A Bit Slow...,

The Loney is an unusual story. It has a good ending, however, I found it slow to progress. The narrator is excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

Cracking lidten

Beautiful prose haunting story performed impeccably. At times disturbing and horrific but never cheap or tawdry.. Just amazing

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1 person found this helpful

I don't have enough superlatives. This is what fiction should be....

I'm not one for writing reviews, but must for "The Loney". This is the best piece of fiction I have read in ages. So humane, intelligent, so thought-provoking, so insightful, so gripping, so well paces and plotted, so well written. Absolutely unputdownable/unswitchoffable. And in the audible version, so excellently narrated (which, unfortunately, is rarely the case with audio downloads). I am about to order the print version and start reading. This more than deserves the Costa prize, and should have been on the 2015 Mann Booker shortlist. Please read/listen!!!

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8 people found this helpful

Odd gothic thriller

The last 20 mins was the best part of this entire novel. Incredibly slow to start and for a very long time the religious subplot seemed pointless. There's also a lot of holes in the story like what happened to the baby's mother? Feel like it's been overhyped.

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2 people found this helpful

Haunting and thought provoking

The combination of a beautifully written, understated style of writing; haunting images and a superb narrator kept me listening when I should have been doing other things! Now that I am finished the book, I find that aspects of the story keep on flitting into my mind, and while I consider them, I realize that the book is much more multi-faceted than I expected. There is the gothic aspect, and some supernatural incidents that are hinted at by the genre of the book. Then there is the human drama of a community caught up in issues of faith and family. Finally, there is a hint of humour in the parochial characters. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy crime and thrillers, to those who appreciate the bizarre, and to those who enjoy books that question our basic values and religion.

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15 people found this helpful

accumulating weirdness and creepiness

great story.builds the horror without you really noticing what is happening. characterisations are rich and layered. the setting is wonderfully constructed and atmospheric . when the reveal happens it's way more horrible than could be imagined and I missed the clues all the way through. absolutely loved it.

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Good story

This was a good story and well narrated. It kept me gripped from beginning to end.

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Blind faith

There was a very long lead in to action, if you could call it action. 80% scene setting and 20% resolution. I wanted the blind faith ripped to shreds so left with the feeling of who has done the most damage.

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Abigails'Party meets The Whicker Man

This book is written beautifully. The phrases, observations and descriptions of the people and beach and the sea around Morcombe bay are wonderful and evocative. The dissection of the relationships within the group is acute and peceptive. The use of flashbacks occasionally gets confusing but the story continues to its conclusion in a non linear slightly dark way. Not a gory blood spattered horror by any means more a "tales of the unexpected". Absolutely loved it. Iain

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8 people found this helpful

Brilliant

The reader conveys subtly different accents faultlessly. A fantastic and original story. Beautifully read. Loved it

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