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This Must Be the Place

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This Must Be the Place

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Thomas Judd, Penelope Rawlins
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About this listen

An addictive and unforgettable novel of a marriage in freefall, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2016.

A Richard and Judy Pick 2017.

A top 10 best seller, This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell crosses time zones and continents to reveal an extraordinary portrait of a marriage.

A reclusive ex-film star living in the wilds of Ireland, Claudette Wells is a woman whose first instinct, when a stranger approaches her home, is to reach for her shotgun. Why is she so fiercely protective of her family and what made her walk out of her cinematic career when she had the whole world at her feet?

Her husband Daniel, reeling from a discovery about a woman he last saw 20 years ago, is about to make an exit of his own. It is a journey that will send him off-course, far away from the life he and Claudette have made together. Will their love for one another be enough to bring Daniel back home?

©2016 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2016 Headline Digital Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Marriage

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Editor reviews

"A complex, riveting novel of love and hope that grips at the heart." ( The Sunday Times)

Critic reviews

"A complex, riveting novel of love and hope that grips at the heart." (The Sunday Times)
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Very moving performances of this wonderfully written book - Thank you. I feel sad to have finished it!

Moving performances

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I’ve never read Maggie OFarrell before but I definitely am again. This was a great story with brilliant narration I cannot recommend highly enough

Loved it

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Good narrators and interesting story, but over long in the middle. Unusually for this author I felt there was quite a bit of padding that didn't add to the book, but in fact detracted from overall enjoyment. If I'd been reading rather than listening I would have skipped a couple of entire chapters in the middle.

Good book but needs editing

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I enjoyed the structure of this novel, which is formed of interlinking, over lapping narratives told from different perspectives. On a few occasions a new character is introduced who, while not part of the broader story, either throws light on on some aspect of it or turns out to be influential in some way. I'm not sure if I have come across that before and I thought it was cleverly done.
The writing is good enough to keep you listening with some rather nice prose. However, for me, the plot and characters weren't interesting or subtle enough to make me recommend this read to others. I'll probably not be put off reading more from this author though.

Interesting structure. Nice prose. Dull plot and characters.

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Loved this multi- layered, different time horizon story. The characters and the voices vividly bringing to life Daniel and Claudette. Another cracker from Maggie O'Farrell.

Wonderful storytelling and characters!

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I found this book a bit slow-going and couldn't really get into the characters the way I have with previous Maggie O'Farrell books. I wonder if the fact I read them and listened to this one made any difference, but I'd be surprised if it did because the narration was really good and believable.

I love her books but this was a disappointment. Narration very good

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I really enjoyed this book. Different voices were used for different characters. I thought the audiobook bought the story to life. Great author as well. Must listen

So so good

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book was recommended to me - I don't think I would have picked it otherwise. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I shall be reading other books by this author.

What other book might you compare This Must Be the Place to, and why?

The story generally reminded me of the books by Anita Shreve - with lots of description and study about what the characters are feeling.

What does Thomas Judd and Penelope Rawlins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The narration really added to the experience. I find more and more I enjoy listening to books rather than reading them - it feels so much more immersive. You get all the advantages of a book (you use your imagination to conjure up the characters in your head), but the dialogue parts are much easier with narration. Plus you can listen while you get chores done!!!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There is a very sweet sub story line running through this book about Daniel's mother. I found it really touching. There were some intensely sad parts that were incredibly emotional, but so well written.

Any additional comments?

Some of the stories feel a bit disjointed - but hang in there because everything comes together. A wonderful book about false starts, premature finishes and everything that precedes and follows.

Pulls you in....

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I really had to preserve with this book. Lots of different stories interlinked. very sudden ending.

Very hard to get into

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Enjoyed this book. Happy ending (sort of). Great narration well written listened to it within a week.

Great story

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