Bitter Orange cover art

Bitter Orange

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Bitter Orange

By: Claire Fuller
Narrated by: Rachel Bavidge
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller, read by Rachel Bavidge.

From the attic of a dilapidated English country house, she sees them - Cara first: dark and beautiful, clinging to a marble fountain of Cupid, and Peter, an Apollo. It is 1969 and they are spending the summer in the rooms below hers while Frances writes a report on the follies in the garden for the absent American owner. But she is distracted. Beneath a floorboard in her bathroom, she discovers a peephole which gives her access to her neighbours' private lives.

To Frances' surprise, Cara and Peter are keen to spend time with her. It is the first occasion that she has had anybody to call a friend, and before long they are spending every day together: eating lavish dinners, drinking bottle after bottle of wine, and smoking cigarettes till the ash piles up on the crumbling furniture. Frances is dazzled.

But as the hot summer rolls lazily on, it becomes clear that not everything is right between Cara and Peter. The stories that Cara tells don't quite add up - and as Frances becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of the glamorous, hedonistic couple, the boundaries between truth and lies, right and wrong, begin to blur.

Amid the decadence of that summer, a small crime brings on a bigger one: a crime so terrible that it will brand all their lives forever.

'A twisty, thorny, darkly atmospheric page turner about loneliness and belonging' Gabriel Tallent, author of My Absolute Darling

'Incredibly atmospheric, vivid and intriguing. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't reading a forgotten classic' Emma Healey

©2018 Claire Fuller (P)2018 Penguin Audio
Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Scary Mystery Tobacco

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All stars
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Really enjoyed this audiobook. The plot was tense at times and played with your sympathies throughout. Great twist at the end too. Would highly recommend.

Great story well told

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A very thoughtful story. Quiet yet deep. Raises a lot of questions. and the narration was well suited. I found it immensely satisfying though sad

excellent

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The book creates atmosphere and is visual with the house, Lintons, as a main character. But it is slow to engage, more like watching one of those films with a lengthy introduction. By the end the intrigue has developed but I felt it was fourteen chapters before the story started.

A reasonable read

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This may well be my favourite book of 2018. Although I guessed the twist within minutes it never really mattered. The writer spins such a sticky, pungent and darkly indulgent tale that I wanted to read it all over again as soon as I’d finished. I adored the central character and only wish Claire Fuller could teach lesser (but better selling) authors how to truly craft an original line.

Sumptuously dark read...

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There are elements of this book which are great from the idea of a hedonistic hot summer being led astray to the period flavour and architectural detailing.
And although the dreamy structure of flashbacks was effective, I would have preferred a linear structure without the ‘shock’ reveal.
The narrator was pleasing on the ear until she voiced Cara, who sounded artificial. Maybe this was intentional.
Overall, an intriguing read but a bit plodding. Reminds me of Paul Torday.

Beware a long hot summer

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