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The Body Lies
- Narrated by: Julie Maisey, Deborah McBride, Sam Woolf, Simon Ludders, Imogen Church
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
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The Body Lies
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Summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Body Lies by Jo Baker, read by Imogen Church, Deborah McBride, Sam Woolf, Simon Ludders and Julie Maisey.
A layered and thrilling suspense novel that grapples with how to live as a woman in the modern world - or in the pages of a book - when the stakes are dangerously high.
When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote countryside, it’s meant to be a fresh start, away from the big city and the scene of a violent assault she’s desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of a new life and single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative writing group.
When a troubled student starts sending in chapters from his novel that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognises herself as the main character in his book - and he has written her a horrific fate.
Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late?
At once a breathless cat-and-mouse game and a disarming exploration of sexual politics, The Body Lies is an essential book for our times.
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What listeners say about The Body Lies
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
- AEJ
- 29-08-23
Thought-provoking, beautiful and difficult
Incredibly thought-provoking, beautifully written, and at its core, a novel about relationships and the way humans project fears, hopes and desires onto others. It is also about trauma, and although gripping, it is sometimes difficult and uncomfortable.
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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
- PODENCOS ROCK!
- 11-09-19
Why did I think this was a murder mystery thriller
I don't know what in the world made me think this book was a murder mystery thriller - it is under "Crime & Thrillers - Suspense" so I just think I presumed, even though the synopsis did not mention murder per se it did imply with a "horrific fate" planned and a game of "cat and mouse" it was an easy mistake to make.
But as far as I got in reading it this was much more the "disarming exploration of sexual politics" also mentioned in a kind of he said /she said and another she said and he thought way.
I actually thought the book was very well written and enjoyed the creative writing classes and story told from different points of view, I enjoyed the characters - did not like the animal cruelty though it did come with a trigger warning and though just fleeting could have done without it and I always think it is a lazy way to suggest impending menace or ramp up tension.
I always struggle a bit with Imogen Church as she hangs on every word and tends to milk her performance for everything it is worth instead of letting the story tell itself, but I have found listening to her on 1.25 speed makes it a much more enjoyable, lighter and less laboured read and this time I quite enjoyed her performance as well as the other narrators.
My gripe really was thinking I was getting a murder mystery with an intriguing backdrop of a creative writing course and once I realised that it was not, I just felt a bit let down especially by the title and cover of the book which did look like a typical thriller and the opening which seemed to be about murder mystery rather than anything else.
I would like to say that I did not read the entire book but I was just a bit put off, thought it was so well written and narrated, that it was not what I had signed on for.
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3 people 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
- BM F
- 29-09-19
Totally original
Not at all what I was expecting. Definite influence of creative writing in the diverse chapters. Real empathy with the main character. Loved it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- sebbie31
- 20-07-19
worth a listen
good book. though the main character is somewhat annoying at times, I listened to the end, which was worth it. \
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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
- Customer
- 29-08-19
I really enjoyed this book, more than I'd expected
So far from over the top - a real antidote to many other books that share the genre.
Thought provoking.
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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
- CarolynK
- 06-09-19
A gripping interrogation of crime writing
A gripping interrogation of how writers use crime as entertainment - timely, twisty and thought-provoking
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1 person found this helpful