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Kind of Cruel cover art

Kind of Cruel

By: Sophie Hannah
Narrated by: Emma Kay, Jonathan Aris, Anna Bentinck
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Summary

Shortlisted for: Crime & Thriller of the Year – Specsavers National Book Awards 2012

When Amber Hewerdine consults a hypnotherapist as a desperate last resort, she doesn't expect that anything much will change. She doesn't expect it to help with her chronic insomnia. And she doesn't expect to hear herself, under hypnosis, saying words that mean nothing to her: 'Kind, cruel, kind of cruel'. These are words she has seen somewhere before, if only she could remember where….

She also doesn't expect to be arrested two hours later, as a result of having spoken those words out loud, in connection with the brutal murder of Katharine Allen, a woman she's never heard of.

©2012 Sophie Hannah (P)2012 Hodder & Stoughton

What listeners say about Kind of Cruel

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but full of saliva!

Loved the story, very complex and lots of layers. Too much saliva from the narrators though!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

LOVED THIS NOVEL

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL, ALTHOUGH I HAVE LOVE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL NOVELS, THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT SHARE THAT MAY FIND IT OVERLONG. 5*

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tantalisingly terrifying

I really enjoyed this story, full of suspense. Bentinck, Aris & Kay are superb narrators bringing out every child's worst nightmare.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Confusing

I have been listening to Sophie Hannah's books for a while now and on the whole really enjoy the twists and turns in the story. However, much as I enjoyed the actual story I kept getting confused with the narration, I had to stop and think and look for clues as to who the character was, Was it Amber, Charlie or someone else. the voices were so similar. Otherwise a good listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really good psychological thriller

Would you listen to Kind of Cruel again? Why?

I already have! I found the story intriguing the first time I listened quite a while ago, and I think I enjoyed it more the second time round because the story though complex is very satisfying.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Can I have two characters? If so, then they would be Dinah and Noni. I think Sophie Hannah really delves deep into the way (intelligent) children think, react and express themselves, for example the conversation in the car between Amber and Noni, where she (Noni) is struggling to understand maths is spot on. Although these two characters don't play a big part themselves, in a way they are at the centre of the story.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have heard Anna Bentinck before, she is very good to listen to. The other two readers were excellent as well.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It brought back several memories I had as a child, things you can't analyse at the time, but that stay with you subconsciously. I didn't laugh or cry, but I could relate to many of the descriptions for example the story right at the beginning of Jinny's first day at school, the hypnotherapy sequences ( why do you always have to go down a staircase and not come back up? ), and the depiction of the experience of insomnia, again, spot on.

Any additional comments?

A cleverly plotted novel, it kept my attention from beginning to end. I would recommend it. Now what can I listen to next?...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Secrets and lies

Any additional comments?

A story told through the eyes of someone who has lost her memory but with the aid of a diary notebook and a psychoanalyst all is eventually revealed to the lady herself regarding her past and the truth of her current situation.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

not bad ...but

not bad but it was a bit annoying the constant referral of "cruel - kind of cruel" i stopped counting how many times it was said in each chapter. but actually not a bad book but dont think i would bother recommending it to a friend.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Yawn!

If life is too short to stuff a mushroom, then I definitely have not got time to waste finishing this. After two or three hours of waiting for it to get somewhere, I gave up. I found I couldn't care less about what on earth was going on or why, the first time I have not finished an audio book.

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