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Inside the Whale

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Inside the Whale

By: Jennie Rooney
Narrated by: Bill Wallis, Phyllida Nash
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2008

Stephanie Sandford, recently widowed, must tell her family the truth. But the past is indistinct and it’s complicated. First, there was her mum, who developed an anxious streak after marrying the wrong Reg. And then there was the young man from the dairy who gave Stevie swimming lessons before he broke her heart. War came, and four years chopping root vegetables in the canteen of the Sun Pat peanut factory on the Old Kent Road. Then the wet London nights, with the Doodle Bugs slipping through the sky like huge silvery fish. It’s not until she’s under an umbrella with Jonathan – dark hair and seaweed eyes – that Stevie finally starts to sense safety.

Meanwhile, Michael Royston’s memories are squashed into a shoebox (along with Queen Matilda’s Dicken Medal for bravery) ready for his move into hospital. Years ago, he trained military carrier pigeons for the Royal Corps of Signals in Cairo so it’s ironic that his own homecoming has taken a lifetime. Michael has never been good at putting things into words; he’s more comfortable with the click of Morse code. But Anna, a young healthcare assistant, has the patience – and rare tenderness – to eke out his story. And so he begins.

©2008 Jennie Rooney (P)2011 Random House Audio Go 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Witty Royalty
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The story is engaging, funny, full of pathos, rich and engrossing from the start. Read brilliantly by both narrators, you are quickly involved in the plot and share deep insights into the hero and heroine. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Moving, thought provoking and detailed, the descriptions of scenes and thoughts pull you deep into the fabric of the book. Great stuff.

Fascinating and beautifully performed

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