Breakdown cover art

Breakdown

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Breakdown

By: Cathy Sweeney
Narrated by: Gráinne Gillis
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About this listen

 From the Irish Tatler's Woman of the Year for Literature and one of the AN Post Irish Book Awards's Best New Irish Writers comes a novel about one woman's decision to leave everything behind . . .
'Thrillingly relatable'
Harper's Bazaar

'This funny, thoughtful novel will resonate with lots of women'
Good Housekeeping

'You won't be able to put this down. A fascinating study of a woman who has sacrificed her dreams'
The Gloss

'A masterful account of one woman's dramatic rebellion against society's demands'
Daily Express

'A vivid portrait of a woman adrift'
Observer

Mothers are not supposed to go on road trips . . .

But one winter morning in Dublin, an ordinary woman wakes up in her ordinary home, her husband next to her in bed, her teenage children sleeping nearby. And - without thinking much about it - walks out the front door and never comes back.

So begins a journey which will take her into service stations and shopping centres, hotel bars and hairdressers - and the beds of strange men.

Until finally, forty-eight hours later, alone in a cottage in Wales, the woman faces up to what she has been ignoring inside herself, her family, modern society: signs of breakdown.©2023 Cathy Sweeney (P)2023 Weidenfeld & Nicolson Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction

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I loved this book witty, razor sharp depection of contemporary Irish society, partucularly that of the middle classes.

Witty and engaging

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Felt it was a bit far fetched, am similar age & found a lot of her actions unbelievable

Very disappointed having heard all the hype

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I stopped halfway through the audio. I don’t think the tone is right - almost a stereotypical caricature of a South County Dublin middle-class woman (verging on West Brit). I imagine the writing is more subtle than the audio narration. I think it’s a book that, if it can be read, should be read, given the format, some fonts, etc. I’ve started reading it and am enjoying the story much more.

A book for reading

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A truly beautiful story albeit dark at times. I wish it was longer. Great narrative. Highly recommend

Fabulous read

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Beautifully written and a compelling read. Narrator was wrong for the book for me - v irritating accents and did it no justice.

Great story - poor narration

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