
The Illustrated Child
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rosie Jones
-
By:
-
Polly Crosby
About this listen
A young girl.A hidden treasure.A dark family secret.
‘Evocative and enchanting – a future classic' Veronica Henry
‘An extraordinary debut… beautiful, dark, haunting’ Edward Carey
‘A captivating coming-of-age story’ Daily Mail
‘A bewitching read' Woman & Home
Romilly Kemp has an idyllic childhood, roaming the wilderness that surrounds her father’s ramshackle farmhouse. But when he makes her the star of his beautifully illustrated books, her carefree if somewhat lonely existence is threatened.
The books are thought to hold clues to an elaborate treasure hunt, and strangers turn up at their door, anxious to get a glimpse of the ‘Kemp Treasure Girl’. But when her father falls ill, leaving Romilly more isolated and alone than ever, she begins to delve deeper into the books – and her past.
As she makes sense of the clues he has hidden, she finds a truth that is far darker and more devastating than any treasure hunt has a right to be. For not everything that is hidden is gold.
‘A captivating coming-of-age story with memorable characters beautifully brought to life in a setting dripping with atmosphere’ Daily Mail
‘Part fantasy, part coming of age, the undercurrents of child neglect and mental ill health pull at you all the way through this poignant tale’ Heat
‘A bewitching read' Woman & Home
‘A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination’ Daily Record
©2020 Polly Crosby (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedCritic reviews
"Evocative and enchanting - a future classic and a star in the making." (Veronica Henry, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Beach Hut)
"Exquisitely written, stunning, totally unique. Everyone needs to [listen to] this." (Jessica Ryn, debut author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside)
"A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination." (Daily Record)
‘Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you read a book that stays with you - in your head and in your heart - for a long time after you read the last sentence. This is such a book. I read it in one sitting, immersing myself in the world that Polly Crosby has so beautifully, hauntingly evoked. It’s joyful and yet melancholic, is about relationships and isolation. It is like no other and I can’t recommend it highly enough.‘
As a voracious devourer of audible books, I wanted to see if a) the book stands up to a second reading and b) if the narrator was able to capture the essence of the book. Oh my god, yes to both! I lost my weekend, back in the world that Polly Crosby has so stunningly created and which Rosie Jones narrated with true heart and soul.
Other reviewers have said that this book has the makings of a true classic and I whole-heartedly agree. I know I’ll return to it again and again - both the audible version and the paper one. It IS that good.
Mesmerising
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only criticism is I felt one step ahead of it.
Beautifully written.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Dark and captivating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A wonderfully written book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Tedious, implausible tale of disfunctional family
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really tried
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.