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The Exhibitionist
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
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The Exhibitionist
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Summary
THE TIMES NOVEL OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2022
A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR
Meet the Hanrahan family, gathering for a momentous weekend as famous artist and notorious egoist Ray Hanrahan prepares for a new exhibition of his art—the first in many decades—and one he is sure will burnish his reputation for good.
His three children will be there: beautiful Leah, always her father’s biggest champion; sensitive Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and insecure Jess, the youngest, who has her own momentous decision to make....
And what of Lucia, Ray’s steadfast and selfless wife? She is an artist, too, but has always had to put her roles as wife and mother first. What will happen if she decides to change? For Lucia is hiding secrets of her own, and as the weekend unfolds and the exhibition approaches, she must finally make a choice.
The longer the marriage, the harder truth becomes . . .
The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire and personal freedom.
Critic reviews
"It takes the most ferocious intelligence, skill, and a deep reservoir of sadness to write a novel as funny as this. I adored it." (Meg Mason)
"A devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious." (Sarah Waters)
"Delicious, heartbreaking.... Fabulously written and utterly compelling." (Marian Keyes)
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What listeners say about The Exhibitionist
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Jeannivista
- 21-05-22
Grotesque, unbelievable main characters
Lucia is a a man's fantasy of a doormat, as a very mature woman, ok old, I've never met a woman in my life who didn't grow out of her teenage or twenties infatuation with a selfish bully of a man. I returned this, I found it overwhelmingly irritating, couldn't stand any of the characters after about an hour.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jenny
- 19-05-22
I couldn’t bear the characters
I returned this book after a few chapters because I couldn’t bear to listen to any more about the overbearing husband and subservient wife.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- E Marlborough
- 10-07-22
Couldn’t See it Through
I wanted to love this and was desperate for Lucia to be heard but 2.5 hrs in and I just can’t listen to any more. The toxic family politics are too repetitive. I daresay there are men as awful as Ray and daughters who dote on them but it’s just unrelenting and whilst that’s probably what the author was trying to get across I just couldn’t face anymore of it. I hope Lucia found a happy ending but sadly I won’t be there to see it.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- debbieg
- 01-05-22
Waste of a credit - I gave up! In spite of Juliet
What a disappointment - this was embarrassingly bad. I adore the narrator but even her reading the telephone book would have been more enjoyable! Never left such a bad review and the premise of the story looked so interesting. It was just so irritatingly bitty, sorry
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Patricia
- 27-04-22
Couldn’t even finish… save your money
Not even Juliet Stevenson could save it. I made it to 45 minutes left and just couldn’t manage to finish.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- carol langford
- 14-06-22
So depressing
I found this a really hard book to listen to as just I didn’t like or really understand the motivation of the characters. The way that Lucia ignored and did not defend her children was so weak and quite horrible. Ray was just an ego centric, self centred bully… and they let him be this way. The only character I liked was Aunt Gillian, she felt real. Leah was a screeching mess. Did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would after reading the reviews
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- kls
- 05-09-23
The narration was the only good thing about this book
An absolutely abysmal tale with dreadful characters an unrealistic plot
Juliet Stevensons narration was as always very good
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1 person 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
- Vivien
- 10-05-22
A difficult but excellent read
I read a review of The Exhibitionist in the Saturday Times and saw that it was read by Juliet Stevenson, whose voice I love. I think I might have lost patience with the awful central character whose controlling and narcissistic behaviour distorts and even destroys the lives of all his family in different ways, had it not been for the wonderful narration. It is one of the most memorable books I've listened to.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- SD
- 02-02-24
nothing
story was too long, full of dismal characters. could not sympathise with any of them. only read half....
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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
- M. C. Burns
- 05-12-23
Loved it!
Fantastic descriptive sentences, marvellous characters and a bravura performance!
This review platform does not value succinctness, so I am adding these extra words.
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