
Her Fearful Symmetry
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Bianca Amato
About this listen
The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents, including Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword-puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery.
As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including - perhaps - their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.
Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life - even after death.
©2009 Audrey Niffenegger (P)2009 Simon & SchusterCritic reviews
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Great Book & Narrator
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Great read
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Interesting, captivating, great read
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The best part of this novel is the narrator, and for that I gave the audio book an extra star.
Fearful predictability
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The book was interesting and engaging, in the beginning. However, it quickly became obvious where it was going (so many twin stories do this type of plot line) and the essential greediness of Ellspeth / Edie was too apparent throughout.
Again, the ending was disheartening. As someone who has immense trouble with conclusions, I understand this problem, however I find it disheartening when books reach the status these have without having solid endings.
I wanted to like it more. I was drawn in by Amato's portrayal of the characters. In the end, I felt let down.
Disappointing
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The story is a good one--buy the book and avoid this narrator.
Interesting story over-acted
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It reminded me most of The Thirteenth Tale, a book I read on the page and loved. Her Fearful Symmetry took me into a dreamscape of partiality and wholeness, of wonder and horror, and was generally delightful.
wondrous
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I wanted to really like this book.....
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Note - if you take a drink every time you hear the word "Victorian" in the first 30 minutes, you'll have to pick the book up days later after you've sobered. Otherwise, this was the most satisfying book I've read in a very long time. And every character gets exactly what she deserves.
Fan-Freakin-Tastic
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What I like about Audrey Niffenager's books is that, they're not always about happy endings, yet you end up feeling satisfied. The characters push through an obstacle, maybe not getting what they want, but appreciating the conclusion and moving on with their lives.
The narration was fine. There are some readers I enjoy more than others, but as long as they're not falsely dramatic, or there isn't too much "background music", I can listen to about anything.
A bit of suspense, mystery, romance and humor
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