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The Midnight News

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The Midnight News

By: Jo Baker
Narrated by: Katherine Manners
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About this listen

 'A tour de force' IRISH TIMES

'Riveting and moving' NINA STIBBE

'Gripping' THE TIMES

'It had me by the throat' EMMA DONOGHUE

LONDON, 1940. As enemy planes fly over the city, twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond is trying to make the best of things. She has a dull but steady job at the Ministry of Information, a friend to share gin and secrets with, and an attic room of her own. All she has to do is keep her head down. She knows where her father will send her if she makes a nuisance of herself again.

But amid the chaos of the Blitz, Charlotte's grip on reality starts slipping. Is someone following her in the blackouts, or is her mind playing tricks on her? In a city where nothing is safe, it's hard to know who to trust - until she meets the boy who feeds the birds . . .

'A late-night page-turner that will keep you guessing till the end' JOANNA QUINN

'Glorious' RED

'Exquisite' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'I stayed up late reading and was glad' SARAH MOSS©2023 Jo Baker (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited 20th Century Detective Fiction Historical Fiction Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Exciting War England

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All stars
Most relevant  
I really wanted to like this book as it came highly recommended from a trusted source. However, I struggled to get through it. I thought it overly long and I found myself willing the author to get to the point of the story. When she did, I felt a bit let down and the tale wrapped up a little too quickly - in the last 7 minutes in fact!

Overall, I feel rather disappointed.

Overly long and wrapped up a bit too quickly

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Slow start but then picks up pace. was rooting for Charlotte all the way. Loved it

Great Stort

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Beautifully written. Couldn’t put it down and will be recommending it to friends and suggesting for our book club

Beautifully written, couldn’t put it down and just loved it. Will highly recommend it to friends. Thank you.

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I really enjoyed listening to this book. Having read the other reviews, I appreciate that some might find it takes a bit to get going, but I actually enjoyed the scene setting and the explorations of the relationships, characters and historical context. I found the blitz and the subtleties of everyday coping with it was fascinating. I was also thoroughly absorbed during her time at Summer Fields. I do agree that the ending was a little wrapped up quickly in a single conversation which was a shame and it felt a little shallow. I would have far preferred for the ending to be played out more. I can't imagine that Charlotte would have been quite so void of emotion as it appears in this final conversation. The narration was wonderful and the different accents/intonations to distinguish the characters was perfect.

Wonderfully Read

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Jo Baker’s writing is astounding! You feel every moment of Charlotte’s journey. I loved it.

Absolutely Brilliant

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It was slow to start but then it picked up the pace and you didn’t really want it to finish. I loved it 🙂

Loved it

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This was one of the strangest books I have listened to or have read. It was hard to differentiate between what was reality and what was imagined. Due to the superb narration, however, I found I wanted to keep listening and was pleased that I did as the ending made everything clear. I would suggest it is a book worth persevering with as it is thought provoking.

Strangely compelling.

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Takes time to get into the pace of the story and had to increase speed of narration slightly but persevere as it’s a wonderful brilliantly written story.

Fantastic

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Great story, very well written. I couldn’t get on with the narration unfortunately. Rather mannered, and inflection odd at times.

Great story

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This book actally had the potential to be excellent, but it wasn't. The first 80% was unbearably slow, tedious and dull. Just when you were truly losing the will to live, there would be a tiny hint of something interesting. Then back to excruciatingly boring. Loads of dreadful things happened to the main character, without really being explored. They were just a vehicle to get the point of the story, that all came tumbling out in a highly unbelievable wrap up in the last 10 mins. Weak writing, far too overly drawn out and I just didn't care for or about anyone.
Why did I read it? Bookclub choice and I don't feel qualified to discuss something I've not read; plus I'm not a quitter. Don't bother, there's nothing to commend it and even if you speed up the listening it's too many hours of your life wasted that you'll never get back.

Dull, boring and badly written

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