Dark Story, Captivating Writing & Great Narration

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it has a stylishly midwestern flair and covers a dark and unusual subject matter. If you enjoy American writers such as Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt you should enjoy this. The narration is excellent too! I wouldn't really call it a thriller - it's more of a whodunnit; although I did guess who the culprit was part way through, however, it still kept me gripped. The characters are layered and damaged and the writing successfully evokes the heat and dust of Kansas in summer. Great attention to detail! The Roanoke Girls is probably my favourite read/listen of 2018 and it stayed with me for days after I had finished it.

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Exquisite writing

Any additional comments?

First and foremost, I want to commend Brittany Pressley on her excellent and outstanding narration. I thought her tone and voices were spot on. This is my first book by Amy Engel, and it's a remarkable piece of work. The subject matter is very hard, but Ms Engel tackles it head on. There are so many layers to this book. The abuse and the problem being with the town's wealthiest, philanthropic family. There is no shying away from the devastation such abuse brings. My heart broke for The Roanoke girls, each and every one. Ms Engel's writing is wonderful, every word and sentence carefully honed for maximum impact. Despite it pouring with rain in real life, I could feel the unbearable heat of a summer in Kansas, so forceful was the description. The subject may be difficult, but this is an enjoyable book. How can you fail to get pleasure from such sensitive and genius writing? 5 stars from me.

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1 person found this helpful

enticingly sad

this book is very addictive. it's chilling, but doesn't try too hard like a cheap thriller. definitely glad I listened

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Great story.....

Definitely a GREAT read, a little predictable in parts for me. But has a gripping ending!

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Uncomfortable excellence

This book is beautifully written and narrated. The storyline is interesting however contains subjects that may be uncomfortable for some listeners.

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Brilliant!

I’ve been an Audible subscriber for many years, and this is by far my favourite book! The narrator is fantastic- I found myself taking the long route to work so I could hear a few extra minutes each day!

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Up to chapter 18 and I gave up.....

Struggled with this.
no pace to the story at all. Bimbles along at a glacial pace and I was utterly bored by probably chapter 10 but forced myself ro listen until 18 at which point I returned the book.
I bought this due to the reviews being 4.5 stars and being a fan of a thriller / mystery...this was neither really... I can hazard a very good guess as to how this tale plays out.
Well narrated. Weak plotline.

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3 people found this helpful

Unexpectedly good

From reading the synopsis and some reviews online I didn't think I'd enjoy the book but felt like a change and was intrigued. I was refreshingly surprised. The narrator was excellent, after I'd got used to her Mid-west drawl. The story was pretty predictable but well written and addictive. It is a dark and sordid subject matter treated sensitively and with great insight.
Whilst it isn't in my top favourites,
I'd read more by this author.

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2 people found this helpful

Over hyped, left me bored

This had been on my watch list for a while as it kept getting good reviews and mentions in social media groups I belong to.

I finally caved and have very mixed feelings about it. I feel it’s been massively over hyped and is very mediocre at best. The narration on the other hand is really good and probably wasted on this book.

The concept is dark and messed up which is usually right up my street, the content brushes past that and doesn't go into detail which is fine (not sure everyone wants to hear in depth details about incest). But it seems to go on for rather a long time with nothing actually happening.

Don’t get me wrong the narrator is great, the characters are ok. It’s the writing style and over padding with scene setting that makes it get a little tiresome after a while. Maybe they were trying to build suspense, but I just ended up a little dis-engaged and bored waiting for something to actually happen or some big twist (or the end - glutton for punishment).

Its left me feeling like I wasted a credit & lost the best part of 11 hours of my life.

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1 person found this helpful

Intoxicating

I got completely caught up in this book - Amy Engel has created something so compelling with her portrait of this midwestern family with it's tangled roots and complicated legacy. Roanoke, the rambling family home in the middle of nowhere, is the setting for Engel's novel which spans across the different generations of mothers, daughters and wives that make up this unconventional family, And presiding over it all is the enigmatic patriarch: the grandfather. Without giving too much away, the relationships that slowly begin to emerge are complicated and sometimes incomprehensible yet I found myself wanting to understand it all from their point of view. It certainly isn't a stretch to compare this to Emma Cline's The Girls or My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent - both outstanding listens that deal with similar themes.

The many and varied female characters are portrayed with sensitivity and nuance by Engel, where it so easily could have veered off into cliche. A truly brilliant audiobook.

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