The Lie Tree cover art

The Lie Tree

Costa Book of the Year 2015

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The Lie Tree

By: Frances Hardinge
Narrated by: Emilia Fox
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About this listen

Perfectly complemented by Emilia Fox's elegant narrative style, this story twists and turns its way through Victorian England and the stifling societal conventions of the time, all the way to its thrilling climax.

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015

The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric story by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song and Fly by Night.

Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree grows healthy and bears fruit only if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered.

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter....

©2016 Frances Hardinge (P)2016 Macmillan Digital Audio Gothic Historical Horror Mystery Scary Exciting Fiction

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Critic reviews

The Lie Tree is brilliant: dark, thrilling, utterly original. Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now. (Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls)
The Lie Tree is a wonder. I can't think of anyone who would not love this story. (Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library and The Life Impossible)
I loved this book so much. (Lucy Mangan)
Complex and intelligent: a lustrous, delicious romp. (Philip Womack)
All stars
Most relevant  
Yes Harold has a cutesy voice but what’s the problem with that? His age appropriate. The duration was fine, I certainly wouldn’t want it to put anyone off listening to this book. The story was great, the duration was good – nothing to dislike here

No idea why reviewers don’t like the narration

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nice booked Well written and read.
a different take on a period book with some interesting revelations.

good Book bit slow paced.

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A beautiful reading, an accurate portrayal as i could imagine of every character, the story itself was absolutely delightful and engaging.

A very good read and listen.

Absolutely fantastic

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Great tale, thought provoking, is has the feel of a classic gothic novel with a bit of Agatha Christie thrown in for good measure. Excellent narration does the book justice. Loved it!

Great novel for young adults (and old adults!)

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Excellent from start to finish, a very well written story brilliantly read by Emilia Fox. This was the first Frances Hardinge book I have listened to, but now I'm definitely a fan and have already downloaded a couple of her other books to my kindle. A good read for any age.

What a book !!!

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What made the experience of listening to The Lie Tree the most enjoyable?

Sustained dramatic tension. Being able to identify with Faith the 14 year old. There was a very tight hold on Victorian culture and its ramifications for the characters.

What other book might you compare The Lie Tree to, and why?

There is a clear reference to Fairy Tales in particular Sleeping Beauty. Faith has to fight her way through darkness (ignorance), complexity and personal danger - these are symbolised by the remarkable growth of the tree.

What does Emilia Fox bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Ah.....this a most interesting question. Emilia does an excellent job but I stopped listening and finished by reading the book because I wanted to give the text my whole attention.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Howard, Faiths little brother, destroys the toy theatre.

Original, Unexpected and Unputdownable.

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Took me a few chapters to get into this book. I had chosen it because Emilia Fox was narrating it. Her performance is excellent as expected. After the first few chapters the story becomes much more gripping and by the end it was a challenge to press pause. Altogether a fantastic listen.

Slow start but gripping once it gets going

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The story didn't grab me. If I wasn't grooming dogs I wouldn't have carried on

Struggled to stay engaged

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Grips you from the start and doesn't let go... so well written. Really enjoyed the feel of this story... hits the spot exactly for that dark 'Grimm's Fairy Tale' like feel you'd get as a child when listening to Hansel and Gretel and the like... but for grown up... Came across this book while looking for something else... thought I'd take a chance on it... and so glad I did...LOVED it.

Dark Grimm's Fairy Tale feel ...but for grown ups

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I found this book quite difficult to get into but persevered and ended up really enjoying it. A mystery with a difference. Great narration by Emilia Fox

Stick with it!!

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