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Hot Milk

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Hot Milk

By: Deborah Levy
Narrated by: Romola Garai
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About this listen

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZE 2016

Plunge into this hypnotic tale of female sexuality and power - from the Man Booker shortlisted author of Swimming Home

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Hot Milk by Deborah Levy, read by Romola Garai.

Two women arrive in a village on the Spanish coast. Rose is suffering from a strange illness andher doctors are mystified. Her daughter Sofia has brought her here to find a cure with the infamous and controversial Dr Gomez - a man of questionable methods and motives. Intoxicated by thick heat and the seductive people who move through it, both women begin to see their lives clearly for the first time in years.

Through the opposing figures of mother and daughter, Deborah Levy explores the strange and monstrous nature of womanhood. Dreamlike and utterly compulsive, Hot Milk is a delirious fairy tale of feminine potency, a story both modern and timeless.

 Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Fiction

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Critic reviews

Unsettling, challenging and gloriously written, Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is the multi-generational story of a hallucinatory sort of summer
Leaves the reader enraptured and unnerved
All stars
Most relevant
This is an engaging story told in an impressionistic way with elements of magical realism. Cinematic in style, it reminded me a little of Almodovar's films. The narration was superb, a very committed performance and beautiful voice.

Dreamlike and fascinating

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Powerful punchline but overall miserable- at times superficial
The relationship with water was well done
The relationship with mother / Father/ illness were strong
The love interests unconvincing - added little
The doctor/quack could have been built on

Powerful punchline but miserable- at time superficial

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Great book. Witty and insightful. Spoilt by terribke monotone reader wish I'd read it myself

fascinating

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Almost very good with a cast of interestingly and unsympathetic characters in an unusual situation and location.... But ultimately really really irritating.
"Whatever you are waiting for may not arrive" says one character, yup, that'll be reader satisfaction.
Inconsequential points are laboured; intriguing red herrings serve no purpose; metaphors are clunky and it goes on and on and on about jellyfish.

A bit intriguing, a lot irritating

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I really enjoyed this, it is a great character novel and the performance is fantastic, particularly the voice of the mother.

A great character novel

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