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The Glorious Heresies

By: Lisa McInerney
Narrated by: Shelley Atkinson
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Summary

Winner of the Baileys' Women's Prize for Fiction 2016.

Winner of the Desmond Elliot Prize 2016.

Longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2016.

Longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year.

He was definitely dead, whoever he was. He wore a once-black jumper and a pair of shiny tracksuit bottoms. The back of his head was cracked and his hair matted, but it had been foxy before that.

A tall man, a skinny rake, another string of piss, now departed. She hadn't gotten a look at his face before she flaked him with the Holy Stone, and she couldn't bring herself to turn him over.

One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland's postcrash society. Ryan is a 15-year-old drug dealer desperate not to turn out like his alcoholic father, Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie is a prostitute whose willingness to feign a religious conversion has dangerous repercussions while Maureen, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after 40 years in exile to discover that Jimmy, the son she was forced to give up years before, has grown into the most fearsome gangster in the city.

In seeking atonement for the murder and a multitude of other perceived sins, Maureen threatens to destroy everything her son has worked so hard for while her actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight....

Biting, moving and darkly funny, The Glorious Heresies explores salvation, shame and the legacy of Ireland's 20th-century attitudes towards sex and family.

©2015 Lisa McInerney (P)2016 John Murray Press
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A rambunctious portrayal of a swaggering off-kilter underclasss (Patricia Nicol)

What listeners say about The Glorious Heresies

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Shouty Brilliance..

Cracking book - good storyline and memorable , if a bit one dimensional, characters. What makes the novel sparkle though is it's pace and an almost merciless sharpness of tone. It's like the author has unleashed a cruel vituperative energy and then chiseled and hammered it into hilarious dialogue and scintillating descriptions. There are some touching moments but it is the visceral intelligence that makes it difficult to put down. Good reading as well .Not that subtle but then neither is the book!
Totally recommended. . .
Also: . . If the Pope has read this book, could someone encourage him to write a review?

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Loved it

Brilliantly written, sensitive and at times funny characters. Excellent narration brought the characters to life, the two combined made it very entertaining.

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Fantastic narration!

I loved the wit of the Irish voice in this story and the talent of the narrator in bringing it to life. Maureen was my favourite - she made me laugh out loud a few times. Beautifully written. Best book I've listened to in a long time.

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6 people found this helpful

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Amazing!

This is one of the best stories I have listened to. What an incredible performance by Shelley Atkinson.

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A glorious read

I thoroughly enjoy this book it was a fantastic read the actors voice was perfect I could not recommend this book enough The author really captures the atmosphere of that world and cleverly waves a story that involves all the characters right to the end

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Phew!

Darkly hilarious and heart wrenching all in the same breath. Very moving. Very vivid. Foul, but so linguistically beautiful in its narration.

Bravo!

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A book I will never forget

This was a fantastic story.....listening to it on Audio was fantastic too as great marrator

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Amazing

I loved this book, its amazing story interesting characters and intense plot made for an exciting few hours , I would highly recommend this book and have actually went through it twice myself.

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Stunning

The characters are so well drawn and the narration so good it felt like I was watching a really good play.

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Incredibly moving from start to finish

Narrated absolutely perfectly and beautifully, this book is a heartwrenching tale of generational trauma in a society shattered by the merciless teachings of the Catholic Church and an ode to the healing power of humanity.

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1 person found this helpful