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Whale Fall

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Whale Fall

By: Elizabeth O'Connor
Narrated by: Gwyneth Keyworth
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About this listen

Including poems specially adapted into melody and song for this audiobook.

One of The New York Times Best Audiobooks of 2024
A BBC ‘BETWEEN THE COVERS’ BOOK CLUB PICK

'I didn't want it to end' - Maggie O'Farrell
'Powerful . . . written with a calm, luminous precision' - Colm Tóibín
An Observer Best Debut of the Year

It is 1938 and on an island off the coast of Wales, Manod is trying to imagine her future. Her choices are stark: she must either stay and look after her father's house, in the wild landscape that drove her mother to madness, or marry and leave. And so, when two English anthropologists arrive on the island, Manod senses the possibility of a thrilling new life. But, as she becomes entangled in their work, and their strange relationship, the outside world she had yearned for appears a much darker place than she could ever have imagined.

Elizabeth O’Connor’s beautiful, devastating debut Whale Fall tells a story of longing and betrayal set against the backdrop of a world on the edge of great tumult.

'The quiet cadences of Whale Fall contain a deep melody of loss held and let go. It is a gentle, tough story about profound change' - Anne Enright

©2024 Elizabeth O'Connor (P)2024 Macmillan Publishers International Limited 20th Century Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

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Critic reviews

Gwyneth Keyworth's nuanced portrayal of Manod reveals the 18-year-old's transformative journey in this haunting story, set in 1938. Dyfrig Morris, Gabrielle Glaister, Jot Davies, and Nick Griffiths add to the novel's ambiance with evocative renditions of folklore and historical narratives. Well-crafted sound effects, such as the crackling and echoes of an old recording machine, add a compelling layer of period authenticity. This atmospheric audiobook amplifies the novel's exploration of profound cultural differences within ostensibly similar societies. - AudioFile
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A story that is vivid and deeply touching. Unsentimental and with a great authentic feel to it.
Beautifully narrated. Using few (precise) words the story and landscape (sea scape) unfolds and takes you in.

I will listen to this audiobook again and again and look forward to the next book.

Absolutely beautiful!

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I wasn’t sure about this story But I carried on with it. If it had been much longer I would have nit finished it.
The interjection of poems. Songs etc was good

A different kind of book

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Love the narration and how the story unfolds. I think this is one I will remember.

Atmospheric story narrated beautifully

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Beautiful writing that really evokes the hardships of island life. Great narration too. Would recommend

Beautiful

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The atmosphere and description of life on the island was mesmerising. It’s very poetic and full of depth.

Beautifully written

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I cannot explain how beautiful this listen was. It has stuck to my bones and left an imprint on my soul. I cried when it finished for so many reasons.

Breathtaking description

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Absolutely captivating in its beauty and depth and endlessly sad. Different stories - or rather different aspects/time frames of the same story - are woven together seamlessly. A 100% must for repeated listening. Not one for while you're dashing about doing household jobs - it deserves a proper sit-down-and-listen.

Beautiful, captivating, wistful and wounding as barbed

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Loved the narration of a most beautiful if not a bit sad tale. Superb writing.

Fantastic portrayal of Welsh life on a remote island

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A well narrated story with different actors and authentic welsh voices. I also read on kindle which was a good combination. Reminiscent - in a good way - of ‘the colony’ and ‘this other Eden’. Beautiful concise writing

Wales and Whales

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A touching story of daily life, hardship, and cultural heritage in a fictional Welsh island. And a reminder of the perennial risk of epistemic extractivism when studying islanders’ lives.

A wonderful story, beautiful narrated

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