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  • Beware the Cuckoo

  • By: Julie Newman
  • Narrated by: Joan Walker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (381 ratings)
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Beware the Cuckoo cover art

Beware the Cuckoo

By: Julie Newman
Narrated by: Joan Walker
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Summary

They were reunited at his funeral, school friends with a shared past. A past that is anything but straightforward. A past that harbours secrets and untruths.

Karen has a seemingly perfect life. An adoring husband, two wonderful children and a beautiful home. She has all she has ever wanted, living the dream. She also has a secret.

Sandra's once perfect life is rapidly unravelling. The man who meant everything to her had a dark side, and her business is failing. To get her life back on track, she needs to reclaim what is rightfully hers. She knows the secret.

As the past meets the present, truths are revealed - and both women understand the true cost of betrayal.

©2017 Julie Newman (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Beware the Cuckoo

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    196
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Awful book that minimises child abuse

Shocking awful book. The storyline about a girl being abused by her friends dad is human and could have been handled in an interesting way. Instead there are ridiculously described ‘sex scenes’ that are gratuitous and exploitative. I returned it it was ridiculous and not controversial, nor hard hitting... just ridiculous and more apt in fifty shades not a book about an abused child. Poor show. Narrator was good just terrible material.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Beware the cuckoo

Awful book . Story wanders and hard to understand at times. Not worth paying for.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Awful

Story was long, drawn out and boring.

Narration so quiet it's difficult to hear at times which is very annoying.
Voices for individual characters were unrealistic and cringeworthy.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Yuck- gratuitous description of child abuse

I stopped listening to this because of the lengthy descriptions of sex between a young girl and an adult man. Is it included because it enhances the plot or weird gratification for the reader?
It felt very unnecessary, I wouldn't bother with this book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Odd

This is a very odd story ….. what was the point of the South African angle?

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good read

compelling story - this reads well but should probably have a prelude advising on sensitive content.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stunningly Addictive!

From the first word to the last this book had me gripped! Sometimes uncomfortable listening but superbly narrated!!
The range of voices the narrator had were so believable... it's really hard to do a South African accent but she mailed it! Believable characters and a GREAT story. REALLY well done.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Don't let young people listen to this book

This narrative around paedophilia and rape is shocking. I listened to the end because I was hoping for a redemption arch for the book where the characters stop all victim blaming and normalising the violent abuse of a minor but it never happened.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Uncomfortable chapters

Really enjoyed this book. The story line came as a little surprise. I felt real empathy for the girls and their dilemmas. Read really well by Joan Walker with some difficult accents covered. I hated my train journey ending and having to switch off.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not bad, but not great either. Also, TERRIBLE narrator!

Not the best book I’ve ever heard, but it was free, so I can’t complain. However, the narrator is totally horrendous! The accents are terrible and she overacts to the point of cringe. It’s like listening to teenagers argue and put on fake Dick Van Dyke cockney accents while doing it. Every character is incredibly unlikable and the naive character of Karen made me want to shake her, despite the fact she is groomed.

In summary, really not worth it. Very meh.

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1 person found this helpful