Once There Were Wolves cover art

Once There Were Wolves

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Once There Were Wolves

By: Charlotte McConaghy
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

New York Times best seller.

A wild and gripping novel about one woman's quest to reintroduce wolves to the Scottish Highlands at any cost.

Inti Flynn arrives in the Scottish Highlands with 14 grey wolves, a traumatised sister and fierce tenacity.

As a biologist, she knows the animals are the best hope for rewilding the ruined landscape, and she cares little for local opposition. As a sister, she hopes the remote project will offer her twin, Aggie, a chance to heal after the horrific events that drove them both out of Alaska.

But violence dogs their footsteps, and one night Inti stumbles over the body of a farmer. Unable to accept that her wolves could be responsible, she makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn't make the kill, then who did? And can she trust the man she is beginning to love when he becomes the main suspect?

Propulsive and unforgettable, Once There Were Wolves is the spellbinding story of a woman desperate to save her family, the wild animals and the natural world she loves, at any cost.

©2022 Charlotte McConaghy (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Animals Fiction Small Town & Rural Wolf Highlander Inspiring
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The River Has Teeth cover art
Tribe of Daughters cover art
The Tilt cover art
A Psalm for the Wild-Built cover art
The Darkest Winter: An Ending World Novel cover art
The Afton Morrison Series cover art
How to Howl at the Moon cover art
Winter Wolf cover art
The Wolf at the Door cover art
The Liar's Sister cover art
Shelter in Place cover art
When We Believed in Mermaids cover art
Sadie cover art
A Fire Sparkling cover art
Come Sundown cover art
The Girl Who Lived cover art

Critic reviews

"One of those very rare, special novels that changes you as you read." (Laurie Frankel)

"So damn good. A page-turner that makes you think and has a huge emotional impact." (Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation)

What listeners say about Once There Were Wolves

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    58
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Would give this book six stars if it were possible. Would recommend to anyone who loves the wild.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story excellent reading

A very well-crafted novel with intertwined suspenseful story threads. An excellent reader, you ‘forget she’s there’. Only thing I didn’t like was that I found the heroine very irritating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I wasn’t entirely sure about this book at the beginning but as it was recommended by my Bookclub, I decided to stick with it and I’m so glad I did!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, and so original

Beautiful writing, wolves, nature, murder, mystery, good pace, unexpected twists, perfect length and an epic ending. I loved it. One of the rare books I have given 5 stars to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Deeply moving book but....

An excellently written, thought provoking book with one major flaw. The story contained a "twist" as obvious and transparent, that I can't believe a single reader didn't guess it, well in advance of the reveal.

That said a hugely relevant novel, that I'd recommend to anyone.

Performance wise the narrator is good, but if you're going to set a novel in Scotland, with the majority of the characters being Scottish, surely the ability to perform an even vaguely accurate Scottish accent, is a prerequisite? The lady performing this story makes Scotty in Star Trek sound positively authentic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A gripping story - but I struggled to engage with it

I was drawn to the premise of this book; reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Cairngorms. And there was lots I liked about the cast of characters and the relationship between the wild, communities and individuals. There was an excellent pace and energy in the writing that kept me listening to the audiobook. But, I struggled with the level of violence running through the story and that this could ever be acceptable in the communities depicted. Also that the wild landscape is such a strong part of the story, and yet I didn't find the descriptions strongly evocative of a place I have visited in summer and winter and have a strong visual image of.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

clever.... gripping....emotional

This story twisted and turned...described and lived....surprised, and yet confirmed.
One of the best books in a long time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Loved the story telling and the poetic writing, an excellent read. I agree the Scottish accents weren't great but it didn't take away from the tale told, loved the descriptions of nature, the author seems very atune with the wild.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is a really great listen and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is very engaging and it’s beautifully written and very well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Another wolf book

Sarah Hall’s Wolf Border and this novel, both make the same claim: that women biologists will bring wolves back to the British countryside, but will face the same opposition as feminists do. It is the patriarchy that will try its utmost to foil them. While Hall explores complex pregnancy as a parallel, McConaghy is clearer about the male violence against women that is stopping the reintroduction of wolves to Britain.

I would love to introduce both authors to my nephew and his wife who are stewards of a large estate in Scotland which is overrun with deer. Stripping the forest of bark and the forest floor of everything, the idea of sadness for Bambi is replaced by the fear of being left with forests of dead tree trunks. Everyone wants the wolves back, even the sheep farmers (and my niece is a sheep farmer too). A little bit of research would make both novels much better - as they stand they are both mediocre examples of feminist fiction a la Angela Carter. Haven’t we moved on from the 1960s?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!