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At Hawthorn Time

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At Hawthorn Time

By: Melissa Harrison
Narrated by: Helen Ayres
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison, read by Helen Ayres.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2015
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016

Four-thirty on a May morning: the black fading to blue, dawn gathering somewhere below the treeline in the east. A long, straight road runs between sleeping fields to the little village of Lodeshill, and on it two cars lie wrecked and ravished, violence gathered about them in the silent air. One wheel, upturned, still spins.

Howard and Kitty have recently moved to Lodeshill after a life spent in London; now, their marriage is wordlessly falling apart. Custom car enthusiast Jamie has lived in the village for all of his nineteen years and dreams of leaving it behind, while Jack, a vagrant farm-worker and mystic in flight from a bail hostel, arrives in the village on foot one spring morning, bringing change. All four of them are struggling to find a life in the modern countryside; all are trying to find ways to belong.

Building to an extraordinary climax over the course of one spring month, At Hawthorn Time is both a clear-eyed picture of rural Britain, and a heartbreaking exploration of love, land and loss.

©2015 Melissa Harrison (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Contemporary Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Village

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All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed the nostalgic images of the countryside and the way the plot was gradually peeled away. I was intensely irritated by the narrator who mispronounced words and, I felt, didn't get the tone right for the characters' speech.

Great book but let down by narration

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I couldn’t really appreciate the story because the narration is so poor - lines run over, there are strange emphases, wooden dialogue, and mispronounced words. Goshawk and glutinous (pronounced gluttonous) were two of the clangers. It really stopped me from enjoying the story and if I were the author I would be very upset.

Poor narration

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I am enjoying the story, but am returning the audible version & will read on Kindle,because the narration in unbearable, I am very surprised because I listened to ‘All Among the Barley’ a few years ago, same narrator, Helen Ayres & absolutely loved it.

Enjoying Story, cannot cope with narration.

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This is the second book I have read by this author and once again I am moved and amazed by her deep love and knowledge of the English countryside. But my enjoyment was marred by the strange emphases occasionally placed on words by the reader which changed the meaning of sentences and suggested Helen Ayres did not always fully understand what she was reading. Did no-one listen to this before it was released and identify passages that needed re-recording? This is the only Audible recording where I have found this problem. Helen Ayres voice, in itself, is pleasant enough and a suitable choice for the text, but the recording overall is unprofessional.

Marred by Reading Errors

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This was sadly spoilt by the poor narration and mispronounced words which was very annoying

Poor narration

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Not a good choice of reader. A childish sounding pronunciation of certain words
and misreading of several words meant it jarred and detracted from the story

Very badly read

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Having read and loved this book I wanted to remind myself so purchased the audio version. I was shocked at the appalling narration. Emphasis is frequently misplaced leading to confused meaning of sentences. Pronounciation of well known words like Goshawk and Changi was glaringly wrong. I wonder who edits and checks these things. The author would be horrified.

Disappointing narrator

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Wow! I love the narrators voice for this audiobook and I've listened to many! Her voice is so clear and full of character when needed yet soft and charming.

I think her emphasis and diction are perfect for this piece. Thanks to her narration I have fallen in love with this story :)

Amazing narrator!

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