Abigail Audiobook By Magda Szabó, Len Rix - translator cover art

Abigail

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Abigail

By: Magda Szabó, Len Rix - translator
Narrated by: Samantha Desz
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From the author of The Door, a beloved coming-of-age tale set in WWII-era Hungary.

Abigail, the story of a headstrong teenager growing up during World War II, is the most beloved of Magda Szabo's books in her native Hungary. Gina is the only child of a general, a widower who has long been happy to spoil his bright and willful daughter. Gina is devastated when the general tells her that he must go away on a mission and that he will be sending her to boarding school in the country. She is even more aghast at the grim religious institution to which she soon finds herself consigned.

She fights with her fellow students, she rebels against her teachers, finds herself completely ostracized, and runs away. Caught and brought back, there is nothing for Gina to do except entrust her fate to the legendary Abigail, as the classical statue of a woman with an urn that stands on the school's grounds has come to be called. If you're in trouble, it's said, leave a message with Abigail and help will be on the way. And for Gina, who is in much deeper trouble than she could possibly suspect, a life-changing adventure is only beginning.

©1970 Magda Szabó (P)2020 Tantor 20th Century Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Small Town & Rural
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I found the story very interesting but hard to follow with the different characters. I always thought something was missing. I thing I will listen again to the story

The war time era in Hungary

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Abigail is a statue in a strict religious boarding school in Hungary in the late years of WWII. Abigail is the visible tip of a secret organization against the war.
The good parts of this seemingly all repressive institution are developed over time with the gradual awareness of a fairly spoiled young woman from the high life of the capital. Interesting characters!

Who knew boarding school could be exciting?

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Such a great book. The storyline was unique and had lots of twists and turns. The characters were interesting. The narrator was easy to listen to.

Loved this

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Interesting perspective on growing up in unexpected conditions— how boarding school, war, teenage hood, family dynamics and heroism all overlap to make an interesting story

Coming of age story of curiosity

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This is an engrossing story of a 15 year old's experiences after being placed in a Convent by her widowed father for her safety as as he is called to perform top secret duties for the Allies during WW II. Non-fiction is combined with the very real challenges facing this teen-ager as she struggles to adapt to a very demanding communal life and still be faithful to the promises made to her father.

An engrossing story of a 15 year old's experiences

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I loved this book. It was heart wrenching and heart warming. I was on the edge of my seat at the end. The narrator was not the best, but the story was fantastic.

Fantastic Book

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Interesting story, but I think the details and images in the book could have been better. The story was set in a way that I knew all about the plot twists from the beginning, namely, they weren’t super well-twisted or well-concealed.
The voice actress did a great job.

Great narration, slightly better than average story

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