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Apple Tree Yard

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Apple Tree Yard

By: Louise Doughty
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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About this listen

Yvonne Carmichael has a high-flying career, a beautiful home and a good marriage. But when she meets a stranger she is drawn into a passionate affair.

Keeping the two halves of her life separate seems easy at first. But she can’t control what happens next.

©2014 Louise Doughty (P)2014 Faber Audio Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

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Editor reviews

Louise Doughty’s gripping psychological thriller Apple Tree Yard is the story of Yvonne Carmichael: happy wife and career woman. When she embarks on an affair with an attractive stranger, at first it seems simple enough to compartmentalise the different facets of her life… but not for long. Narrated by the terrific Juliet Stevenson, Apple Tree Yard is a thrilling audiobook (available from Audible) that will have crime literature fans utterly gripped. Admirers of the book include such luminaries of the crime thriller genre as Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Hilary Mantel and S.J. Watson.

Critic reviews

"Brilliant and bruising. Obsession, betrayal and blood-letting...." (Ian Rankin)

"A superb novel... I really didn’t want to finish it. And I don’t say that very often." (Julie Myerson)

"Realised I’d been holding my breath for the last forty pages. Gripping." (Val McDermid)
All stars
Most relevant
I have been waiting for this audiobook to appear for the last six months since it came out in hardback and I was so excited to download it. It's my first listen of the year and I really can't imagine listening to a better novel this year. Louise Doughty has always been one of my favourite writers since the early novels such as 'Crazy Paving' (why are they not on audio?) but this is far superior to anything she has written before. It is gripping, shocking, thought provoking and completely consuming. I really did not know what to expect next and was completely mesmerised by Juliet Stevenson's perfect narration. Louise Doughty writes so well and her excellent prose is so well matched by the narration that I felt my life was completely overtaken by this amazing novel.

Gripping, shocking and thought provoking

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What does Juliet Stevenson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

This is a story very much from one voice, the main character. Having Juliet Stevenson reading gave the story and the character a rich texture.

Excellent to listen to; hard to categorise

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I remember the TV drama being out at the same time as Broadchurch with a similar storyline, a woman in her fifties experiencing a brutal assault. Except Apple Tree Yard was criticised for using this as a plot point, downplaying the severity of the issue. Whereas the assault in Broadchurch was the basis of the entire programme. I had debated reading the book on this pricincipal but for £3 I thought I would try it, especially as I love Juliet Stevenson as a narrator.

I felt that 11 hours was far too long for this book and it could have been edited to at least 8. The initial liason got to the point fairly quickly but then it dallied for a few hours and the central plot point to a few hours to arrive at.

I'm glad I listened to it and saw it through to the end but agree with the commenters that Yvonne and her privileged lifestyle did not make it easy to relate to her or feel empathy. There were a few jaw-dropping 'no way' moments but these were related to the unfairness of the judicial system rather than outrage for the protagonist.

Juliet Stevenson as always is a fabulous narrator and is able to do a variety of very convincing accents. I think she is why I held onto the story right to the end. I do feel like my next read will be something a little more cheerful.

Okay but don't understand the hype

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I've broken all my rules with this. The rules are that I can only listen to audiobooks whilst I'm doing something worthwhile: cycling, walking the dog, doing housework! But this is simply too brilliant and addicitive... Very cleverly constructed, and very believable. You know something has happened but for a lot of it you're not sure what. The narrator is very good - a perfect voice for the main character; and when one of the main scenes happens (slight spoiler alert - but for some of the book it's called the 'car crash' but it's not!)it's so well described that's it's only too believable! I've recommended this to everyone - unreservedly!

Brilliant!

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I loved this book and immediately downloaded the TV series to watch it again. This is such a well written book with fantastic dialogue and a great storyline. My only slight niggle was Juliet Stevenson, I much preferred Emily Watson her portrayal of the character was much softer, I found the audible character a bit harder and less easy to have empathy for.
But all in all a great listen.

Fantastic listen

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