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Spare
- How do you survive when your only purpose is to give your live to others . . . bit by bit?
- Narrated by: Frankie Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
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Spare
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Summary
In the derelict house next door to a building site, Dawn lives with a young woman who says to call her Mum. Dawn loves the hole in the roof, where she can always see blue. She loves her book of birds and she loves Mrs Goring, the old lady who lives on the ground floor. But when Dawn's medicine runs out and Mrs Goring disappears, Dawn begins see the world as it really is. Next door, the new facility to hold children like her is almost finished. But Dawn wants to live. Can she escape, find Mrs Goring and the truth about her family before the doors to the Sparehouse open?
A dystopian mystery for readers aged 11 yrs and over, set in a world where one huge corporation sells everything, and in Britain, the NHS is a distant memory. The threat is grim, but hope is alive and well.
Is that enough to save a generation of "spares" like Dawn?
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Critic reviews
"This is a story of the evil mankind can do, and how even the least of us can fight it. Though it’s not entirely grim it’s dark enough, twisty enough, and yes, even innocent enough to keep one turning pages. The characters are beautifully wrought, the setting is created almost effortlessly and even the hardest heart melts for Dawn and her dilemma." (Goodreads)
What listeners say about Spare
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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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Chapman
- 23-11-21
The most unputdownable book I've read in a while.
If you're a person who needs to get "in to a book within the first chapter," then this is that.
Spare, is a fast paced mystery. You, the reader, experience edge of the seat anxiety for the protagonist, Dawn throughout. Heck, I was even holding my breath in some parts.
Every end to a chapter was a bait dangler, luring you to read on. So much so, I read this is two sittings.
I was lucky enough to receive a promo code to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I felt the end came all too quickly. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.
The characters are so well written you'll have a love hate relationship. This makes for some satisfying storylines. Some tear jerking scenes will really test your emotional strength so have some tissues at the ready.
I could rave about this for quite some time but I don't want to fall into the trap of spoilers.
The author is such a good storyteller, that it made up for the slight downfall from the narrator. Some long and unnecessary pauses grates a little but your ears adapt as you listen.
Go read it for yourself. You will not be disappointed. In fact, I may just press play again right now.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kirsty Barrett
- 23-11-21
Intriguing
Told from the main characters POV, this had quite a few good twists and turns in it. I feel there was still a good few answers missing at the end, but all in all a good 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
- Marianne Le Boutillier
- 15-11-21
Loved it,
SPARE Is absolutely captivating and so well crafted. I love the unique way it is written with such insight into how a child, in this case Dawn, expresses her thoughts and feelings. The story, enhanced by excellent narration, created a visual picture for me throughout. I hope there is a sequel on the way!
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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
- Anonymous User
- 07-03-22
A thriller!
Enjoyed listening to this exciting story with a tense build up. It didn’t stop right to the very end!
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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
- Kindle Customer
- 05-01-22
Loved it!
Amazing story enhanced by the narration. We listened to it as a family and my children (12-16) really enjoyed it too.
We are now moving on to J.M. Carrs The Wonder Girls.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- lesley lloyd
- 28-11-21
A slow burning story
3.5⭐️
A new to me author.
Firstly I’m not the target audience for this novel, but I do enjoy YA books.
I had the 🎧audio version of this YA dystopian story. The narrator gives a good performance with a good voice for Dawn. I felt the best speed was x1.3 I usually listen at the default speed.
I don’t feel that the book blurb gives you a good feel for what the book is about. I think the author wants the story to unfold and be slowly revealed to the reader. I think it would help to know the year it’s set in for orientation. You have to sit back and go along for the ride.
Dawn lives in a derelict house with a young woman who says to call her mom with Austin her boyfriend. There’s a lot of secrets and things that she doesn’t know. On the ground floor is an elderly lady Mrs Goring. Next door is a building site.
Things take a change when Mrs Goring disappears, and her dog Bill is killed. Dawn decides to try and escape and find Mrs Goring. What she sees when she gets a view of what they are building horrifies her. I don’t recall ever getting an age for Dawn which I would have liked to know.
The story is told from Dawns POV. Her innocence comes over, she is likeable and I immediately engaged with her. It’s very character driven. I love Bartholomew, he is a loveable character.
It’s a slow burn, the story slowly unfolds revealing itself and the concept. The concept of the story is very clever and quite dark. It turns into a good story.
I feel that there’s a follow up book as it doesn’t end cleanly. If that’s the case I’d prefer the cover to state part 1
If there is another book I’d like more of Bartholomew’s story.
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