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Saltwater: Winner of the Portico Prize
- Narrated by: Natalie Jamieson
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
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Saltwater: Winner of the Portico Prize
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Summary
Shortlisted for the Portico Prize.
When Lucy wins a place at university, she thinks London will unlock her future. It is a city alive with pop up bars, cool girls and neon lights illuminating the Thames at night.
At least this is what Lucy expects, having grown up seemingly a world away in working-class Sunderland, amid legendary family stories of Irish immigrants and boarding houses, now-defunct ice rinks and an engagement ring at a fish market.
Yet Lucy's transition to a new life is more overwhelming than she ever expected. As she works long shifts to make ends meet and navigates chaotic parties from East London warehouses to South Kensington mansions, she still feels like an outsider among her fellow students. When things come to a head at her graduation, Lucy takes off for Ireland, seeking solace in her late grandfather's cottage and the wild landscape that surrounds it, wondering if she can piece together who she really is.
Lyrical and boundary breaking, Saltwater explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, the challenges of shifting class identity and the way that the strongest feelings of love can be the hardest to define.
Critic reviews
"This book is sublime. It dares to be different, to look in a different way. Andrews is not filling anyone's shoes, she is destroying the shoes and building them from scratch." (Daisy Johnson)
What listeners say about Saltwater: Winner of the Portico Prize
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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
- KJ
- 11-04-24
beautiful prose
This is beautiful lyrical prose coming if age story but the story goes nowhere.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Joshua Seex
- 20-07-23
not my thing at all
I really hated this. Didn't like the content, and not a fan of the actors delivery, Felt like one long sainsburys ad. Couldn't finish, I would have left one star but that's totally not fair if you haven't finished the book, hence 3 stars. Felt VERY pretentious, an attempt at poetry which worked for some people, (which is great that they enjoyed it) but I just felt it fell flat, and I hated the constant references to very mundane experiencs, constant attempts at relatability? I just didn't get it, didn't get the point, it jumped around so much there was no leading me towards any story, and I already hated the writing style so much.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 02-08-21
Loved this
This is a rare treat! Totally hooked from the start. The narration is spot on and I felt so tuned into the book that when I’d finished listening I just wanted to hear it all over again in case I’d missed anything.
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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
- James C
- 04-02-24
Beautiful writing
The prose was lush and visceral, and complemented the character and story really well. It’s told in series of (mostly) very tiny vignettes, which build up a picture of the protagonist’s life like tiles in a mosaic. The narrator (especially her accent) feels just right for the protagonist.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Dawson
- 02-09-19
Great listen!
Bought this to impress a guy - it didn't work, however the book is actually really good 😊
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6 people found this helpful
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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
- Natalie Bancroft
- 30-05-20
Moving and majestic
Rarely does a book touch me as much as saltwater did... a reminder of the stark and complex realities of family life. A juggling of north-south feelings.
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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
- Isabelle Gill
- 20-09-21
Like a novel length poem
Absolutely beautiful: written and read so lyrically as to be almost lulling. An incredibly talented writer and new literary star.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 13-02-23
Beautiful Listen
I devoured this book. Wonderfully performed and some really poignant thoughts on the world. Will look out for other titles by this author.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cheshire66
- 27-10-23
A difficult listen
I found the numbered parts distracting and the shortness of parts made for a stilted listen. Some wonderful writing about teenage angst but it didn’t hold me.
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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
- Rosa Luetchford
- 17-11-23
Gorgeous
Jessica Andrews manages to capture and put into words the complexities of being a young woman, growing whilst coping with change and responsibility. It was told beautifully by Natalie Jamieson. A wonderful story, one I will be buying for my sister and recommending to friends. Thank you!
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