the room with them rather than just hearing their story.

  7. 7
    My Friends cover

    My Friends

    by Fredrik Backman

    Narrated by Marin Ireland

    4.58 ABR Score (421.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (413.4K) ★ 4.64 Audible (8.5K)
    13h 22m listening time • Released 2025

    Marin Ireland's narration transforms this story of teenage friendship into something achingly real—she captures the specific cadence of how friends actually talk, making you feel like you're eavesdropping on something sacred.

  8. 8
    UnDivided cover

    UnDivided

    Unwind Dystology • Book 4

    by Neal Shusterman

    Narrated by Luke Daniels

    4.57 ABR Score (34.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.45 Goodreads (32.4K) ★ 4.77 Audible (2.0K)
    12h 57m listening time • Released 2014

    Luke Daniels brings devastating clarity to this finale, making the moral reckoning hit harder than any previous book in the series. The stakes feel genuinely apocalyptic because he forces you to hear the humanity in every side of an impossible conflict.

  9. 9
    The Road to Tender Hearts cover

    The Road to Tender Hearts

    by Annie Hartnett

    Narrated by Mark Bramhall

    4.56 ABR Score (64.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (61.9K) ★ 4.78 Audible (2.2K)
    11h 48m listening time • Released 2025

    Mark Bramhall's warm, weathered voice is perfect for PJ's cross-country redemption quest—you'll believe every heartbreak and laugh alongside this unlikely found family on wheels.

  10. 10
    When Crickets Cry cover

    When Crickets Cry

    by Charles Martin

    Narrated by Charles Martin, Adam Verner

    4.45 ABR Score (74.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (72.3K) ★ 4.61 Audible (2.3K)
    11h 15m listening time • Released 2019

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →