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I Couldn't Love You More
- Narrated by: Niamh Cusack
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
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I Couldn't Love You More
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents I Couldn't Love You More by Esther Freud, read by Niamh Cusack.
An unforgettable novel of mothers and daughters, wives and muses, secrets and outright lies.
An Evening Standard Book of 2021.
Rosaleen is still a teenager, in the early '60s, when she meets the famous sculptor Felix Lichtman. Felix is dangerous, bohemian, everything she dreamed of in the cold nights at her Catholic boarding school. And at first their life together is glitteringly romantic – drinking in Soho, journeying to Marseilles. But it’s not long before Rosaleen finds herself fearfully, unexpectedly alone. Desperate, she seeks help from the only source she knows, the local priest, and is directed across the sea to Ireland on a journey that will seal her fate.
Kate lives in '90s London, stumbling through her unhappy marriage. But something has begun to stir in her. Close to breaking point, she sets off on a journey of her own, not knowing what she hopes to find.
Aoife sits at her husband’s bedside as he lies dying and tells him the story of their marriage. But there is a crucial part of the story missing, and time is running out. Aoife needs to know: what became of Rosaleen?
Spanning three generations of women, I Couldn’t Love You More is an unforgettable novel about love, motherhood, secrets and betrayal - and how only the truth can set us free.
Critic reviews
"Beautiful, moving, wonderful.... Let me be the first (but not the last) to say I couldn’t love it more." (Sam Baker)
"I hugely enjoyed it. She is such a compelling writer, so good at evoking atmosphere." (Lynn Barber)
"I loved it. I loved its ambition and the dexterity with which it was done, its poignancy and truth. I hope it does brilliantly." (Elizabeth Buchan)
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What listeners say about I Couldn't Love You More
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SusanE
- 02-12-22
A beautiful book
Beautifully written and read. Difficult at times as the fact that this was the truth for some is so sad but it is committed with such honesty and poetry. The people feel real and I would love to know more!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- The crew
- 29-04-22
Narration excellent so soothing.
This book is hard to follow the characters and who is who but brilliant narration so soothing and covers the real honest account of what happened to teenage mothers out of wedlock in Ireland and the process of infertility and the biological need to have a child and for the women who had their children taken from them. Loved it just go with it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-08-22
a lovely read
This book was beautifully read, it was hard to stop listening, would highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ms N
- 09-12-22
Stick with it
It took me three restarts and some focused concentration to get into this book. Sometimes one chapter ran into another and unless the listener is really aware, the story gets confused. I needed to listen to this in big chunks rather than small bites. Definitely worth sticking with. The rewards of the story, writing and performance are well worth it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ICAJ
- 31-10-21
Brilliant
Excellent story - based on what actually happened in Ireland and UK in the 60s . Beautifully written and beautifully read . Thought provoking and heart rending
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer annie
- 03-12-21
A moving story.
I was totally immersed and captivated by this beautifully written story. It covers topics that I am very familiar with and felt invested in the characters. Nicely delivered.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-08-22
Tricky to follow
Overall, I enjoyed the book but found it really difficult to get my head around who was who and which part of history we were in through out most of the first half of the book.
Its a complex story of women over generations, but it's a deeply sad one too knowing that these are the experiences of an untold number of girls and woman.
The consistent themes of shame, guilt, religion and patriarchy are heavy to chew through. Not a feel good read, but there was something about it that made me persevere.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Verified Purchaser
- 15-08-23
Deeply deeply moving.
Beautifully narrated.
The story is heartbreaking and heartwarming. A story involving complex family relationships, but it’s beautifully weaved and intertwined.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ms Hilary Thornton
- 05-05-22
Family love and loss
Taken as a whole, this is a tremendous story of the consequences of small and large events on the women of a family. It’s very authentic and is beautifully read, as one might expect.
I am less enthusiastic about the style which, whilst often quite poetic, leaves a lot to the reader in piecing the story back together and making some leaps of faith regarding detail. On the whole I did enjoy the book very much and some sections of it will stay with me for a long time.
I would read other Esther Freud books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Linds71
- 08-06-23
Took ages to get going
Reminded me of the longest uphill start on a rollercoaster. I just knew it would gather pace eventually, and I was right!
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