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The Wych Elm

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The Wych Elm

By: Tana French
Narrated by: Paul Nugent
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Wych Elm by Tara Elm, read by Paul Nugent.

For me it all goes back to that night, the dark corroded hinge between before and after, the slipped-in sheet of trick glass that tints everything on one side in its own murky colours and leaves everything on the other luminous and untouchable.

One night changes everything for Toby. A brutal attack leaves him traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be. He seeks refuge at his uncle's rambling home, the Ivy House, filled with cherished memories of wild-strawberry summers and teenage parties with his cousins.

But not long after Toby's arrival, a discovery is made. A skull, tucked neatly inside the old wych elm in the garden.

As detectives begin to close in, Toby is forced to examine everything he thought he knew about his family, his past, and himself.

A spellbinding standalone from a literary writer who turns the crime genre inside out, The Wych Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, if we no longer know who we are.

©2018 Tana French (P)2018 Penguin Audio Genre Fiction Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Psychological Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Exciting Suspense

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Critic reviews

A truly great writer (Gillian Flynn)
The Wych Elm is her best novel yet (Erin Kelly)
My favourite novel of last year (Sophie Hannah)
All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed this story and how it takes a new turn two-thirds of the way through. Riveting characters, many unlikeable but well fleshed-out and believable. Toby the narrator is annoying in his lazy privilege, but I do feel for him at many points in the novel. He certainly goes on some journey!

Thus novel draws you in to the family dynamics with lovely descriptions of the Ivy House. Great narration too.

Wonderful listen!

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A strange twisting story with characters it is difficult to empathise with. Thought provoki ng
and disturbing.

Strange twisting story

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I say this with every new Tana French book I listen to. But this is my new favourite. An absolute epic tale, told and narrated beautifully, it draws you in completely.
Rich and dark it keeps you guessing and what I love about Tana's writing, she doesn't tie up everything with a neat bow, there are unanswered questions. Just like real life.
On to the next one!

No, THIS is my favourite!

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I’m on the verge of not finishing this which is a shame because I’m kind of curious about what will happen. The problem is the main character combined with the very dramatic narration. Because every little event (and MANY little events are described) is treated with a kind of breathless ‘reveal’ with over-emphasis by the narrator it becomes numbing. By the time an actual plot reveal occurs the reaction is basically ‘meh’ because it’s told with the same intensity as minor grievances.

Because of this style, Toby comes across as so insufferably self-obsessed and whiny that it’s hard to continue feeling sympathy for him. It gets to the stage where awful things are happening to other people and we are treated to several minutes of him bitching and complaining about how bad it makes him feel. I get that he is supposed to be a bit of a snowflake and unable to cope with the one negative event that has ever happened in his otherwise easygoing life .. and perhaps reading instead of listening would have made his moaning less annoying. But when combined with the OTT narration it becomes annoying to the point where you just want Toby to stfu. Which is a shame because interesting events are starting to occur and many of the other characters are intriguing. Just don’t think I’ve got enough Toby patience left to find out how they develop.

Bloated, with melodramatic narration

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Firstly I must say the narrator was outstanding - the best on any audible book I have listened to.
The book itself is thought provoking, eerie, disturbing and I could not stop listening. Will stay with me for a long time - in a good way. A bit overlong and dragged in places but would recommend it over all.

Disturbing

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I read the reviews for this and was looking forward to listening to it. Have to say I was a bit nonplussed. I am a Dubliner so that privileged dublin thing came through but I found the narrators voice a bit irritating.
I’m not sure about the story either, it is ok but not one of her best. Some of the characters felt a bit thin to me, e.g Melissa
Overall, it’s ok but nothing to write home about, the guardian review and I have a definite difference of opinion on this.

Not sure about the reviews

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I really enjoyed this book, Tana French has an excellent writing style and Paul Nugent’s narration was good, though I kept wishing it was Andrew Scott!

I agree with some reviews that it was probably over long and somehow the characters seemed a bit shallow and two dimensional but it was a flowing narrative with some interesting twists and turns.

Good Story, possibly a bit long.

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An excellent story with many twists and turns. And a truly fantastic performance by Paul Nugent

Excellent

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This book is a very long one, with very little substance, in my opinion. It reminded me a little of Donna Tart's Secret History but it failed to create the atmosphere of that book and became just irritating. It was a relief to finish it. Pity, I loved her earlier books.

Disappointing

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This is a binger, very hard to put down. The narrator is superb, one of the very best performances I have heard. The story is enthralling, gripping until the end. If you love Donna Tartt you may enjoy Tana French

Enthralling

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