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The Cactus cover art

The Cactus

By: Sarah Haywood
Narrated by: Katherine Manners
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Summary

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

People aren't sure what to make of Susan Green. Family and colleagues find her prickly and hard to understand - but Susan makes perfect sense to herself. Age 45, she thinks her life is perfect. She has a London flat which is ideal for one; a steady job that suits her passion for logic; and a personal arrangement providing cultural and other, more intimate, benefits.

Yet suddenly faced with the loss of her mother and, implausibly, with the possibility of becoming a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is being realised: she is losing control. And things can only get worse ... at least in Susan's eyes. 

This sparkling debut is a breath of fresh air with real heart and a powerful emotional punch. In Susan we find a character as exasperating and delightful as The Rosie Project's Don Tillman. An uncompromising feminist and a fierce fighter, it's a joy to watch her bloom.

©2018 Sarah Haywood (P)2018 John Murray Press

Critic reviews

'Quirky, poignant and extremely readable' Sunday Mirror

'Brilliantly comic' The Lady

'Wonderfully funny and astute' Red

What listeners say about The Cactus

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  • Overall
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Fantastic read

Greatly entertaining, very funny and lot of twists and turns. Very life affirming.
Would highly recommend!

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A story for different women

I didn’t want this story to end, I just wanted to follow Susan on her life’s journey.
This book is for all those women who have never quite fitted in.

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6 people found this helpful

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very enjoyable

a very well written story. engaging characters. I will definitely look out for more by this author

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A really good listen

I enjoyed listening to this immensely. It was similar to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine which was, and still remains one of my favourite ever reads.

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5 people found this helpful

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  • AJ
  • 13-02-18

Great story & lead character

Easy listening that encourages you pick up again. Reader did well with conveying characters within the script..although I found some accents a little annoying at first. Thoughtful & heart warming story, a great human tale.

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Eleanor Oliphant rip off...

If you loved the novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine then you’ll probably feel massively shortchanged by this horribly derivative rip-off. From the get go the main character just feels like a vastly less interesting, wildly more on the nose version of the nuanced and finely crafted character that is EO. And where that character’s brittleness was endearing, the main character in The Cactus just comes off as annoying, mean-spirited and woefully unlikeable. I honestly believe some plonker in the publishing industry decided that as EO was so successful they should just get something similar published ASAP. The problem is ‘similar’ is not the same...

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4 people found this helpful

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Loved this book.

What did you like most about The Cactus?

It is a really good read with well drawn characters and a fantastic plot. The narrator conveys the characters extremely well.

Which character – as performed by Katherine Manners – was your favourite?

Susan is a wonderfully believable character who can be both irritating and funny.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for more from this brilliant new author.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

loved the story and journey that the characters go on. Very funny at points and sentimental too. I have been listening to alot of thrillers and heavy going books, and this was a welcome change!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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couldn't stop listening

You can't help but warm to Susan and her funny ways, it's lovely watching her character evolve as her journey makes her challenge how she's always lived her life. Beautifully narrated.

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2 people found this helpful

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Wee gem

Loved it, very funny in parts. Just a sweet gentle story that'll warm the cockles

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2 people found this helpful