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Dear Lina

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Dear Lina

By: Jess Glaisher
Narrated by: Amélie Roch, Dervla Kirwan
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About this listen

England is recognisable on the surface: the buildings are the same, there is still a government, the tube still runs through London. For Lina, however, the England she knew when she was little, when her mum was still around, has disappeared completely.

Arriving home one day to find her mum gone, Lina finds in her place a leather-bound notebook containing hundreds of pages of her mum’s handwriting: letters of advice and memories, all the things her mother would no longer have the chance to teach her. Through these pages, Lina learns that her mother, Eve, left in the middle of the night to avoid being arrested. The government crackdown on immigrants meant that Eve either had to flee or risk the same fate as her friends, friends who were taken away from their homes and families and never made it back to their country of birth.

Taking Eve’s advice, Lina leaves her life behind and sets off on a journey north to Scotland to find freedom and, she hopes, her mother.

©2020 Jess Glaisher (P)2020 Audible, Ltd Genre Fiction Emotionally Gripping Scary
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I don’t usually leave reviews but this was simply marvellous. I’m a huge fan of dystopian novels, but often find them somewhat far fetched. Dear Lina is current, believable and a warning of what may come should society lean too far in the wrong direction. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to more from Jess Glaisher.

A must read!!!

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I loved it! Looking forward to Jess Glaisher's next book, whether it's a sequel or something completely different.
The performances were lovely as well. Very enjoyable all around!

Simply lovely

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What a beautiful book. Essentially this is a dystopian novel set in the not too distant future. This vision of the future, rampant with racism and homophobia is terrifyingly possible. So many things that are described as the aftermath of Covid and Brexit are almost too close to the bone in the UK today. The heart of the book is this beautiful mother/daughter relationship. The love within this relationship was so perfectly described it made me cry several times. It's the sort of book that long before I got to the end I started thinking of friends who would also love it who I must share this with. I'm only sad that hard copies of it don't seem to exist for me to buy for people. I was also pleased to see a nonbinary character and other mentions of gender identity issues. I expect most Tories would hate this book for the very reasons I loved it. I will be keeping an eye out for more from this author. The narration was also faultless. 10/10

Beautiful, timely, not suitable for Tories.

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The set-up of a post-Brexit England sliding into a dystopia is compelling and the central relationship between mother and daughter, conducted through the mother's so carefully constructed diary is beautifully handled throughout. The pulling of our protagonist from an apparently safe daily existence onto her perilous journey is shocking and dramatic and we think we are in for quite a ride. Unfortunately, this doesn’t really materialise. The physical journey and that of Lina’s delayed coming of age both seem under explored and rushed, as if the author couldn’t wait to get on with writing Lina's reward of love and safely - which therefore ends up seeming rather cheaply earned. It is too easy to accuse a novel written from an unequivocal feminist perspective of misandry, however the world shattering revelation thrown away in a single line in the epilogue does rather jump the shark in this respect, seemingly torn from what would be a completely different sci-fi novel. Next time round Jess Glaisher might seek editorial feedback from a broader church.

The performances fit both characters well. Dervla Kirwan is entirely belivable as a mother desparate to nurture and protect her daugher and best friend, but faced with an impossible heartbreaking choice. And Amélie Roch, whether intentionally or not, does convey a young person who far to naive and self absorbed for the challenges outside of the childhood home she has clung to for too long.

A Brexit fascist dystopia - what's not to like?

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A gripping story in a dystopian future, great performance and a perfect binge listen material

Could not stop listening to it

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I liked the dystopian concept, thought it was believable in a sci-fi kind of way. Made me appreciate the freedoms we do have and wonder if this could actually happen, one day...
Shame the narration was so depressing and monotonous, made it hard to get to the end.

Interesting concept but so depressing!

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I enjoyed this book a lot. But I've read so many since, I have forgotten it. I must write reviews immediately, or not bother!

Very Good.

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This bittersweet story of love, loss, hope and survival, set in a dystopian future, took me through the range of emotions. It is beautifully written, and the two well-chosen narrators really bring it to life. A very enjoyable listen!

A great story beautifully read

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I loved this story and the wonderful narration was the icing on the cake. The main characters are beautifully drawn and the setting is all too plausible. It is a timely reminder of the perils of intolerance and the insidious consequences of popularism. But, it is also a very good story/listen.

Engaging and thought provoking

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I loved it! What a plausible dystopian near future! Ever so slightly worrying in its plausibility, which means it's very well done and very relevant. It makes me want to write my own journal, just like Lena's mother!

Awesome!

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