Listen free for 30 days
Larkswood
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Echo of Twilight
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Helen Vine
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1914, despite the threat of war in Europe, Pearl Gibson’s future is bright. She has secured a desirable position as a lady’s maid for Lady Ottoline Campbell. Her new role sees her transported from a life of drudgery to the Campbells' vast Scottish estate. Pearl is quickly drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, glamour and scandal as she realises her job requires her to become her lady’s confidante as well as her maid. In the confusing world of the upper classes it is Ottoline’s cousin, Ralph, whom Pearl comes to rely on, trust - and love.
-
Echo Hall
- By: Virginia Moffatt
- Narrated by: Charlie Sanderson
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early '90s, newlywed Ruth Flint arrives at Echo Hall to find an unhappy house full of mysteries that its occupants won't discuss. When her husband, Adam, is called up to the Gulf War, her shaky marriage is tested to the core. During World War II Elsie Flint is living at Echo Hall with her unsympathetic in-laws. While her husband, Jack, is away with the RAF, his cousin Daniel is her only support. But Daniel is hiding a secret that will threaten their friendship forever.
-
-
A typical gothic novel
- By Mrs. S. Godfrey on 17-01-19
-
Tall Chimneys
- One Woman, One House, One Hundred Years
- By: Allie Cresswell
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered a troublesome burden, Evelyn Talbot is banished by her family to their remote country house. Tall Chimneys is outmoded and inconvenient, but Evelyn is determined to save it from abandonment or demolition. The woman and the house shore each other up - until love comes calling, threatening to pull them asunder. Her desertion will spell its demise, but saving Tall Chimneys could mean sacrificing her hope for happiness, even sacrificing herself. A century later, a distant relative crosses the globe to find the house of his ancestors.
-
-
Disappointing
- By R M-P on 21-08-19
-
The Snow Globe
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Charlotte Worthing
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas 1926: the Forbes family are hosting a celebration at Eden Hall. Eighteen-year-old Daisy is preoccupied by a sense of change. Overnight, her relationship with Stephen Jessop, the housekeeper’s son, has shifted, and every encounter seems fraught with tension. Before the festivities are over, Daisy has received a declaration of love, a proposal and a kiss - from three different men. Unable to bear the confusion, she flees to London. By the following summer, Daisy has bowed to the persistence of the man who proposed to her.
-
-
Ok
- By Glordag on 19-04-19
-
Greyfriars House
- By: Emma Fraser
- Narrated by: Lesley Mackie
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine-year-old Olivia Friel is delighted to be spending the summer at Greyfriars House, a place where her parents, their family and friends are always happy. But this year there's an underlying tension that Olivia doesn't understand. Then one night she sees something she's not meant to, and accidentally lets slip a devastating betrayal. Charlotte Friel gets a call from her ailing mother, asking something she's never asked before: for Charlotte to come home. There are things Olivia needs to tell her daughter before it's too late, secrets to be shared about forgotten relatives and a mysterious house.
-
-
wonderful story
- By AlfieF on 29-04-19
-
A Secret Rose
- By: Kirsty Ferry
- Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Merryn Burton is excited to travel down to Cornwall to start her first big job for the London art dealers she works for. But as soon as she arrives at Pencradoc, a beautiful old mansion, she realises this will be no ordinary commission. Not only is Pencradoc filled with fascinating and possibly valuable artwork, it is also owned by the Penhaligon brothers - and Merryn’s instant connection with Kit Penhaligon could be another reason why her trip suddenly becomes a whole lot more interesting....
-
The Echo of Twilight
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Helen Vine
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1914, despite the threat of war in Europe, Pearl Gibson’s future is bright. She has secured a desirable position as a lady’s maid for Lady Ottoline Campbell. Her new role sees her transported from a life of drudgery to the Campbells' vast Scottish estate. Pearl is quickly drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, glamour and scandal as she realises her job requires her to become her lady’s confidante as well as her maid. In the confusing world of the upper classes it is Ottoline’s cousin, Ralph, whom Pearl comes to rely on, trust - and love.
-
Echo Hall
- By: Virginia Moffatt
- Narrated by: Charlie Sanderson
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early '90s, newlywed Ruth Flint arrives at Echo Hall to find an unhappy house full of mysteries that its occupants won't discuss. When her husband, Adam, is called up to the Gulf War, her shaky marriage is tested to the core. During World War II Elsie Flint is living at Echo Hall with her unsympathetic in-laws. While her husband, Jack, is away with the RAF, his cousin Daniel is her only support. But Daniel is hiding a secret that will threaten their friendship forever.
-
-
A typical gothic novel
- By Mrs. S. Godfrey on 17-01-19
-
Tall Chimneys
- One Woman, One House, One Hundred Years
- By: Allie Cresswell
- Narrated by: Danielle Cohen
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered a troublesome burden, Evelyn Talbot is banished by her family to their remote country house. Tall Chimneys is outmoded and inconvenient, but Evelyn is determined to save it from abandonment or demolition. The woman and the house shore each other up - until love comes calling, threatening to pull them asunder. Her desertion will spell its demise, but saving Tall Chimneys could mean sacrificing her hope for happiness, even sacrificing herself. A century later, a distant relative crosses the globe to find the house of his ancestors.
-
-
Disappointing
- By R M-P on 21-08-19
-
The Snow Globe
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Charlotte Worthing
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas 1926: the Forbes family are hosting a celebration at Eden Hall. Eighteen-year-old Daisy is preoccupied by a sense of change. Overnight, her relationship with Stephen Jessop, the housekeeper’s son, has shifted, and every encounter seems fraught with tension. Before the festivities are over, Daisy has received a declaration of love, a proposal and a kiss - from three different men. Unable to bear the confusion, she flees to London. By the following summer, Daisy has bowed to the persistence of the man who proposed to her.
-
-
Ok
- By Glordag on 19-04-19
-
Greyfriars House
- By: Emma Fraser
- Narrated by: Lesley Mackie
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine-year-old Olivia Friel is delighted to be spending the summer at Greyfriars House, a place where her parents, their family and friends are always happy. But this year there's an underlying tension that Olivia doesn't understand. Then one night she sees something she's not meant to, and accidentally lets slip a devastating betrayal. Charlotte Friel gets a call from her ailing mother, asking something she's never asked before: for Charlotte to come home. There are things Olivia needs to tell her daughter before it's too late, secrets to be shared about forgotten relatives and a mysterious house.
-
-
wonderful story
- By AlfieF on 29-04-19
-
A Secret Rose
- By: Kirsty Ferry
- Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Merryn Burton is excited to travel down to Cornwall to start her first big job for the London art dealers she works for. But as soon as she arrives at Pencradoc, a beautiful old mansion, she realises this will be no ordinary commission. Not only is Pencradoc filled with fascinating and possibly valuable artwork, it is also owned by the Penhaligon brothers - and Merryn’s instant connection with Kit Penhaligon could be another reason why her trip suddenly becomes a whole lot more interesting....
-
The Pearler's Wife
- By: Roxane Dhand
- Narrated by: Madeleine Hyland
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1912. Nineteen-year-old Maisie Porter watches from the deck of the SS Oceanic as England fades from view. Her destination is Buccaneer Bay in Australia's far northwest. Her fate: marriage to distant cousin Maitland Sinclair, a man she has never met.
-
-
Very enjoyable listen
- By The Book Worm! on 11-04-19
-
The Wild Card
- By: Teresa Crane
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Siobhan Clough and her children are enjoying a holiday on the English coast. With them is Mary McCarthy and her volatile son, Liam. All is well until the arrival of Siobhan’s husband, George. A man of strong views and temper, he browbeats his wife, belittles his daughter, Christine, and treats Liam like a servant. A year later, Liam unexpectedly comes face to face with the father he has never known. Liam wants nothing to do with him, but when George Clough throws him out, he has little choice but to enter his father’s dangerous world of Irish politics.
-
Dreams of Willow House
- Sandy Cove, Book 3
- By: Susanne O'Leary
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cordelia Mirafiore has never truly felt at home in South Florida. She’s unexpectedly called to the reading of a long-lost relative’s will in Ireland. As soon as Cordelia reaches Sandy Cove, the views of the blue ocean and stunning coastline around her provide a sense of calm she has never felt before. She meets her cousins Maeve and Roisin, who welcome her with open arms, and finds herself drawn to a handsome man who is also an outsider in town. But the rest of the McKenna family aren’t so willing to accept Cordelia.
-
The Paris Seamstress
- By: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1940: Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier. 2015: Australian curator Fabienne Bissette journeys to the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her beloved grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.
-
Secrets of the Sea House
- By: Elisabeth Gifford
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron, Douglas Russell, Sarah Barron
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scotland, 1860. Reverend Alexander Ferguson takes up his new parish, an isolated patch on the Hebridean island of Harris. His time there will change his life, but the Sea House, on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after Alexander departs. More than a century later, Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building for the family they hope to have. But their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery.
-
-
Interesting explanation for mermen/maids!
- By J on 14-05-14
-
The Secret Vow
- By: Natalie Meg Evans
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1918. Young, beautiful and impoverished, Katya arrives in Paris to begin a new life - leaving behind a terrible secret. She is swept up in the city's glamour - particularly the boutiques on the Champs-Élysées, with their glittering haute couture gowns. Dare Katya dream that she may someday wear - or even design - one of these dazzling creations? It feels like an impossible wish, until she meets businessman Harry Morten. Tall, handsome and well-connected, Harry could give Katya everything she wants...but at what price?
-
-
Narrated Well
- By Mintychristine on 14-10-19
-
The Key
- By: Kathryn Hughes
- Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1956. It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate Hospital. When she meets a young woman admitted by her father, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change both their lives for ever...2006. Sarah is drawn to the now abandoned Ambergate. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who entered Ambergate fifty years earlier. The shocking contents, untouched for half a century, will lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy and lost love, and the chance to make an old wrong right.
-
-
Wow, Fantastic read
- By Amazon Customer on 07-04-18
-
The Unseen
- Echoes from the Past, Book 5
- By: Irina Shapiro
- Narrated by: Wendy Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2014. When skeletal remains are discovered in a bathtub concealed in a secret chamber in a London mansion, Quinn’s only clue is a Fabergé necklace that may have belonged to the victim. She delves into the life of Valentina, a young Russian refugee who came to live in the house after the Russian Revolution. 1917. Wealthy, beautiful, and titled, Valentina has enjoyed a gilded existence, but the winds of change thrust her into the role of head of the family. Valentina quickly learns that not everyone can be trusted, and sometimes true love can be found in the most unexpected places.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Amazon Customer on 04-12-19
-
Secrets of Willow House
- Sandy Cove, Book 1
- By: Susanne O'Leary
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maeve McKenna is on the verge of a breakdown. Having worked herself into the ground as a sought-after interior designer in London, she’s in desperate need of a vacation. Philomena Duffy is a little lonely. After losing her husband, their crumbling mansion, Willow House, feels awfully empty. With the rugged shores of Ireland calling, Maeve visits her aunt Philomena in Sandy Cove, where she once, as a teenager, kissed a wild, mysterious boy - a kiss she has never been able to forget.
-
The Forgotten Secret
- By: Kathleen McGurl
- Narrated by: Melanie MacHugh
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the summer of 1919, and Ellen O’Brien has her whole life ahead of her. Young, in love and leaving home for her first job, the future seems full of shining possibility. But war is brewing, and before long, Ellen and everyone around her are swept up by it. As Ireland is torn apart by the turmoil, Ellen finds herself facing the ultimate test of love and loyalty. A hundred years later and Clare Farrell has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in County Meath.
-
-
Undecided
- By Amazon Customer on 11-05-19
-
The Sapphire Widow
- By: Dinah Jefferies
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Glaister
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband, Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child. While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation overlooking the Indian ocean.
-
-
Started well but fell apart very quickly.
- By SHEILA on 17-06-18
-
The Shipbuilder's Daughter
- By: Emma Fraser
- Narrated by: Karen Traynor
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Glasgow, 1928. Margaret Bannatyne lost both of her brothers in the Great War and is now the last remaining child of wealthy and powerful shipyard owner William Bannatyne. Without a male heir to carry on the family business, William expects his daughter to do her duty, marry well and provide him with a grandson to inherit his business. Margaret cares deeply for her father, but she has ambitions of her own: after witnessing a horrific accident when she was 16, she's determined to become a doctor.
-
-
tremendous listen
- By Anonymous User on 13-05-19
Summary
Larkswood House. The very name suggests birdsong, peace and elegance. It is home to the Hamilton children - Edward, Cynthia and Harriet - who enjoy the freedom and excitement of privilege. But in the glorious summer of 1896, with absent parents and a departed governess, disaster strikes the family, leaving it cruelly divided.
More than forty years later, on the eve of the Second World War, Louisa Hamilton, newly presented at court but struck down with glandular fever, is sent to Larkswood to recuperate. There, for the first time, she meets her grandfather, Edward, home after decades in India. But as Louisa begins to fall under the spell of Larkswood, she realises it holds the key to the mystery that shattered her family two generations before. Will she find the courage to unravel the dark secrets of the past? And can Larkswood ever become home to happiness again?
Katie Scarfe trained at LAMDA and has appeared on stage at the National Theatre. She is an experienced audiobook narrator.
More from the same
What members say
Average customer ratings
Overall
-
-
5 Stars18
-
4 Stars15
-
3 Stars1
-
2 Stars5
-
1 Stars4
Performance
-
-
5 Stars22
-
4 Stars9
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars3
Story
-
-
5 Stars14
-
4 Stars14
-
3 Stars3
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars2
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- the typist
- 25-04-14
No Kate Morton...
This novel is achingly dull. Simply a pastiche of much better offerings from much better writers. I always lose interest when the credibility of the protagonists is undermined and this happens time and time again in Larkswood. Do yourself a favour and seek out Kate Morton, Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, Jane Harris... all towering above this drivel.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MS REBECCA WARREN
- 08-03-14
Good story pity about the writing and narration
Would you try another book written by Valerie Mendes or narrated by Katie Scarfe?
No it was possibly the worst book I have ever listened to
What character would you cut from Larkswood?
All of them
Any additional comments?
This book had a good story and a good plot but was not well put together or well narrated. The main subject of the novel was one which could have been explored far more intelligently. I was so disappointed that Valerie Mendes had taken such a intricate complex idea for a plot and written it so badly
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sz66
- 05-01-18
Clever and believable
Flows well, perceptive insights. Loved it! Can’t wait for the next book from Valerie Mendez.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Josephine Parker
- 09-10-16
I was absorbed into the world of the Hamiltons!
Excellent performance and voices, I couldn't stop listening and there are some wonderful twists and turns. Perfect escapism.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marcella Hilhorst
- 19-06-14
Recommended for 12 to 14 year olds only
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A better story. It's as if the writer hersel did not know how to get on with the story .
Would you ever listen to anything by Valerie Mendes again?
Never