The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox Audiobook By Maggie O'Farrell cover art

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
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Iris Lockhart is busy tending to the everyday business of her vintage clothing shop and her complicated love affairs when she receives a stunning phone call. Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never even knew existed, is being released from a psychiatric hospital where she has been locked away for over 60 years.

Esme has been labeled harmless, sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But why has her family never mentioned her, and what is the secret or her virtually wiped-out past? If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

Weaving Esme's tragic story together with Iris's modern dilemmas, O'Farrell's intricate cross-generational tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the complex longings of women will haunt readers long past its final page.

©2006 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological

Critic reviews

  • Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Fiction

"[A]n intricate, eloquent novel of family malice, longings, and betrayal....O'Farrell maintains a high level of tension throughout, and the conclusion is devastating." (Publishers Weekly)
"O'Farrell's fourth novel brilliantly illustrates her talent for gradually revealing her characters' inner lives....A gripping read with superbly crafted scenes that will blaze in the reader's memory long after the novel is returned to the shelf." (Booklist)
Compelling Storyline • Fascinating Character Development • Pleasant Voice • Unexpected Plot Twists • Good Accents
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I recently discovered Maggie O'Farrell and became an instant fan. That said, this isn't her best work. It's all over the place with the story and the characters. It feels like it needed another two drafts to make it right.

The biggest problem for me was the inner dialogue towards the end, the unfinished sentences. It's hard to make that kind of device work and harder still to make it work when you use it too often.

Not a fan of the narrator. You are constantly yanked out of the story because she doesn't pause between characters. You find yourself on alert for the switch between the different narratives. Combine that with those rambling unfinished sentences and you don't know where you are.

Don't let it put you off O'Farrell. She is a huge talent!

It's OK

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Interesting story, compelling characters. Narration was well done with good inflection and character distinction. The actual writing took a bit getting used to as flashbacks were interwoven throughout the book. I do recommend this recording/nove!.

Oh My............

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the storyline and the narration was quite good, but found the end very disappointing.

What was most disappointing about Maggie O'Farrell’s story?

The end was quite abrupt

What aspect of Anne Flosnik’s performance would you have changed?

Nothing

Could you see The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Disappointing ending

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It could be the difference between reading and listening but the character shifts mid chapter were confusing. The story is heavy…the ending a bit surprising and heavy. The author kept me interested in wanting to know how it ended and I did enjoy parts of it but not one that left me missing the characters or bummed it was over.

Interesting but confusing

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I found my mind roaming and could get difficult to follow as the characters switched, time periods fluctuated from memory to past to present with no warning so I found myself backtracking the 1st half a lot… Based on the descriptive diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, at times I was wondering about multiple personalities. By the time I got to the end and grasped the storyline, it got better but ended just abruptly. So it was just okay.

Just okay

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I recently discovered this author. Wow. This is the third work I’ve listened to on audible. It took a bit of time to get into it but it was like a slow burn, so very moving. Stunning ….

Nuanced

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I will look for this author again. Her style is so unlike the current writers. As a reader, I was left without a definitive ending. It’s a “draw your own conclusions” kind of book.

This book maybe easier to follow in print. It’s all about secrets.

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Many time periods, jumping around without warning, a bit confusing, but a good story. You can’t do anything else while listening.

Difficult to follow

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Interesting story, love the hysterical aspect, too little meat at the end. I felt like it was missing the last chapter.

Very difficult to follow when listening.

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It was hard to stay with it at first, but I got hooked after I started to follow the different character changes. Was really intrigued on where it was going and then.... it ended. A bit abruptly for me, but I get it.

The ending, though?? Really??

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