Captivating and beautifully read, but...

The story is unusual and captivating with its dark undertones and well-rounded characters.
For me, however, the narrative was spoilt by the over use of “what?” whenever there’s a conversation. It’s irritating from very early on and continues to grate throughout the book.

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Superb

Heart breaking story. Beautifully read. I loved it but it's so very sad and distressing

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Brilliantly compelling

I could not put this book down, so compassionately written. To be able to write about such traumatic events alongside so much love, loss and empathy- this is quite genius.
The story is so moving and gripping, I was addicted from the start.
Highly recommended

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‘What?’ ‘I Don’t Know’

I’m glad I stuck with this book until the end but I did nearly give up a couple of times. As others have mentioned the fact that nearly every question is answered with a ‘What?’ Or ‘I don’t know’ or even worse, the question repeated back again drove me mad! Who has such wishy-washy conversations!!!

Despite that, there were some heartbreaking moments which were told very well. The descriptions of small details and atmosphere were also very well captured.

Good story, tedious and long winded dialogue, well narrated.

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Gripping and moving with great narration

Where does The Stopped Heart rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was one of the best ones - I liked the story and the narrator was great.

What other book might you compare The Stopped Heart to, and why?

It's a psychological novel, exploring grief and family relationships, mixed with a ghost story and I've not read one which combines the two like this.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The ones where Lottie described the future inhabitants of the house.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was very gripping and well-paced so I wanted to listen more. The end was moving for me.

Any additional comments?

The only thing I didn't like was some of the dialogue. A character would make a statement and the other character would say,"What?" or "What do you mean?" even though it was obvious to me what they meant, It slowed down the pace but may just be Myerson's style. This is the only book by her I have read, so I can't compare. I would read others though based on this one.The narrator was great.

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One of the best

This is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to. Julie Myerson is a wonderful writer and the two strands of this story are equally compelling. The ending delivered everything I hoped and proves it isn't necessary to resort to complex plot twists (though there is a twist within a secondary strand of the story) to keep readers hooked. It is brilliant on grief, marriage and coming of age, too. Thoroughly recommended.

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Haunting and amazing.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The story was great and gripping. The narrator brilliant and so good it was almost like listening to a BBC play.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them except (of course) James.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Not so much a particular scene but the description and atmosphere was fantastic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Impossible. I needed to have spaces between myself and the story as it is very dark and intense.

Any additional comments?

Yes. Huge credit to Katie Moore the narrator. So skillfully read. Not only did she have many different voices to change but ages too. Each time I listened, I knew who she was reading by her amazing talent with accents age and gender. Even sulky teen. All very subtle and not overpowering.

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5 people found this helpful

What?

If every “What?” had been removed from this book it would have been about one third shorter. So annoying, random “what?”s dotted all over the place, hundreds of them I’m sure. The narration was good, except the gritted teeth of the very angry teenage girl. The historical story was far better than the current day one, but all the “what?”s drove me mad. Good narration overall, very poor writing.

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Poignant and beautiful (and very dark)

Any additional comments?

This is a tragic, haunting and beautiful book, dealing with loss, grief and the complicatedness of families, as well as the interplay of present and past. Katie Moore reads it very nicely, with well-differentiated voices for the characters. I found it extremely moving, and felt (appropriately enough) haunted by its characters for quite some time after finishing it. Myerson writes wonderfully about the way in which old houses can seem to soak up the atmosphere of what has previously gone on within them.

As other reviewers have pointed out, it is worth noting that this book contains several very violent and distressing scenes. While sensitively handled and beautifully written, it is certainly a very dark book and anyone going into it should be aware of that fact. This is not a light read! But it is (in my opinion) an extremely impressive and gripping one.

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1 person found this helpful

Boring but Ghastly

I removed this book from my library half way through, after the gruesome description of a murder.

The dialogue is strangely slow.

Not for me.

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