Milkman Audiobook By Anna Burns cover art

Milkman

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Milkman

By: Anna Burns
Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
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About this listen

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes "interesting" - the last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed, and to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is a story of inaction with enormous consequences.

©2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Fiction Literary Fiction Political Funny Thought-Provoking Witty
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Editor's Pick

Winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize
"Every once in a while I like a challenge and Milkman is that in spades. But one well-worth taking on because it's oh-so-smart, and well written, and it got in my head and made me think differently. It didn't change my mind about the political and social implications of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the '70s—but it altered how I saw the world for a while after I finished listening. The 18-year-old female protagonist may be unnamed, but boy is she a unique and brilliantly drawn character. It's through her eyes, and the unflinching performance of narrator Bríd Brennan, that I came to see what happens in a world where illogical, even absurd, lines are made between us and them—and almost no one thinks to question it."
Tricia F., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Milkman

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Maybe Magnificent !

Authentic and atmospheric bit of historical fiction recounting the everyday intricacies of life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Having recently spent time in Belfast and Derry, my sense at the time that something very bad had happened not so very long ago, was borne out and made clear by Milkman. It is a deserved prize winner made all the more poignant by Brid Brennan’s masterful narration.

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18 people found this helpful

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Stunning

This book was absolutely stunning. The writing is exquisite, evocative, lyrical, adventurous, encompassing, and compelling. The story is spellbinding, drawing the reader in and keeping her there in an insular world, ruled by men with guns and a community bound by tradition and policed by gossip. Amazingly, it is also funny, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

The best narrator I have ever heard. Her voice is absolutely lovely and her intelligence as a reader is off the charts, understanding and conveying all the nuances and the humor of the work, without ever intruding on the narrative. Truly rare and such a joy.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Like Joyce or Virginia Woolf but more enjoyable

Listen to this if you have read Joyce or Woolf and you liked them, and you want something easier to consume. The language is somehow beautiful, esoteric and otherworldly without being pretentious at all, not an iota. The narration is stream-of-consciousness, and you end up submersed in this 18 year old girl's cognition, very private, like you know her, or almost like you are her at some point. It's also very funny. A really delightful read, and I am picky.

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Outstanding

I've waited so long to find a good book, her writing is crafted and precise and the book is hilarious as it is sad on a very human level. I loved the repetition and the lack of names , it's just a perfect book

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Awesome narration

Brid Brennan brings so much to the story, especially for a non-Irish reader.
One more word

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Surprised How Much I Liked This Book

I found myself wondering if I liked the book or not. Then, as the story progressed, I found I liked it a lot. Once ended, I was in love. Fresh, different and narration SPOT ON!!!

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Loved it

So unique. Loved the main character - gave a perspective I can really understand that has never been given life before in literature. Also enjoyed learning about life during The Troubles. Great performance by narrator as well - an example of where Audible is much better than reading the novel myself.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

i couldn't get past the 2nd chapter. pp

I couldn't get past the 2nd chapter. The book seemed like one long run on sentence

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Slow and arduous ...

Another Booker winner and another intellectual bore. The story set in the Troubles period of Norther Ireland leaves little to the imagination. Names and places do not exist in the novel. They are called by other identifiers such as milkman, real milkman, or over the water. The protagonist, an 18-year-old female, is named middle sister and keeps her emotions close to her heart. To her, silence is golden. She also likes to run with her third brother-in-law and read while walking. This strange behavior attracts uninvited advances throughout the novel.

The author is very smart in her unique writing style, and I can see why the Booker judges were awed by the book. The book does provide intermittent humorous life episodes whilst others evoke sadness or even terror. But overall the story or lack of story, mundane subject matter, and the lack of interesting conversation made me yawn.

Narration was excellent even with the accent.

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Amazing!

The performance is amazing! Makes this dense and difficult read come to life with sensitivity and skill.

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