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Prima Facie

Based on the award-winning play starring Jodie Comer

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Prima Facie

By: Suzie Miller
Narrated by: Jodie Comer
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

This audiobook is narrated by Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Last Duel, The End We Start From), who won Best Actress in both the Tony and Olivier awards for her performance in the theatre production of Prima Facie. Her performance in the play was lauded as "infusing breath-taking emotional drama into every word" (Guardian), with "tremendous skill and improbable stamina" (New York Times). Here she returns to Tessa in this intimate and skilful performance.

From the Olivier award-winning playwright of Prima Facie Suzie Miller comes her first novel, where power, patriarchy and morality diverge.

‘She played by the rules, but the rules are broken.'

Tessa Ensler is a brilliant barrister who's forged her career in criminal defence through sheer determination. Since her days at Cambridge, she’s carefully disguised her working class roots in a male-dominated world where who you know is just as important as what you know. Driven by her belief in the right to a fair trial and a taste for victory, there’s nothing Tessa loves more than the thrill of getting her clients acquitted.

It seems like Tessa has it made when she is approached for a new job and nominated for the most prestigious award in her field. But when a date with a charismatic colleague goes horribly wrong, Tessa finds that the rules she’s always played by might not protect her, forcing her to question everything she's ever believed in…

“It has been an absolute joy to return to Tessa’s story whilst recording this audiobook. My hope is that it will reach the widest number of people, perhaps who weren’t able to see the play. I’ve personally enjoyed delving into her story again and am excited for audiences to experience this further exploration gifted to us by the wonderful Suzie Miller.” Jodie Comer

'Enthralling and sharp-witted . . . Highly recommended' Karin Slaughter

'Bold, fearless, heartbreakingly timeless. Written with skill, humour, despair and hope, Prima Facie is a deeply rewarding, absolute must read' Chris Whitaker

©2024 Suzie Miller (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Best of 2024 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction Women's Voices Fiction Suspense
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Critic reviews

Prima Facie has already had a powerful impact outside the theatre, with copies of the original script included in training for new judges. If the novelisation gives it a greater reach, that can only be to the good; these are stories that need to be heard
This nakedly powerful story of how even a successful articulate woman lawyer can herself become a victim of the system is still one worth telling and re-telling
An enthralling, biting story
An engaging, thought-provoking novel . . . Miller braids the legal technicalities and courtroom procedures with Tessa’s personal story authentically, with great control of tension and pace (Helen Cullen)
Bold, fearless, heartbreakingly timeless. Written with skill, humour, despair and hope, Prima Facie is a deeply rewarding, absolute must read (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of WE BEGIN AT THE END)
Enthralling and sharp-witted . . . Highly recommended (Karin Slaughter)
Miller's star shines as brightly as a novelist as it does as a playwright. Prima Facie the novel gives us what novels do: the intimacy of interior life. A great read. (Anna Funder, author of STASILAND)
A fantastic read, page-turning and thought-provoking. The kind of story you can't stop thinking about, I loved it (Jane Harper, author of THE DRY)
Miller's novel is searing, vindicating and absolutely necessary both in the injustices it names and the emotions it evokes. I am grateful to her for writing it (Sarah Krasnostein, author of THE BELIEVER)
Gripping . . . [with] blistering points about class, power, the patriarchy and the law shaped by generations of men (Alice O'Keeffe, Books Editor)
All stars
Most relevant
This book often stopped me dead in my tracks to stand and listen, speechless and enthralled. This book must be read by every male to make them understand the complexity of being male. Women have been the belongings, the toys of men for centuries and the real every day depth of this is almost impossible for men to understand truly (“until they have daughters…”). This is a real demonstration, from the perspective of the strong woman who men wouldn’t considered would ever be the 1:3. The most real story and situation I have read. Brava to the author!

The most incredible book

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I had heard the play was excellent that the performance was outstanding but didn't really know the story. men need to read this too.

a must read

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Prima Facie is one of those rare works that hits with the force of lived truth. Suzie Miller’s writing is sharp, unflinching, and painfully precise, and in audiobook form the story becomes even more immersive ,almost claustrophobic. This is a narrative built to be heard, and the performance elevates it into something visceral.

The story follows Tessa, a brilliant defence barrister who has built her career on dismantling cases with clinical skill and absolute confidence in the system she serves. When her own life is violently upended, she’s forced to confront the brutal gap between the law in theory and the law in practice. The author never sensationalises; instead, she exposes the quiet, grinding realities of a system that fails the very people it claims to protect.

The narration is exceptional. The performer captures Tessa’s intelligence, ambition, and armour, and then, slowly, the cracks that form when that armour is no longer enough. It’s controlled, emotional without ever tipping into melodrama, and delivered with a clarity that makes every shift in tone land exactly where it should. You don’t just listen to Tessa; you feel her.

This is not an easy listen and nor should it be. It’s devastating, confronting, and deeply human. But it’s also one of the most important and compelling audiobook experiences you’ll encounter. Suzie Miller’s writing and the narrator’s performance combine to create something that lingers long after the final line.

A phenomenal, harrowing, brilliantly delivered piece of storytelling.

A devastating, unforgettable listen

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Despite being beautifully written and brought to life by an absolutely brilliant narration from Jodie Comer, this book ultimately wasn’t for me. I particularly enjoyed the sections that delved into the workings of the UK legal system, However, the overall storyline felt too predictable and leaned on familiar clichés, which made it difficult to fully connect with the main character and the narrative.

Well Written, But Too Predictable

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Devoured the storyline and narration in two sittings. Can't think of a better character in recent novels.

excellent

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