Satisfying, feminist, and twisty

The plot and writing are superb, dragging you off in a completely different (and much darker) direction than you might expect from the first few chapters, which tread familiar ‘millennial woman with her life in a mess’ territory. What comes later is so much more interesting and unfolds grippingly.

Nice to have a protagonist who isn’t straight. The writing is deft, never fussy or show-off-y. It’s definitely as good as the author’s first book, Promising Young Women - quite possibly better.

Performance wise, some of the folksy country Irish accents got a bit much for my ear - to the point of laughable at times - but then I’m not Irish, so what do I know? Apart from that, this is a really enjoyable engrossing listen. Gripping and easy to digest, but with definite bite and substance too.

I will definitely be pre-ordering whatever O’Donoghue writes next.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Ok story, dreadful narration

The narrator ruined this book for me. Why so shouty? The accents were all over the place.
It felt like there were a lot of unnecessary strands and dead ends which didn’t add anything, just made it more frustrating.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Better and better

Loved it, took a little while to get into it but just got better and better!!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Very Moving Book

Sometimes it pays to be careful what you wish for. If you rake up the past you have to stir a hornits nest as well.

This is a book about grief, family, Ireland and the nature of Irishnes, with a particular focus on the Irish female experience.

Using a gripping mystery to bring thes r together.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Really enjoyable

Got me hooked straightaway. Enjoyed the characters, bits of humour mixed with lots of suspense and some poignant moments.
Performance was lovely. The narrator's accent had undertones of Irish all the way through (doing American or English) but I didn't mind that at all

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Found comfort as a Lost Adult.

I loved the last line...
"And eventually when there's nothing left to talk about we start the long journey home".
This story brings together so many different themes around the trauma being processed across the globe and how before we can even begin to move on it needs to be acknowledged and shared, whilst respecting the people who actually had to live through it.
Its given me a lot to think about whilst also putting my mind at ease so thanks, Caroline, for helping me uncross a few wires, much appreciated. 😊

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Hard to classify

I really enjoyed this book, partly because it is so hard to classify. It was part mystery and part social history with a good dash of modern chicken lit. A good performance and an engrossing story.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Weird performance. Pleasant story.

I found the narrator very grating. It was read so flatly and the intonation so stilted and not representative of normal speech that it really detracted from the book. That said, I enjoyed it- the characters were interesting and the story is a nice easy entertainer.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Easy listen

Ok story but didn’t really love any of the characters and started to lose interest in the plot towards the end as the characters began to grate on me more. I liked the descriptions of Irish pub life and there was enough to keep me just about interested but overall quite a forgettable book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Lots of yelling

The reader really does yell alot. Generally liked the beginning but the end just kinda trailed off

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!