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Scabby Queen cover art

Scabby Queen

By: Kirstin Innes
Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
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Summary

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEARA SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Three days before her fifty-first birthday Clio Campbell – one-hit wonder, political activist, lifelong love and one-night-stand – kills herself in her friend Ruth’s spare bedroom. And, as practical as she is, Ruth doesn’t know what to do.

As the news spreads around Clio’s collaborators and comrades, lovers and enemies, the story of her glamorous, chaotic life spreads with it – from the Scottish Highlands to the Genoa G8 protests, from an anarchist squat in Brixton to Top of the Pops. Sifting through half a century of memories and unanswered questions, everyone who thought they know her is forced to ask: who was Clio Campbell?

©2020 Kirstin Innes (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation." (A.L. Kennedy, author of Serious Sweet)

"Kirstin Innes has written a fat, firecracker of a book, revolving around the suicide of Clio Campbell, a Glasgow chanteuse, whose story emerges through the voices of friends, acquaintances, enemies and journalists with space to fill. It’s about women and silence, oddballs and adventurers and stupid mistakes; about ‘no need to worry about me’ Scottishness and 'getting by’ as practised by every culture on earth. Best of all, it’s about joy and hope and the pressing need to seize the day while one can." (Janice Galloway, author of The Trick Is to Keep Breathing)

"Totally immersive and gloriously polyphonic." (Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure)

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What listeners say about Scabby Queen

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Pure magic!

I am feeling a tad bereft having just finished this book. It’s a powerful ‘read’, raw, smart, funny, political, feminist, human. Innes doesn’t balk from the less appealing facets of our flawed and human personalities. A very modern tale for out mad and beautiful world.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Might have been written by Iain Banks AI device

All the short comings of the original ( Iain Banks) .... painful, intense self-aware confessional pieces from too many (stock/overdrawn) characters. Perhaps I’m imagining things, no I’m not. I’m a couple of hours in and starting to feel the will to live slip away. The performances are fine.

I feared that this book would never end.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

An excellent story of music and politics

This was a strong story and one that involved a great many characters and I am full of praise for Cathleen McCarron’s performance

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2 people found this helpful

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Well written but sad

pretty gloomy book to be honest I regret listening to this in lock down unfortunately

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1 person found this helpful

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OK

Good to start and loses its way. Would definatley follow author future books worth a listen

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I FEEL BEREFT THAT IT'S FINISHED!

This book, is among the best that I've listened to on here, I absolutely loved it!

Kirstin Innes is nothing short of a genius, as she has produced characters so 'real' and a story so believable, that I feel as if I knew them and I am now bereft that I've finished it (and what a finish Eileen!)

Cliodhna, is infuriating, interesting, selfish and damaged and I found the story of her life and the stories of the people around her just fascinating. The politics felt particularly current, with the shambles that's happening in this country and a lot of the book was relatable.

Cathleen McCarron should get an award for narrating this book. Her accents were impeccable and each character had a voice and a style of their own, so you never mixed anyone up along the way.

Buy this book, listen to it, do yourself a favour.

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  • Overall
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Bleak but uplifting and unputdownable

Excellent read and big hats off to the brilliant narrator who totally took control of this challenging, sprawling story.

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  • Overall
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Best book I've read in years

I admit it took me a while to get into this one as I had other things going on, but once I came back to it with a fresh head I couldn't put it down (so to speak). There is such an earnest intensity to Clio's character and her relationships, the ways in which her motivations are constantly second guessed and 'gaslit' to diminish the power of her message.
Wonderfully written and best Scottish book I've read in years.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not for me.

Found this book very difficult to get in to. could not get into where to plot was going at times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Gloriously intoxicating

This story hoodwinked me, made my heart fall over. You end it, your eyes aching for more time between the words.

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