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Absolutely and Forever

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Absolutely and Forever

By: Rose Tremain
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A piercing story of thwarted love and true friendship from one of our greatest living writers

Marianne Clifford, 15, only child of a peppery army colonel and his vain wife, Lal, falls helplessly and absolutely for Simon Hurst, 18, whose cleverness and physical beauty suggest that he will go forward into a successful and monied future, helped on by doting parents. But fate intervenes. Simon's plans are blown off course, and Marianne is forced to bury her dreams of a future together.

Narrating her own story, characterising herself as ignorant and unworthy, Marianne's telling use of irony and smart thinking gradually suggest to us that she has underestimated her own worth. We begin to believe that - in the end, supported by her courageous Scottish friend, Petronella - she will find the life she never stops craving. But what we can't envisage is that beneath his blithe exterior, Simon Hurst has been nursing a secret which will alter everything.

©2023 Rose Tremain (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking

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Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR ABSOLUTELY AND FOREVER:
'Stunningly beautiful and deeply moving'
A perfect Tremain novel… English, dark and yearning… remarkable… [Tremain shows] us the things that make every human life extraordinary
Funny, piercing and singular… this gorgeous, pitch-perfect novel is a world unto itself… it’s powerful, too… I can’t fathom the reason why you wouldn’t rush straight out to buy it
A slim, funny, elegantly breezy coming-of-age story
A complex tale of becoming that’s moving, evocative and mesmerising in its acuity
An electrifying, word-perfect tale… Gently devastating, devastatingly beautiful
An engrossing character study ... But it is also a study in tolerance and kindness, and as such is more relevant to today’s reader than it might first seem
Written with piercing clarity and gentle humour, Absolutely And Forever is a study of the messiness of human relationships, the significance of secrets unspoken and the impact of the choices we make
This is a book about the comic, painful, life-long search for human understanding. Not a word is wasted; not a phrase trite. It is mesmerising, masterly and profoundly moving
Rose Tremain… is back on form with Absolutely and Forever
All stars
Most relevant
Listened in one sitting-took a few minutes to get used to the narrator but really enjoyed it-a love story by Rose Tremain ,possibly my favourite writer. Not her best ever book and definitely not her longest but a good listen.

Love story

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Recommended as a “book of the year” by The Week magazine - not sure what the fuss is about. Average story about a woman never getting over her first love. Then randomly without ever having a trace of a hint we find out in just a few sentences later in the novel that he is gay and was then finally pursuing “happiness” now that he is “out”. Also the central character then leaves her husband to care for her father & gift wrap presents at a department store. Alright story but a bit random really.

Alright story but a bit random really

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I knew I would like the book as I've never been disappointed by any of Rose Tremains' compelling stories. However, I felt the narration was a bit flat in tone. It made me want to do my own version, so much is my enjoyment of reading aloud. Narration makes such an enormous difference with an audiobook. The book may be brilliant but if the audio is flat it really affects one's enjoyment and absorption. That said, I still loved it and will never say no to one of Rose Tremain's books.

Great story

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Found this book disappointing. Compared with Lily. It was a book club read. Very abrupt ending.

Disappointed not as good as her earlier book

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Totally immersive story with interesting characters. Wonderful description of human emotions with peppered with humour. Great narrator.

Great story

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