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The Weekend

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The Weekend

By: Charlotte Wood
Narrated by: Brigid Lohrey
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About this listen

Sylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.

These women couldn't be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a spotless life and a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; and Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie's old beach house - not for a celebration of her life, but to clean the place out before it is sold.

But without Sylvie to maintain the group's delicate equilibrium, frustrations build and painful memories press in. Fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface - a storm that will either remind them of the bond they share or sweep away their friendship for good.

©2020 Charlotte Wood (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Charlotte Wood's writing crackles with vivid precision." (NPR)

"An unflinching eye and audacious imagination." (Guardian)

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A rewarding but uncomfortable book. Age and friendship are the driving force of this tale but it’s about so much more. Unsettling read in parts but brilliant - and one you won’t forget. But the plodding over enunciated narration destroy it - read the book instead

Terrible narration spoilt this magnificent literary event

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I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy this book, notably because it took me quite a long time to decide to stick with it. The blurb about the book made it sound an interesting proposition, but the actuality was very different.

Basically the plot was about three friends getting together over the Christmas period to clear out their dead friend’s house. The four women had been friends for a long time and, as with all long friendships, there was a lot of history between them, some good and some incredibly bad. Overall, as the book progressed, I began to wonder why these three women were friends at all. There seemed to be a toxicity and narcissism at the heart of their relationship that would shatter an awful lot of friendships very quickly. How had these women survived as friends for so long?

The final third of the story became much more interesting to me and the final reveal of secrets and lies was its saving grace.

For me, the narration of the story was a basic problem. I did not enjoy the narrator’s voice and it spoiled the story for me.

Female friendship at its best and worst

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I can’t truthfully comment on the story because I’m finding it impossible to get past the first 10 minutes. The narration is so slow and over dramatic that I just can’t bear to listen to it. It’s like listening to a ‘wannabe’ actress doing a over dramatised audition for an Ibsen play, or someone trying to explain a point, very slowly and clearly, to a listener who does not speak English. Appalling. I can’t get past the first chapter without giving up in frustration.

Unbearably S L O W!

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Over hyped and under delivered - read in a flat monotone - did not enjoy this as much as I thought based on other reviews

Nothing really happens

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Charlotte Wood writes utterly believable characters. The gentle pace of the story does not belie the urgency of the major issues that are explored.

Brilliant, involved, read

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Although the book was well written and the characters interesting, the narration was terribly over-acted. I had to give up in the end. Too annoying.

Terrible narration

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Could easily have been a little cliched, but I found the characters well drawn and believable. Have read interviews with the author on the art of writing - this is the first novel of hers I've read. And I'm off to buy more now. I really enjoyed the book and in the days afterwards I've found myself thinking about the characters often... wondering what they're doing now. For me this is always the sign of beautiful writing :)

Strong characters

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To all you Charlotte Woods' fans out there - buy a printed copy of The Weekend. The narration is so awful that it almost completely ruins this fantastic book. I have listened to hundreds of Audible books over the years and this narration ranks among the top 3 worst experiences. I wonder whether the author has any say in the choice of narrator? It's sad to think how many people will never know how great this book is because they won't be able to endure the narration for more than 10 minutes....

Amazing book spoiled by narrator

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Couldn’t empathise with any of the characters or the dog. What was the point of the story?

What a dull book full of unlikeable characters

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A young woman writes about women in their old age and calls it "uplifting". Hmmm.

Old friends moaning about each other all weekend.

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