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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Daniela Nardini
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About this listen

From the Costa Award winning, best-selling author of This Must Be the Place and I Am, I Am, I Am, comes an intense, breathtakingly accomplished story of a woman's life stolen and reclaimed.

Edinburgh in the 1930s. The Lennox family is having trouble with its youngest daughter. Esme is outspoken, unconventional and repeatedly embarrasses them in polite society. Something will have to be done.

Years later, a young woman named Iris Lockhart receives a letter informing her that she has a great aunt in a psychiatric unit who is about to be released.

Iris has never heard of Esme Lennox and the one person who should know more, her grandmother Kitty, seems unable to answer Iris's questions. What could Esme have done to warrant a lifetime in an institution? And how is it possible for a person to be so completely erased from a family's history?

©2006 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2006 Maggie O'Farrell Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking

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Critic reviews

"O'Farrell's imaginative territory is one you return to with delight." (The Times)

"Unputdownable." (Ali Smith)

"In one touching scene Esme, sitting in the car with Iris, attempting to process her sudden emergence into the world, pretends to fall asleep because 'she needs to think'. Iris reaches over and turns off the radio; this is 'the single nicest act that Esme has witnessed in a long time. It almost makes her cry'." (The Times)
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What is the worst thing you can do to another human being? Esme experiences a number of horrors made worse still by the fact they have been inflicted by her family and the people who are supposed to love her. In this short book, Maggie O'Farrell manages to weave an intimate and intriguing story of three family generations and the secrets that lurk in their background. The characters are vividly written and their stories are gripping and believable. This is an emotional book, but the pathos is not overdone and the ending is stark and believable. Daniella Nardini reads this beautifully and the production makes use of clever techniques to convey real and imagined voices. I don't believe anybody can ever achieve true closure but the conclusion was as close as it can probably ever get.

Heartbreaking story of a life denied

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Loved it and wish more audio books could be as absorbing. Although one knows this sort of situation was more common a couple of generations ago, Maggie O Farrell has bought this harrowing tale of two sisters to life. Thought provoking, a story that will remain with me for some time.

One of the best audio books for a long time!

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There were times when I felt so sad I didn't think I could listen anymore but I had to know the story and how it ended. A difficult listen but oh so worthwhile.

Gripping, immersive but oh so difficult

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My first Maggie O'Farrell book and won't be the last! An emotional rollercoaster of a story. Topped off by a great performance by Daniella Nardini. Highly recommended

A very special book

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This is a woman's book. I don't mean this in a derogatory way, but any woman would be gripped by the appalling and sad story of Esme. This book is a little slow to start, but once the characters are established, it is fascinating to compare the lives of women born 50 years apart, and Daniela Nardini is excellent at delivering the changing voices of the different generations. The story unfolds slowly through snippets of conversation until everything falls into place. Clever and thought-provoking.

Glad to be modern

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Difficult at first with constant time change but intoxicating novel. A book to remember

Shocking and heartbreaking

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Superb performance makes this audio version more gripping and compelling than the book itself. Fantastic, moving and unfortunately believable story.

The best audiobook I have ever listened to

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Covering the complexity of relationships, the awful reality of psychiatric care, dementia and so many other areas.

A powerful and moving story

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The story switches back and forth in time, location and among characters, which, at times is confusing in an audio book. Esme was born in India with an elder sister Kitty of parents originally from Edinburgh. Esme is an outspoken free-spirit who rebelled against what was expected of middle-class girls born before the second world war. A family trauma deeply affects Esme compounded by a personal loss that leads to a mental breakdown. As sometimes tragically occurred in the past this led to her being incarcerated in a mental institution for 60 years, the imminent closure of which leads to a distant relative, Iris, becoming involved in Esme’s life.

As the story flits back and forth more and more is revealed of all the characters’ lives. There are frequent abrupt shifts in whose voice is being heard and I sometimes lost track of which character’s stream of inner thoughts I was listening to.

The author writes well but at times displays this in a tad too much descriptive elaboration unnecessary in such a powerful story.

The narrator is good at creating various accent

Moving but at times confusing

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A great audio story as much of the book is dialogue in different voices. Sensitive and an easy listen - exposure to the ease with which women in particular could be locked away in institutions in the early part of this century. Good contrasts with life as was, particularly for middle class gals and modern day life for women. thoroughly enjoyed it.

Esme lennox

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