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The First Day of Spring

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The First Day of Spring

By: Nancy Tucker
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

'So that was all it took,' I thought. 'That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all.'

Chrissie knows how to steal sweets from the shop without getting caught, the best hiding place for hide-and-seek, the perfect wall for handstands.

Now she has a new secret. It gives her a fizzing sherbet feeling in her belly. She doesn't get to feel power like this at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Fifteen years later, Julia is working in a fish-and-chip shop and trying to mother her five-year-old daughter, Molly. She is always worried - about affording food and school shoes, about what the other mothers think of her. Most of all, she worries that the social services are about to take Molly away.

That's when the phone calls begin which Julia is too afraid to answer, because it's clear the caller knows the truth about what happened 15 years ago.

And it's time to face the truth: is forgiveness and redemption ever possible for someone who has killed?

©2021 Nancy Tucker (P)2021 Penguin Audio Crime Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Crime Emotionally Gripping Exciting Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking Suspense

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Critic reviews

"Tense, addictive and powered by an unforgettable narrative voice." (Paula Hawkins)

"A darkly dazzling debut, a harrowing story of neglect and cruelty written with a delicate touch and a big heart. As gripping as the tensest of thrillers and as moving and humane as the most intimate of memoirs." (Lisa Jewell)

"The First Day of Spring is Nancy Tucker's first work of fiction and my god this is outstanding.... This book is so powerful and so disturbing that I will be thinking about it for months to come. Without a doubt this goes into my Top Ten Books of 2021." (Tracy Fenton)
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I was hooked straight away and I’ve just lost a weekend totally engrossed, completely recommend this book, so well written and it will stay in my head for some time to come

Best audiobook I’ve heard in a long time

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I won't lie, it's not the easiest book to listen to but the for me, the story really shows the impact of how profound an impact a childs upbringing has on their developing mind and mental health.
I was gripped, yet saddened at the same time but I was so invested in seeing a positive outcome for Chrissie as an adult, that I couldn't stop listening.
The book does touch upon issues of child neglect and child harm so won't be for everyone but it is done sensitively and we hear the reasoning of the 8 year old child as she comes to terms with her actions and her reasoning for doing what she did.
The narration was superb although I did speed it up to 1.5 as the slower pace added a depressing tone to the book.
A solid 4🌟 from me but like I say, be prepared for the book to make you feel uncomfortable at times.

A thought provoking story about nature vs nurture

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A difficult subject treated with great care. Desperately sad you absolutely understood poor Chrissie. There's a wit and humour that sets it apart. I loved it

best listen in a long while

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At first I found the narration annoying because Chrissie was quite squeaky but honestly the story is so good I am glad I stuck with it.

Stick with it

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A difficult subject, but so well written, I just couldn’t stop listening. The narrator was brilliant. 5 stars all the way from me.

I couldn’t stop listening

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This one was on Tracy Fentons summer reads
I listened to this one and the narrator was amazing.
It is a very difficult subject but it is so beautifully crafted I became completely immersed in this sad but strangely uplifting story.
Chrissie is a deprived unloved and uncared for eight year old. She’s starving she has no social skills but the moving way this is conveyed is so skilful that you cannot fail to be drawn in.
Fifteen years later Julia is trying to do her best to bring up her daughter Molly.
This story is told between Chrissie’s point of view and then Julia’s.
It is very easy to follow and it is quite sad but it is a terrific book.
It will stay with me for a long time
I would highly recommend it

Amazing

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This was a hard listen at times because of the subject matter but the story was really well written. The narration was brilliant, highly recommended

A very moving story with a difficult subject.

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It hooked me from the very first line. The narration was excellent. What an incredible insight into the mind of a disturbed, neglected child. Brilliantly written. Well done.

Brilliant!!! I couldn’t stop listening!!!

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this really isn't my usual thing but it came highly recommended and I'm glad I picked it up. even if it's not your usual genre give it a shot because it's really well written and the narrator absolutely just makes the book!

unexpextedly real

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it's a difficult story to tell but Nancy had done it so well and the narration/performance is absolutely superb. Highly highly recommend.

Heartbreaking

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