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The Caretakers

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The Caretakers

By: Amanda Bestor-Siegal
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
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About this listen

In the smart Parisian suburb of Maisons-Larue, in the wake of the Paris 2015 terrorist attacks, an au pair is arrested after the sudden and suspicious death of her nine-year-old charge....

The truth behind what happened is unravelled through six women: Geraldine, a heartbroken French teacher who struggles to connect with her vulnerable students; Lou, an incompetent au pair fired by the family next door; Charlotte, a chilly socialite and reluctant mother; Holly, an anxious au pair who yearns to feel at home in Paris; Nathalie, an isolated French teenager desperate for her mother's attention; and finally, Alena, the au pair accused of killing a child.

All of them play a part in nine-year-old Julien's death....

For fans of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You and Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, The Caretakers is a compulsive and gripping story about who takes care of children, the yearning for belonging that extends beyond the homes left behind and issues of identity, privilege and class in both American and French culture.

©2022 Amanda Bestor-Siegal (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK City Life Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Psychological Urban Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"Thrilling and deeply moving, gorgeously written and intricately plotted, morally complex and surprising and sweeping and intimate, with some of the most indelible and heart-breaking characters I have ever encountered in a novel." (Elizabeth McCracken)

"[This] emotionally riveting debut novel focuses on several dynamic women in a wealthy suburb of Paris and a tragic event that changes their lives. Bestor-Siegal had me at Paris and she never let go. The Caretakers is extraordinary." (Laura Dave, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Last Thing He Told Me)
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From Audible's summary ..."All of them play a part in nine-year-old Julien's death".. I expected a bit of a murder mystery/thriller. It's not. It's a beautifully written novel about 4 au pairs and their French families living just outside Paris around the time of the terrorist attacks (although it does not focus on the attacks). Each character has their own complex and interesting story, woven together to create a brilliant debut novel that is well worth reading.

Wonderful story & excellent narration

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Storyline combines with the narrators performance was like an audio theatre.
I feel I know the characters and wanted to call them to give them advice.

Wow forgot it was an audiobook

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