Lovely and gory

This was a great listen. The murders were gloriously gruesome, remind me never to upset Jo Spain, her revenge would be most painful! The story was based on the real life horrors inflicted on the inmates of the Magdalene laundries, surely institutions that must shame any right thinking person. For me, it made the whole book absolutely credible. I'm actually surprised that none of the nuns who ran these laundries have been murdered in real life. I've read some of the memoirs of the women confined to these places, and the horror and abuse heaped upon them would make anyone feel murderous. The denouement was a great surprise, although I did have a sneaking suspicion as to who the murderer was, and I was thrilled to have been correct. The surprises kept coming, even once we knew who the perpetrator was. This is my first book by Jo Spain, but definitely not my last. I want to get to know Tom Reynolds and his family better. I particularly enjoyed that Inspector Reynolds was a 'normal' man, happily married with a (grown up) child. Whilst I'm sure many police officers do struggle with the effects of all the terrible scenes they face in their jobs, it can be a tad tiresome when they're alcoholics/drug addicts/corrupt/immoral/suffering with PTSD! I am a big Aoife McMahon fan, her narrating skills are superb and she always, always adds a thick and substantial layer of enjoyment to any book. A fabulous introduction to a series, which I will be purchasing shortly. You should too, you can thank me later!

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55 people found this helpful

Gripping

My first novel by this author and I was not disappointed. Interesting characters and a well thought out plot that keep me guessing. Good balance of backstory for the detective team and setting and context for the story as a whole. Enjoyed the narration too.

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46 people found this helpful

absolutely gripping

Author grasps the harshness and gripping fear and control the catholic institutions had in Ireland without being judgemental she allows the readrer to follow the plot at a steady pace and make their own judgements on why the chatacters carry out their actions wheter by circumstance or they are jus plain old evil !! will read her pther books in series now

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32 people found this helpful

Outstanding

Another outstanding story from the brilliant Irish writer Jo Spain. I have downloaded all her books. This one was so accurate to the truth as a survivor of a mother and baby home in Ireland I know this story first hand. Well done on acknowledging this painful past !

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21 people found this helpful

This has it all.

well developed characters and a compelling plot - this is a gripping tale that moved me to tears on occasion. The best book I have come across in years

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16 people found this helpful

Brilliant

this is one of the best books i have read in a very long time. once started i simply couldn't stop listening.. had me interested and then gripped page after page loved the characters and for someone who normally avoids female narrator's this one was excellent and perfect for the job. finished in just two sittings ( unfortunately i had to sleep) am buying book 2 immediately and so hope its as good.

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14 people found this helpful

A history lesson in a well written work of fiction

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. The intertwining stories surrounding life and childbirth emphasised how individual.every one's story is. Narrated excellently too with enough nuance for each character to make them identifiable. Cant wait to start the next one.

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11 people found this helpful

Gripping, thrilling, excellently written.

Where does With Our Blessing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook had me gripped from start to finish.

What other book might you compare With Our Blessing to, and why?

I normally am not a fan of fiction, but this story was so realistic I found it easy to listen to.

Have you listened to any of Aoife McMahon’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but I was impressed with her storytelling abilities.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The past can haunt the present.

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8 people found this helpful

Well written and well read.

I have to admit it took a few goes to get going with this book but I’m so glad I persevered.

Set in Ireland, we have a couple of murders and a bunch of nuns as the main suspects. This story has some fact based history interwoven within it and I found myself googling about the ‘laundry’s’ and the awful life unmarried mothers and fatherless children had in the not to distant past.

Aoife McMahon narrates splendidly both male and female voices. Well worth a credit.

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6 people found this helpful

Grew on me

I wasn't sure about this at the start, particularly the Irish characterisations. However I am glad I persevered because it did improve and in the end was a good all-round listen with an unveiling of a culprit who I hadn't considered. I shall certainly give book 2 in the series a try to see how it evolves.

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6 people found this helpful