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The Bass Rock
- Narrated by: Julie Graham, Kirsty Strain, Ross Anderson
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
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The Bass Rock
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The lives of three women weave together across four centuries in this dazzling book from Evie Wyld, a Granta Best of Young British Novelist
Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries borne witness to the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries, the fates of three women are inextricably linked to this place and to each other.
Sarah, accused of being a witch, is fleeing for her life.
Ruth, in the aftermath of the Second World War, is navigating a new marriage and the strange waters of the local community.
Six decades later, Viv, still mourning the death of her father, is cataloguing Ruth’s belongings in the now-empty house.
As each woman’s story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that their choices are circumscribed, in ways big and small, by the men who seek to control them. But in sisterhood there is also the possibility of survival and a new way of life. Intricately crafted and compulsively readable, The Bass Rock burns bright with anger and heart – a devastating indictment of the violence that men have inflicted on women throughout the ages.
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Critic reviews
Wondrous... Expertly chilling... Wyld consistently entertains, juggling the pleasures of several different genres. (John Williams)
What listeners say about The Bass Rock
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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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AP
- 10-11-21
Brilliant story, but variable narration
I loved the story, but it’s a real shame that some of the narration wasn’t so great (I found the Welsh accent particularly difficult to listen to!). Don’t let this put you off though, it’s a good, gripping listen otherwise.
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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
- Helen Priddle
- 05-01-23
Harrowing but engrossing
Don’t expect this book to be uplifting. And don’t expect all the loose ends to tie up. A gripping story of parallel and sometimes overlapping lives, bracing against life, mysogeny and the best and worst of the human spirit
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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
- Joe Kelliher
- 19-02-21
Beautifully written and narrated
This is one of the most beautifully written novels I have read for some time. The eloquence and sensitivity of the language stands out. The story is really engaging. Reading a novel is so rewarding when you find a writer who can provide insights into human behaviour.
So well read by the performers.
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2 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
- Mrs LF Willimont
- 15-05-23
Harrowing but fascinating novel. I really enjoyed the mix of timelines and characters.
The book spans three main characters interspersed with vignettes of male violence against women.
True story itself is fascinating and, whilst there are multiple characters, they are all crafted so well that you become completely invested in their story and experience.
The vignettes are violent, but they further the author’s point - that violence against women is a systemic age old issue. Although they are brief, you get a glimpse into their lives and add an interesting dimension to the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ms Hilary Thornton
- 16-06-20
Directionless
I found the plot needlessly confusing and rather thin. There was an attempt at a sort of mythic poeticism but it fell short of that.
The characters, apart from Mrs Hamilton, were disappointingly ordinary.
I could see what the author was trying to achieve with the rock at its centre, but, for me, it wasn’t realised.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- LP
- 18-02-21
Probably best to be experienced on the printed page.
I need to order a copy of this novel. It moves from one character to another - most of whom are linked - but I never fully grasped how all of them were connected. Evie Wyld was recommended by William Boyd (in a podcast) and he said that she moves between time frames in the same way he constructs his novels. I’m certainly impressed by her writing and story line and look forward to to rereading this novel and exploring her others. I was not impressed by the narrator for Ruth. She read in as flat tone and ran sentences into one another in a way that lost meaning. However the other narrators were ok.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ingibjorg
- 01-11-20
Very good but Ruth narrator realky bad at accents
Very good novel but the narrator who did the Ruth sections is terribly bad at doing accents (Weksh, Scots), which ruined it a bit for me.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 29-06-20
Great Ending
I read reviews of this book that complained about the sudden ending with no neat tying together of the threads. I thought it was great. This is a story about a place, and what has happened there not so much about resolving the people’s stories. If you have ever sat under an ancient oak and wondered who had sheltered there and what had happened, this is for you.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Mohani
- 16-06-21
Confusing
Portraying men as bad and very one sided. Playing on the “me too” movement to store up bias. Not worth the read.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- P P-G
- 03-05-20
Absolutely TERRIBLE narration of Ruth’s chapters
The narration of Ruth’s chapters were so appalling, it completely ruined this book for me
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3 people found this helpful