Shy Creatures
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Shy Creatures
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Narrated by:
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Lucy Scott
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By:
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Clare Chambers
About this listen
From the Women's Prize longlisted, British Book Award-winning, bestselling author of Small Pleasures, a new novel about love, family and the joy of freedom.
'I was worried this wouldn't be as good as the brilliant Small Pleasures, but it might be even better. Clare Chambers is a genius' INDIA KNIGHT
'Wise, beautifully measured and as compelling as you want fiction to be' SUNDAY TIMES
'A tender, absorbing novel . . . And it's just as good - if not better - than her last' INDEPENDENT
'Shy Creatures confirms Clare Chambers as one of our most talented writers' GUARDIAN
In all failed relationships there is a point that passes unnoticed at the time, which can later be identified as the beginning of the decline. For Helen it was the weekend that the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park.
Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with Gil: a charismatic, married doctor.
One spring afternoon they receive a call about a disturbance from a derelict house not far from Helen's home. A thirty-seven-year-old man called William Tapping, with a beard down to his waist, has been discovered along with his elderly aunt. It is clear he has been shut up in the house for decades, but when it emerges that William is a talented artist, Helen is determined to discover his story.
Shy Creatures is a life-affirming novel about all the different ways we can be confined, how ordinary lives are built of delicate layers of experience, the joy of freedom and the transformative power of kindness.
'A magnificent novel. I loved it to its bones' EMMA STONEX
'A lively, funny, forgiving novel' PATRICK GALE
'Completely absorbing' LISSA EVANS
'A rich and tender story of kindness and compassion' RUTH HOGAN
*Small Pleasures was a Silver Award bestseller according to Nielsen BookScan UK, 10 November 2023
What listeners say about Shy Creatures
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Ms Hilary Thornton
- 05-10-24
Lovely evocation of the period.
Clare Chambers doesn’t disappoint with this book. Her writing style perfectly captures the period and the strange nature of most of the characters. Not sure about the live story between Helen and Gil.
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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
- 10-12-24
Informative and engaging. Fresh & Original.
A beautifully written book. Each character is so well rounded. The description of the each scene is so visual you feel as if you’re actually there.
Narration was perfect.
Well worth the credit.
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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
- JGSmith
- 29-11-24
A lovely story
I disliked the self absorbed characters for the first few chapters but am so glad I stuck with it. This book is about so much more than the scant details offered in the overview; a touching tale of personal growth for all main characters. Although a non linear structure is something of a cliché and pet hate of mine, as it is often used to add interest to a rather basic plot, Chambers uses it with deft skill to enhance the unfurling story. By the denouement, I had come to love the characters I had loathed which is testament to the writer’s apt manipulation of the reader. Beautiful narration made this a thoroughly lovely listen.
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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
- Jennifer Miller
- 06-09-24
Beautifully written. Love the way the story unfolds.
I liked everything about it. Great characters, Lovely juxtaposition of back stories, lively dialogues, well read.
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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
- Pamela
- 11-09-24
The definition of a glimmer
What a beautifully written, wonderful story. It has really made me feel good – and the narrator is very clever with her voices. Highly recommended - this made my day and my week!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-10-24
Heartwarming
A couple of historical inaccuracies which I found distracting but, overall I really enjoyed this. It was more than a small pleasure !
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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
- CD
- 13-09-24
Outstanding
Beautifully written and narrated. Claire Chambers books are packed with nostalgia. Her stories are packed with layers and the structure of her novels seamlessly and gently builds towards the most interesting scenarios. She really is super writer and I think the narration of this book was first class.
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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
- Chris N.
- 29-11-24
A bit Radio 4 but...
...Worth it. The sub text seems to be:- 'Middle England is suppressed
and small minded. It has so many secrets and hides so much pain'. In this context, the observations and psychological undercurrents are masterly.
What makes it 'Radio 4" (in a bad way!) is that the suffocating minutiae is often (not always) described without the gentle humour of, say, Weedon Grossmith's The Diary of a Nobody.
It doesn't of course have to be 'comical'. Its not that sort of book. But the main character and the authorial voice sometimes come across as ' worthy' and, well.....(thoughful emoji!)...Radio 4.
😃.
Great book though.
.👍.
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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
- Molly
- 12-09-24
Great story well read
This has some twists I didn’t expect. It’s another good book from an author I’ve really come to love.
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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
- debbieg
- 02-09-24
Another wonder of a book - sink yourselves into it pdq!
Unfolds like a warm quilt - enveloping you into the lives of two unique protagonists. Uplifting and memorable.
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