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The Illustrated Child
- Narrated by: Rosie Jones
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
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The Illustrated Child
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Summary
A young girl.
A hidden treasure.
A dark family secret.
Romilly Kemp has an idyllic childhood, roaming the wilderness that surrounds her father’s ramshackle farmhouse. But when he makes her the star of his beautifully illustrated books, her carefree if somewhat lonely existence is threatened.
The books are thought to hold clues to an elaborate treasure hunt, and strangers turn up at their door, anxious to get a glimpse of the ‘Kemp Treasure Girl’. But when her father falls ill, leaving Romilly more isolated and alone than ever, she begins to delve deeper into the books – and her past.
As she makes sense of the clues he has hidden, she finds a truth that is far darker and more devastating than any treasure hunt has a right to be. For not everything that is hidden is gold.
Critic reviews
"Evocative and enchanting - a future classic and a star in the making." (Veronica Henry, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Beach Hut)
"Exquisitely written, stunning, totally unique. Everyone needs to [listen to] this." (Jessica Ryn, debut author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside)
"A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination." (Daily Record)
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What listeners say about The Illustrated Child
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vicky
- 01-11-20
Mesmerising
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book and left this review on Waterstones website;
‘Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you read a book that stays with you - in your head and in your heart - for a long time after you read the last sentence. This is such a book. I read it in one sitting, immersing myself in the world that Polly Crosby has so beautifully, hauntingly evoked. It’s joyful and yet melancholic, is about relationships and isolation. It is like no other and I can’t recommend it highly enough.‘
As a voracious devourer of audible books, I wanted to see if a) the book stands up to a second reading and b) if the narrator was able to capture the essence of the book. Oh my god, yes to both! I lost my weekend, back in the world that Polly Crosby has so stunningly created and which Rosie Jones narrated with true heart and soul.
Other reviewers have said that this book has the makings of a true classic and I whole-heartedly agree. I know I’ll return to it again and again - both the audible version and the paper one. It IS that good.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- April gingell
- 29-01-21
Beautifully written.
As an avid Stephen king fan, I fancied a complete change. I chose this book purely because I thought it would be different. I was so pleasantly surprised by it. The authors wonderfully describes surroundings, painting such rich pictures it is easy to lose yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only criticism is I felt one step ahead of it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AMZN user
- 11-11-21
Dark and captivating
A harrowing read with themes hitting close to home. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written, poignant book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Philippa
- 25-11-20
A wonderfully written book
A wonderful book beautifully read very thought provoking and addictive - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of listening to it and am so glad I bought both the hardback and the audible copy
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- MS
- 08-01-21
I really tried
I had such high hopes for this book. The narration of Amelie’s father was really off putting. The very detailed description of absolutely everything was very boring. I kept waiting for the story to get going and for all the descriptions to finally become relevant but either I missed something but it didn’t seem to have any purpose. Very disappointed
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-08-21
Tedious, implausible tale of disfunctional family
Annoying whiny child subjected to parental abuse and ignored by social services grows up into damaged young woman suffering hallucinations and plagued by psychotic imaginary friend. Dreadful stuff. Avoid.
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