I Who Have Never Known Men cover art

I Who Have Never Known Men

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I Who Have Never Known Men

By: Jacqueline Harpman, Ros Schwartz - translator
Narrated by: Sarah Lambie
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.


THE HEART-BREAKING POST-APOCALYPTIC TIKTOK SENSATION

Discover the haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic tale of female friendship and intimacy set in a deserted world.

Deep underground, 39 women are kept in isolation in a cage. Aboveground, a world awaits. Has it been abandoned? Devastated by a virus?

Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time and only vague recollection of their lives before. But, as the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the 40th prisoner - sits alone and outcast in the corner.

Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them aboveground. The woman who will never know men.

Listeners Reviews:
‘The voice actor is FANTASTIC’ *****
‘Life-changing. An absolute must read.’ *****
‘Beautiful contemplation on what makes life worth living’ *****

©2019 Jacqueline Harpman (P)2021 Penguin Audio

 Dystopian Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Women's Fiction Women's Voices Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

It is a novel about community, loneliness, and solitude, about intellectual awakening in impossible situations. It asks... What does it mean to be alive, to learn, to know? (Carmen Maria Machado)
A novel that takes you into philosophically interesting territory… this [is a] intriguingly dark thought experiment told by a compellingly alien voice – dispassionate and unfussy – is strangely fascinating
A vivid evocation of another world, alive with hope and dignity
A bleak but fascinating postapocalyptic novel… all the loneliness and oblivion of a deserted world won't stop us from following the narrator as far as she can go
All stars
Most relevant
I’m so glad I read this! It’s so thought provoking and moving. A must read.

Wow

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What a strange and bleak story. I enjoyed this but as the introduction gave away the whole premise and outcome I was quite annoyed.

please just skip the introduction

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Truly outstanding book but, do yourself a favour and sikp the introduction. It's not part of the novel, it's just summarises the plot. Lucky I figured that out after it told me the first few chapters but still spoilt a couple plot points I really wish it hadn't.

Great book! (but what's with the introduction?)

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Extraordinary writing and wonderfully performed, this book is thought provoking in its desolation and its beauty. Powerful reflections on what it is to be human, what it is to be alive, what it is to take control of one’s life.

Powerful in its desolate beauty

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I first picked up the book in a airport in Bristol, I liked the cover and the blurb. I absolutely fell in love with this book! The story told through girlhood, love and human relationships and resilience is told from an innocent perspective. I was hoping the ending wouldn’t be what I predicted, it was and I ended up loving the book even more for it. Would highly recommend the book for women ❤️

weirdly relatable and amazing

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