The Madonna of Bolton cover art

The Madonna of Bolton

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Madonna of Bolton

By: Matt Cain
Narrated by: Simon Vause
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Charlie Matthews’ love story begins in a pebble-dashed house in suburban Bolton, at a time when most little boys want to grow up to be Michael Jackson, and girls want to be Princess Di. Remembering the Green Cross Code and getting out of football are the most important things in his life until Auntie Jan gives him a gift that will last a lifetime: a seven-inch single called "Lucky Star"....

On his ninth birthday, Charlie discovers Madonna and falls in love. His obsession sees him through some tough times in life: being persecuted at school, fitting in at a posh university, a glamorous career in London, finding boyfriends, getting rid of boyfriends, and family heartbreak. Madonna’s music and videos inspire him, and her fierce determination to succeed gives him the confidence to do the same. Ultimately, though, he must learn to let go of his idol and find his own voice.

Charlie’s story is Billy Elliot meets Beautiful Thing wearing a conical bra - a story for anyone who ever sang their heart out, looked for love and dreamed of more.... The Madonna of Bolton will make you laugh, cry and Get into the Groove. It’s a book to Cherish and a Ray of Light, and it even has a little Hanky Panky.

©2018 Matt Cain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Feel-Good Funny Heartfelt Witty

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Vanishing of Margaret Small cover art
This Green and Pleasant Land cover art
You Will Be Safe Here cover art
Perfect Daughter cover art
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue cover art
To Be Someone cover art
Boy Parts cover art
The Vacation cover art
Bonnie and Stan cover art
If I Let You Go cover art
The Key cover art
Gypsy Boy cover art
Friday Night with the Girls cover art
The Secret Child cover art
Some Kind of Wonderful cover art
Stand By Me cover art

Audible Sessions with Matt Cain

Meet the author of The Madonna of Bolton
0:00
All stars
Most relevant
A good coming of age book about a young man growing up gay in Bolton. Madonna gets him through a turbulent adolescence and later, at Cambridge uni, he comes into his own.

Feel good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Gay or not you will enjoy this,I'm wondering if based on author's life.

Engrossing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a wonderful truthful life story of a gay man's journey from boy to man. Funny and well told.

Entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Matt made me laugh with his story, he helped me remember what it was like growing up, then...Matt helped me find the humour in my story!

So much more than just a great funny book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nearly didn't finish this book, the narrator is dreadful, almost unlistenable. The man really doesn't know how to narrate, uses horrible voices, which are badly paced, speeded up in places that aren't necessary, flat with no inflection in others and generally don't do the story line merit.
The story itself is enjoyable, but really do yourself a favour and read the actual book.
Matt Cain, if you read your reviews, insist that Audible scrap this version and have another person read this for you. This does not do your writing justice.

The Narrator is dreadful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews