Falling Animals
A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick
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Falling Animals
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Narrated by:
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Aoife McMahon
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By:
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Sheila Armstrong
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents Falling Animals by Sheila Armstrong, read by Aoife McMahon.
*A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2024*
‘Vivid, sensuous ... A subtle tale of loss, loneliness and disconnection’
PAUL LYNCH, IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book’
LOUISE KENNEDY
‘Beautifully written ... An unchained sea-melody of outsiders, pilgrims and castaways’
ANNE ENRIGHT
The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspenseful
On an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.
Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.
Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today.
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What listeners say about Falling Animals
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs S A Crossland
- 03-01-24
Beautiful
Beautifully written and beautifully read. I enjoyed the format of each person's narrative and how they were spun together to create a cohesive story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-03-24
Captivating
I like how similies are used, the descriptions of the wild, forgotten places and people in the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 31-01-24
Beautifully written and narrated
Poetic ,elegaic and sometimes disquieting . A body is found on a beach and through a series of stories where characters lives have touched in some way , his identity is revealed. It is beautifully written and the narration is excellent .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-11-23
Insightful
I liked the individual stories and never knowing where they were going - beautifully written prose
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vagra
- 28-12-23
Outstanding
Something outside my comfort zone and a truly remarkable book! I have never experienced anything like it, listened to it in two sessions, it’s magical.
Cannot say too much without giving it away but it’s written from a very clever perspective, it works so well and carries the story on a wave.
Not to be missed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-02-24
The writing was poetic
Whilst the writing was incredibly well observed and discriptively beautiful, it was a little heavy going. Once I got used to the way of the prose though, I settled down to the rhythm of the book and enjoyed the flow of the narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hayley
- 20-04-24
Captivating and Unexpected
such a beautiful and hauntingly gripping story that leads you to a beautiful ending.
It's hard not to give away the magic of this story and the way it's told but it really is wonderful, each chapter can be enjoyed almost as a short story so I found it worked well for times when I was short on listening time.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bek
- 18-04-24
Some lovely description but found the complex story didn’t prove as exciting as expected
I liked the language used and enjoyed the reading. Pleasant narrator’s voice with light Irish accent
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- L.J
- 19-10-24
Left unsatisfied
I was left with the same feeling as when I sit down to watch a film but spend the whole evening watching trailers and never get to see the film. It was a very thin thread weaving the stories together, and I felt that just as I was getting interested in a character I was moved on to the next. It just wasn't my type of book. My favourite books are the ones where I get the the end and feel sad to be leaving all the characters I have grown to know so well behind. With this book I never got the chance to make any attachments.
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