Heart wrenching story

I loved this book thank you Dorothy it has been my company for the last few days. It was a bit slow to get to Eves story but overall I loved it!

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Good Book - Good Narration

Let me start by saying that I don't like or read romance, chicklit or the type of books aimed at the female market and I avoided Dorothy Koomson for a long time because I thought her books were on that side of the fence (they aren't). That changed with the Ice Cream Girls I'd missed it in on TV was audibook shopping and thought I'd take a punt and am so glad I did :)

With The Woman He Loved Before I've read or listened and enjoyed all of Dorothy Koomson's books. The quality of story, characters etc is consistent in every book. I like her style of writing which tells the story from different perspectives. The twists and turns in the story are refreshing in oh so many books they are either predictable, unrealistic or foced with a scrabble to tie things up before the end and I'm left wondering why something that seemed an important part back in Chapter 10 is ignored and not resolved - not so with Ms Koomson's books she pays attention to the detail and nothing is ever quite what you think her story flows as a result.

Adjoa Andoh has a beautiful voice not only easy on the ear but pleasing to the ear. Her narration... like the book... just flows. She tops my list as my favourite female narrator and is absolutely the perfect voice for Ms Koomson's books.

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Huge fan of Koomson

I've been a huge fan of Dorothy Koomson since watching the TV adaptation of The Ice Cream Girls, and then picking up the book. I've been lucky enough to read and review several of Koomson's latest releases ahead of time, but I saw this audiobook while searching for a new one, and immediately knew I'd enjoy it.

For those who don't know, Koomson's books are rarely what they seem. I always think her books are wrongly categorised - put into the romance section, perhaps, without giving any idea of what they're really about. I'm no romance fan, but Koomson manages to create realistic relationships, while throwing in a bit of domestic noir.

The Woman He Loved Before is one of the darker books by Koomson. It may centre around Jack, Libby, and Eve, a love triangle that is far more complicated than it first appears. Eve is dead, and, despite years of marriage to and living with Jack, Libby feels her presence haunting their lives. But when she finds Eve's diaries, the horrific truth becomes apparent.

I can't tell you the amount of times I shook my head and thought, poor Eve. She had a rough life, which was sometimes very difficult to listen to. This should come with a warning of sexual violence (though not overly graphic), and emotional control. Without giving too much away, Eve finds herself in London aged 16, after running away from home and an abusive stepfather. She has no skills, few qualifications, and is drawn into a world that sucks young women in, and bleeds them dry. There begins a spiral of abuse, shame, and terror. Poor Eve.

I particularly like Koomson's way of bringing in the solidarity and strength of female bonds, the sisterhood. Like books by authors such as Liz Fenwick, Koomson's books are quietly feminist. Koomson is a black woman, and so her characters allow us to view the world from another perspective. Any writer wishing to include more characters of colour in their work should see how Koomson does it. I can only hope that my own characters of colour do her influence justice.

Also, I'm now a big fan of the narrator too, and will look out for more of her work.

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2 people found this helpful

Twists and Turns

Audio books make housework bearable and so they need to be entertaining enough to get through several hours! This one came up trumps - full of twists and turns. I did guess the end but that wasn't a spoiler at all just nice to be proved right! Beautifully read.

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1 person found this helpful

Fab story

I loved this book, some unexpected twists and kept me interested the from start to finish.

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Not What I Expected

The first few pages of this book were a bit of a disappointment. Girl meets handsome man- man is rude to her- girl decides to ignore man- man pursues her till she goes out with him .....yawn. So far, so Mills & Boon, but stick with it, because the story soon turns into a fast paced thriller with some shocking and tragic twists that come as a complete surprise.There are parts that are uncomfortable to listen to, but Dorothy Koomson must have done some intense research into her characters because the story is totally absorbing and believable. I couldn't turn it off.
Beautifully read (except for the voices of the older men and women which I found slightly annoying). Highly recommended, can't wait to try another by this author.

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Dot of Worcester

I don’t usually read this kind of novel & I have never read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written & each character becomes alive to the reader as the story unfolds. There are quite a few twists & turns & I found the ending very unexpected. As you read/listen you actually feel as if you are Eve & Libby & feel their pain & fright. This author certainly knows how to tell a story to captivate her audience. Only complaint I would have found it helpful if I had been forewarned about some of the content & language as it needs to be listened through headphones if children are around. I listened through half term & had to quickly turn off as my granddaughter was here with me. The sex scenes are quite explicit & language is very strong, but otherwise I would recommend this book.

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Fantastic!

I Think this is the best Koomson book I have read so far. In the beginning I was not sure where the story was going in the start until it EMERGED! Loved the story, very clever plot. The suspense!
I wad love to see this as a film!
Adjoa Andoh was as usual fantastic in the narration with the accents, etc.

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A great listen

Loved the characters all full and bold, a real-life telling of where life and love can lead when there is little choice

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Excellant listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would certainly recommend this book to all my female friends - I usually choose thriller type books, but this one has surprised and thoroughly entertained me. Great story very well narrated, exciting and touching, but not at all soppy!

What other book might you compare The Woman He Loved Before to, and why?

I listened to the Ice Cream Girls before, also enjoyable, better than the tv adaptation, but not as good as the above.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Thrilling modern day tale of life, love and the depths some have to sink to.
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