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Shy Creatures

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Shy Creatures

By: Clare Chambers
Narrated by: Lucy Scott
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About this listen

 From the author of bestselling sensation Small Pleasures comes an extraordinary story of love, family and the joy of freedom.
'Clare Chambers is a genius' INDIA KNIGHT

'Just as good - if not better - than Small Pleasures' INDEPENDENT

'As compelling as you want fiction to be' SUNDAY TIMES

'One of our most talented authors' GUARDIAN

'Extraordinary' FINANCIAL TIMES

It all started the weekend the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park . . .

Croydon, 1964. Art therapist Helen Hansford is working in a psychiatric hospital, where she has been having passionate but precarious affair with her married colleague, the charismatic Dr Gil Rudden.

Helen's structured life is upended when William Tapping - a silent, thirty-seven-year-old man with a beard down to his waist - arrives at the hospital. As Helen helps William express himself through art, she becomes increasingly entangled in his mysterious past.

Inspired by a true story, Shy Creatures is a life-affirming exploration of loneliness, love and the quiet forces that shape our lives, reminding us that freedom can come in unexpected forms.

'Reading a Clare Chambers novel can feel like entering a modest bungalow and finding yourself in a cathedral' SUNDAY TIMES

'A warm, multilayered mystery with all the charms of Small Pleasures' i PAPER

'A lively, funny, forgiving novel' PATRICK GALE

'Chambers is such a humane writer and this novel is full of exquisite detail' EVENING STANDARD

'A beautiful story of unfolding secrets and unforeseen consequences' HOLLY GRAMAZIO, author of THE HUSBANDS


*Small Pleasures was a Silver Award bestseller according to Nielsen BookScan UK, 10 November 2023©2024 Clare Chambers (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological
All stars
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Liked all of it and will look out for more by the author - great narration also - enjoyed

Interesting story well developed characters

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I disliked the self absorbed characters for the first few chapters but am so glad I stuck with it. This book is about so much more than the scant details offered in the overview; a touching tale of personal growth for all main characters. Although a non linear structure is something of a cliché and pet hate of mine, as it is often used to add interest to a rather basic plot, Chambers uses it with deft skill to enhance the unfurling story. By the denouement, I had come to love the characters I had loathed which is testament to the writer’s apt manipulation of the reader. Beautiful narration made this a thoroughly lovely listen.

A lovely story

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I liked everything about it. Great characters, Lovely juxtaposition of back stories, lively dialogues, well read.

Beautifully written. Love the way the story unfolds.

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Absolutely loved this novel - Chambers has the most amazing knack of describing the minutiae of everyday life so cleverly and Lucy Scott has the perfect voice for this book.

Fabulous

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A wonderful story about human relationships, isolation, grief, infatuation, and the incredible value of kindness.

Just excellent

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What a beautifully written, wonderful story. It has really made me feel good – and the narrator is very clever with her voices. Highly recommended - this made my day and my week!

The definition of a glimmer

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A couple of historical inaccuracies which I found distracting but, overall I really enjoyed this. It was more than a small pleasure !

Heartwarming

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I loved the timeliness crossing and the stories unravelling. Wondeful use of language and brilliantly drawn characters. The narrator's voice and diction were perfect.

Extraordinary

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This is a well-written, heart-warming which I very much enjoyed listening to. It was convincingly read, so easy to get lost in the story.

Highly recommended

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enjoyed the story and tine it was set. history in easy read format. interesting story too

twists and turns

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