Learned by Heart Audiobook By Emma Donoghue cover art

Learned by Heart

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Learned by Heart

By: Emma Donoghue
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
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A heartbreakingly gorgeous novel based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder.

Drawing on years of investigation and Anne Lister’s five-million-word secret journal, Learned by Heart is the long-buried love story of Eliza Raine, an orphan heiress banished from India to England at age six, and Anne Lister, a brilliant, troublesome tomboy, who meet at the Manor School for young ladies in York in 1805 when they are both fourteen.

Emotionally intense, psychologically compelling, and deeply researched, Learned by Heart is an extraordinary work of fiction by one of the world’s greatest storytellers. Full of passion and heartbreak, the tangled lives of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine form a love story for the ages.

©2023 Emma Donoghue (P)2023 Little, Brown & Company Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction LGBTQIA+ Creators Literature & Fiction Romance Victorian
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As a fan of Emma Donoghue’s previous novels, anything set in a boarding school, and anything about Anne Lister, I loved it.

Must read for fans of Anne Lister

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I was transfixed by this story. Elated and saddened.
I reccommend this. What a story

Absorbing. Believable. Loved it

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The beginning was slow, but the story was a good one. It was easy to imagine how two women who fell in love in England at a boarding school could grow so close and be so restricted. I didn’t expect the ending and it made me wonder if there is or will be a part 2.

Historical Fiction 1800’s England

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Well written but, a bit disappointingly, it opens with promise and closes with brooding.

The performer is good, but her French pronunciation appalling. How about a little coaching,in preparation for the reading? It's French, not Martian.

Great period piece

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It was fascinating to learn about Ann Lister. I had never heard of her before but now I want to learn more. The ending made me sad.

I Enjoyed This

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Maybe I’m late to the party but this was actually my introduction to Anne Lister. It was captivating and heartfelt, I have since been going through the rabbit holes of Anne’s diaries and life. Lister played a very interesting role in history being as bold and daring as she was which is very honorable, but it makes me happy that this story exists from Eliza Raine’s perspective. Her voice deserved to be remembered, too. I’m glad that she and her tale of young love and heartbreak with Anne Lister has been immortalized in this book.

Heartfelt piece of history

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This was not my favorite by Ms Donoghue. I’ve been a fan since Stir Fry which is still my favorite. This book reminded me of Hood.

Sad and rather empty

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The ending was unfulfilling. Well written. Good storyline. Excellent narration. Not the same old, same old story.

Good story

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I kept waiting for it to pick up, but it never did. It was pointless and too long.

long and boring

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I was planning to dive right into another book right after this one but I think I’ll sit with this one a little longer. The author painted the young lives of Eliza and Anne so well, I’m reluctant to let go just yet. Some aches are as beautiful as they are painful.

Fiction, but isn’t so much of life a fiction?

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