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The Hand That First Held Mine
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
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Summary
An unforgettable novel of love and motherhood from best-selling author Maggie O'Farrell.
Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award and a Sunday Times best seller, The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood from the author of This Must Be the Place.
When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin and leaves for London. There, at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene, she carves out a new life. In the present day, Elina and Ted are reeling from the difficult birth of their first child. Elina struggles to reconcile the demands of motherhood with her sense of herself as an artist and Ted is disturbed by memories of his own childhood that don't tally with his parents' version of events. As Ted begins to search for answers, an extraordinary portrait of two women is revealed, separated by 50 years, but connected in ways that neither could ever have expected.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Hand That First Held Mine
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- happy loon
- 07-07-15
amazing
such a great story so well read. first Maggie o Farrell for me but wont be the last.
beautiful x
7 people found this helpful
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- Gillian
- 18-03-15
Best one yet
I'm really enjoying reading my way through the works of Maggie O'Farrell - and I'd say this was the best yet. Beautifully interwoven stories, fascinating, frustrating, likeable, annoying characters and the detective game of working out how they are connected. Her descriptions are delicate, rhythmic and evocative - of the time I was born and the time I live in today.
Hugo recommended.
7 people found this helpful
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- Kirstine
- 29-06-16
Separate stories take too long to come together
It took many hours of listening, to largely descriptive writing, to arouse my interest in the lives of two couples whose separate stories alternate and switch back and forth in time. Having to keep readjusting to which couple’s life was being described and at which time in their lives added to my lack of engagement. The narratives focus too long on the relationships within each couple unanchored by time and place. Many chapters went by before I realised that Lexie and Innis met in the 1950s and Ted and Elina in the present century. After hours of mundane listening things did pick up, but not until the last 30 minutes or so of the recording do the two quite separate stories come together. There are two moderately interesting books in this one novel but the sum is less than the parts. The writing is good, but the disjointed nature of the book is a distraction.
The reader is good and did inject life into the characters
5 people found this helpful
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- Alex Marsh
- 02-07-20
Solid without being exceptional
A perfectly fine novel but not one that grabbed me. one issue was that I was much more interested in one narrative than another (I liked the 2000s narrative to the 1960s/70s one). I found the older narrative much less gripping and the character less rounded.
3 people found this helpful
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- LyndyLou
- 11-02-20
Too long.
The first two thirds of this book proved a very mundane listening experience. It wasn’t till the last chapters that everything came together and the characters actually sparked my interest. Up to that time, I found the writing and the story quite tedious. I was glad when I finished and wouldn’t recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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- JMarciano
- 20-05-23
Wonderful!
Another excellent novel by Maggie O’Farrell. A gentle, captivating story, cleverly interweaving two stories spanning 1950s/60s Britain and the present day. Very well narrated - couldn’t stop listening!
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- jane suzanne
- 06-05-23
A good read
I like this author, having read several of her books. Ending was possibly a little too predictable but over all a well crafted book. Concentrates upon relationships, feelings, art, gender roles, parental roles and responsibilities . Blends past and present. Bringing with it powerful, evocative images of 50s / 60s London with strong female characters. Can feel fragmented
initially but well worth persevering with.
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- Sally S
- 15-03-23
You’ll be weeping by the end!
A slow burn to start with and the Ted/Elina parts were initially a bit confusing and long-winded, but all gentle scene-setting for an ultimately well-rounded and moving observation on a variety of traumas and their impact on our characters, leading to a moving and emotional finale.
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- Anonymous User
- 15-02-23
Great audiobook
Intriguing story which unravels slowly keeping the listener mentally involved throughout. Well crafted as with all Maggie O’Farrell books
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- Pinnard
- 29-01-23
Beautifully written, capturing the raw elements of motherhood
Although at times confusing I felt impelled to continue listening to the story to the end. The link between the two narratives becomes evident right at the end. I really enjoyed the description of the turmoil, passion and conflict that arises from becoming a mother. I love the descriptive style of the author and will definitely read more.