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The Wonder
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
An 11-year-old girl stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well. A nurse sent to investigate whether she is a fraud meets a journalist hungry for a story.
Set in the Irish Midlands in the 1850s, Emma Donoghue's The Wonder - inspired by numerous European and North American cases of 'fasting girls' between the 16th century and the 20th - is a psychological thriller about a child's murder threatening to happen in slow motion before our eyes. Pitting all the seductions of fundamentalism against sense and love, it is a searing examination of what nourishes us, body and soul.
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What listeners say about The Wonder
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Katie
- 23-07-18
If you're Irish don't bother with this audiobook.
An excellent novel absolutely obliterated by a blatantly offensive mockery of Irish accents in this audiobook. Honestly questioned whether this was a joke. Purchased this for my grandmother but would be mortified to have her listen to this. Sick to the teeth of this sort of distasteful mockery of the Irish and other such cultures who are time and time again made a joke of by English media. Colonial mindset sustains even in this day and age.
17 people found this helpful
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- Isolde
- 08-12-16
Offence of narration
This great book by an Irish author was once again destroyed by an ignorant English narrator putting on cartoon accents that made it all but unlistenable. Aside from having one Irish character sound like Bosco and another like Bob Geldof, her overall reading is melodramatic and careless, often getting the names of characters wrong. This recording should not have passed any quality control for a publisher
22 people found this helpful
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- SharonUK
- 26-07-19
Struggling with voiceovers
The voice overs are pretty bad. Not only a bad accent, but difficult to understand. Normal reading voice is fine. But it really does spoil the book.
4 people found this helpful
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- O. McLean
- 02-11-16
Intriguing story
Story twists and turns drew me in. as an Irish listener, found Kate Lock's Irish accents occasionally a bit too heavy on the Leprechaun so became a bit of a distraction.
8 people found this helpful
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- Cabaspre
- 14-10-16
It brought out every emotion possible.Well written
Any additional comments?
I continued to think that I had heard this story before but this must be because it is an event that keeps occurring throughout the world in many cultures/religions. I was in turn horrified, puzzled, but mostly furiously indignant. The narrator was wonderful with so many accents and she voiced the girl with such sympathy. What a wonderful writer. I expect, like myself many people tried this book after having loved Room. This is different but still a kidnapping in effect.
6 people found this helpful
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- Katie
- 11-10-16
That is NOT and Irish Accent, Just Stop.
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
On twitter I described this as the most painful audiobook I've ever listened too and really that isn't far from the truth. The tag line should be 'British women butchers Irish accents in a way that's frankly offensive'. The way should does the Irish characters accents makes them come off as the most ill educated, naive idiots the world ever laid eyes on. Not one Irish person's accent was accurate. Also in 1850s Ireland not all Irish people in Athlone would've spoken fluent English.
The story seems fairly decent and I may stick the print copy on hold at the library but don't put yourself through this monstrosity its not worth it.
Also audiobook producers there are 5 million Irish people out there, could you not have asked one of them to work in tandem with Kate Lock and do the Irish accents? Seriously, the Irish have had their culture erased for long enough!
13 people found this helpful
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- Essex girl
- 24-05-20
A wonder of a narration!
This is a compelling account of the horrifying phenomenon of fasting girls & life in rural Ireland in the years following the potato famine. The writer presents us with a cast of credible characters & a gripping storyline that lays bare the dangers of religious hysteria and family secrecy. The clash between faith & science, the development of nursing, oppression of the poor and the conflicted gulf between Irish & English are all expertly woven in as underlying themes. It is beautifully written. And for me the accomplished narration of Kate Lock lifted the book into an even higher league.
1 person found this helpful
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- barjil
- 20-10-16
Disappointing
Excited to listen to this book after the brilliance of 'Room', but was disappointed. The 'Irish' accents were often inaudible or too thick to understand at all and often in places where it was important to the story line. But the basic premise was interesting so I plodded on to the too-tidy end.
4 people found this helpful
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- JackieM
- 09-10-16
Another superb narrative from Donoghue
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, a very atmospheric book, which throws into light questions about religion, faith amongst so many other things. Delightful depiction of the girl.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Lib - I really disliked her at the beginning, but she grew on me the more I listened. A very conflicted and complicated character.
Which character – as performed by Kate Lock – was your favourite?
Lib again, I think. The Irish accents seem quite false to begin with, but I got used to them and I found them quite charming in the end!
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
An young girl hasn't eaten for four months - can a Nightingale nurse discover the truth before it's too late?
Any additional comments?
This is a brilliant mystery that kept me guessing until the end - highly recommend it!
4 people found this helpful
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- Wras
- 18-12-16
Anna's body had learned to make do with less.
An exploration of belief and faith exposed to the abrasive demands of reality and methodical scrutiny, a study of how we arrange what we want to believe through the power of imagination and religious guilt and fear. A celebration of love and rational thought defeating dogma with intelligence and imagination.
A beautifully written book that is intelligent and hopeful, while holding the reader in suspense till the very end. The characters are crisp and clearly drawn, the plot opens and develops with every turn of the page, making the drama of this people's lives real and concerning.
A lovely find that surprised me as much as it pleased.
6 people found this helpful
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- Robin
- 06-01-18
Not Room
A bit slow, a bit redundant, but the story gets better if you can wait it out a bit
1 person found this helpful
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- Pearl
- 28-09-17
wonderful book
wonderful book. the telling was not so clear although. but still overall very arresting read.
1 person found this helpful
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- Michele L Rousseau
- 14-05-17
Great Story, unfortunate narration
This is a powerful tale involving characters who strive to comply with the demands of the cultures they are embedded in. Whilst at the same time colliding with the differing beliefs of others. The result is ongoing collision involving issues of gender superiority, fervent religious beliefs vs science to name a few. This occurs at the expense of the vulnerable main character. Dark secrets emerge which deepen the complexity of this psychological thriller. Unfortunately the narrator brings a pantomime like emphasis to the characters which eclipses the strength of the narrative.
1 person found this helpful
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- Ekaterina
- 14-03-17
Moving story about love and life
Would you listen to The Wonder again? Why?
Probably, I have already read the book:)
What does Kate Lock bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Irish accent, Anna's intonation and voice
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When Lib talked about her daughter
1 person found this helpful