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Only Here, Only Now
- Narrated by: Amelia Leith
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
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Only Here, Only Now
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Summary
'This isn't just a great first novel; it's a great novel. And Cora, the mad, chaotic, wise, funny narrator, is one of the great characters'
RODDY DOYLE
'It's not every day you read a modern classic. But this feels destined to become one. A thunderous achievement'
NATHAN FILER, author of THE SHOCK OF THE FALL
'Only Here, Only Now heralds the arrival of an urgent and unique new voice'
DAVID PEACE
Fife, in the blazing hot summer of 1994. Cora Mowat's mates don't understand her, but then Cora Mowat doesn't understand herself. She's stuck on a seaside council estate full of dafties, old folk and seagulls, with a thousand dreams and a restless brain that won't behave. She's dying to escape but unsure of what the future holds - if it holds anything at all for a girl like her.
When her Mam's new boyfriend moves in, tensions rise in their tiny house. Gunner means well, but he's dodgy - a shaven-headed shoplifter with more than a few secrets stashed under the bed. As their attempts to forge a makeshift family unravel, Cora rails against her small-town existence in search of love, acceptance and a path to something good. But sometimes you can't move forward until you find your way back . . .
In this extraordinary debut, drawn from life but written with riotous imagination, Tom Newlands explores what it means to come of age in a forgotten corner of Scotland and dream of a life that feels out of reach. Vibrant, lyrical and fiercely funny, Only Here, Only Now is a story about poverty, identity and family that shines with hope and resilience.
'Cora Mowat is a feisty, Impulse-drenched, Lilt-blooded smasher of a main character and Tom Newland's prose is fierce and tender, taking us straight to the thudding heart of Cora's chaotic life'
VICTORIA MACKENZIE, author of FOR THY GREAT PAIN HAVE MERCY ON MY LITTLE PAIN
'Tom Newlands is the real thing. His story will change you'
MICHAEL SHEEN
'A piercing howl of a novel, sharp, elegant and humane. I loved it'
KARL GEARY, author of JUNO LOVES LEGS
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What listeners say about Only Here, Only Now
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
- Bertie
- 08-08-24
Outstanding!
A beautiful novel, brilliantly narrated. Only Here, Only Now grips you from the opening pages and the author’s use of simile and metaphor are sublime, beautiful, brilliant and often hilarious. The story unfolds in a way that has you laughing one moment and ‘greeting’ the next. An absolute joy of a book - and one that, in my opinion, sits alongside the novels of Douglas Stuart…which is some going.
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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
- JMStrav
- 03-09-24
Thoroughly enjoyed this unusual book
A tale of growing up with nothing and how to survive in a Fife scheme. Cora and her troubles really engage you and you are rooting for her to succeed. Great book
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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
- Patricia Clark
- 10-07-24
On the button.
First of all, the performance was brilliant. I could feel the highs and lows of emotion, panic, joy, sorrow, excitement, all tne way through. Subtle changes in pitch for each character. Robin more so!
The story is beautifully written. Despite all of events Cora experiences, leading to her calmer destination, I'm so glad it didn't finish with her skipping through the sunset, arm in arm, saving the world, and everything perfect.......because let's face it, ADHD just isn't like that.
I have ADHD. I have placed book marks all over this audio to remind me of ways to describe it to others. The chaos, being trapped, super efficient, doing doing doing, freezing, numb, doing then thinking, headphones, running, not knowing, questioning, trusting, saying sorry and descriptions. Man, the descriptions in this book are bloody brilliant - not just brown but chip shop curry sauce brown- exactly, because it is exactly that. And frankly, using an unused fridge as a wardrobe sounds quite cool- (get it?), I'm considering it myself!
I loved this book, i think I'm gonna listen to it again! (unless something else grabs my attention!).
Thank you.
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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
- Aj
- 19-07-24
Heart wrenching, emotional & fun!
Such an amazing coming of age story. Once you get used to the accent! (& you do, don’t give up!) Super gritty. Totally relatable. ADHD angle 👌🧡 PERFECT - so sharp & clever!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hazel (Scotland)
- 06-07-24
Beautifully written and performed
Funny and beautifully written. Happy and sad, but hopeful and real. Set in Fife and Glasgow in the 1990s.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- dean stewart
- 27-06-24
Glorious writing
Reminded me a little of Douglas Stuart; the author has exceptional storytelling and descriptive powers that make you care about every character, even if you sense you shouldn’t. Can’t wait for what comes next.
Also beautifully read, bringing the story to life.
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