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The Sisters Grimm

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The Sisters Grimm

By: Menna van Praag
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'Vividly drawn, evocative and complex, The Sisters Grimm is both absorbing and beautiful - a great achievement' Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Binding

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of sisters Grimm on Earth.
You may well be one of them, though you might never know it.
You think you’re ordinary.
You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.
But I hope that by the time you finish this tale, you’ll start listening to the whispers that speak of unknown things, the signs that point in unseen directions and the nudges that suggest unimagined possibilities.
I hope too that you’ll discover your own magnificence, your own magic . . .

This is the story of four sisters Grimm – daughters born to different mothers on the same day, each born out of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire. They found each other at eight years-old, were separated at thirteen and now, at nearly eighteen, it is imperative that they find each other once again.

In thirty-three days they will meet their father in Everwhere. Only then will they discover who they truly are, and what they can truly do. Then they must fight to save their lives and the lives of the ones they love. Three will live, one will die. You’ll have to read on to find out who and why…

© Menna Van Praag 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Paranormal

Critic reviews

Vividly drawn, evocative and complex, The Sisters Grimm is both absorbing and beautiful – a great achievement. (BRIDGET COLLINS, author of The Binding)
One of those rare finds: a vivid and fully-realised act of the imagination, written with the page-turning immediacy of the here and now, but overflowing with the wonder of the stories of old. (ROBERT DINSDALE, author of The Toymakers)
A very grown up fairy-tale with more than a nod to Angela Carter and Philip Pullman . . . textured and complex . . . genuinely thrilling and emotional . . . it's never less than spellbinding.
A darkly beguiling delight that’s perfect for fans of rich and imaginative fantasy books akin to Erin Morgenstern and Neil Gaiman.
An entertaining and clever examination of folklore, female empowerment, and the system that attempts to keep women in check.'
Van Praag spins a compelling, intensely poetic narrative of empowerment and self-realisation.
Readers will be drawn to these well-developed characters and their lush world.
All stars
Most relevant
After listening to another title by the same author I gave this one a go, but just never got into it. For me it was like one of those subtitled movies where you hang in there to the end waiting for it to get better, but it doesn’t. It is well written but I just didn’t like the story. The characters didn’t fully engage me. I didn’t care enough about what happened to most of them. The performance is mostly good but the female voice trying to sound like a male German evil villain grated so much it detracted from the story.

Very long and predictable

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Menna van Praag’s beautifully written, powerful, traditional folklore inspired story of diverse women and girls, mothers and daughters, discovering innate strengths to conquer their adversaries, conjures up both the everyday experience of many and the realms of the fantastical in harmonious balance, with more than a dusting of wry humour. The story enchants and beguiles with perfect pacing. The depth of the characters and mix of everyday circumstances and dreamlike escapism make for a powerful brew. Thoroughly enjoyed the narration, with the wonderful, rounded vocal characterisations created by Adjoa Andho making for an immersive audible experience. Excellent Audio book. Would recommend.

Fairy tale with attitude, for grown ups

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Really entertaining story with a strong narrative. I loved the magical side and it really gripped me till the end. This is a book I would like to read just so I can take in the language.
The performance by Adjoh Andoh was perfect and I enjoyed her voices and emotion throughout. An absolute Joy!

My only critique would be that the main characters (who are 17) were far too mature for their age. I couldn't get behind this, and think that they would have worked better as 21 year olds. Bea especially acted more like she was 25+. Her affair with the teacher was unsettling considering her age.

Excellent

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The narrator is wonderful and the author has both an interesting style and a unique premise. However, I particularly love character driven novels and the main characters in this all came off as a bit...emotionless. I didn't really connect with them personally, and so I didn't find myself rooting for them or even really caring when things happened. I also felt like the build up to things actually happen took a bit long. However there is much to appreciate here, it really depends on personal taste.

Beautiful but cold

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Absolutely loved this as a story, as well as the beautiful language. However, I just didn’t like the narrator at all, she has a strange way of speaking where each sentence ends with a strange upwards intonation..it was really irritating and I ended up returning the audiobook and reading by myself instead. Highly recommended!

Loved the story, not the narrator

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