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A Crooked Tree

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About this listen

Rage. That's the feeling engulfing the car as Ellen's mother swerves over to the hard-shoulder and orders her daughter out onto the roadside. Ignoring the protests of her other children, she accelerates away, leaving Ellen standing on the gravel verge in her school pinafore and knee socks as the light fades.
What would you do as you watch your little sister getting smaller in the rear view window? How far would you be willing to go to help her? The Gallagher children are going to find out. This moment is the beginning of a summer that will change everything.

©2021 Una Mannion (P)2021 Faber & Faber Psychological Thriller & Suspense
All stars
Most relevant
Profoundly moving, atmospheric and well written. A story of growing up, love, loss and friendship in 70's America. Faultlessly read with a voice that matched the character beautifully. I shall miss listening to this.

Excellent listen

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A superb listen. Excellent teenage voice. Beautifully wrought characters. I'll miss Libby and Wilson enormously. Highly recommended.

Loved this so much.

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This seemed a very poignant tale of growth and loss. But the structure did it no favours and there was a lot of dull description and dialogue. The narrator did her best with this difficult material.

Took a long time to get going

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A Crooked Tree is a beautifully written, evocative coming-of-age tale laced with suspense and mystery. I loved listening to it. Highly recommend it.

Best book this year

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I'm not sure why this book didn't quite hit the mark for me. It is well written, well told, and has plenty to keep the interest. At times it just seemed to be trying too hard for the emotional reaction, too earnest and heartfelt - emphasising too many moments. It is written from the viewpoint of a young girl for whom life might be like that but I found it became grating at times. The family members were likable but felt familiar from other stories and, while I enjoyed the cultural and musical references, they too reminded me of other books.
A Crooked Tree did a good job of delivering a combination of 'coming of age', 'crime' and a snapshot of American culture. There isn't too much twist in the tale but there's lots to like. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book but perhaps not as wholeheartedly as some of the reviewers have.

Enjoyable but trying too hard at times.

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