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Title: Afterwards
Author: Rosamund Lupton
Narrator: Finty Williams
Format: Unabridged
Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
Language: English
Release date: 06-09-11
Publisher: Hachette Audio UK
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 68 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
There is a fire and they are in There. They are in there.... Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and runs. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her. Afterwards, Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her family from the person who's still intent on destroying them. Afterwards, she must fight the limits of her physical strength and discover the limitlessness of love.
Members Reviews:
Captivating!
I bought this because I loved Finty Williams narration of The Girl with All The Gifts and I wanted more! This did not disappoint. The story was emotional and wonderful and the narration was perfect!
Formulaic Emotionalizing...Boring, boring...
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Narrator is fine, but the text is mediocre, at best.
What was most disappointing about Rosamund Luptons story?
Long, long overwrought, sometimes hysterical mother-love speeches, over and over again-- which may move many readers, but increasingly irritated me. I hung in there for a while, until I couldn't bear any more. So disappointed because the reviews were so positive.
Have you listened to any of Finty Williamss other performances before? How does this one compare?
Finty Williams is a very talented narrator...no question. She kept me listening for as long as I did.
You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Great set-up: the fire, the out-of-body experiences. Clearly great potential for a suspenseful plot.
Any additional comments?
I found it hard to believe that the characters who find themselves experiencing an out-of-body existence would have so little to say to themselves or to each other about it--unbelievable. Of course, I did stop listening about a third of the way in...
Definitely not as strong as "Sister"
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Not really. I found Grace to be whiny and clingy and suddenly realized that I was in the land of schmaltzy maternal love. If the narration had been stronger, I might've slogged through this book, because I enjoyed "Sister," Lupton's previous outing. As it was, I couldn't handle both a lackluster narration with monotonous dialogue alongside the however-understandable desperation of a mother whose child is very badly hurt and who herself is hurt and cannot reach out to her family.
What aspect of Finty Williamss performance would you have changed?
Dialogue, by far. some jokes were meant to be funny and she delivered them flatly, and her narration did not differentiate the characters well at all.
Could you see Afterwards being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
Probably a movie... it might actually work as a drama piece.
Any additional comments?
reading this one in print, thanks. Others compare this book either favorably or unfavorably to "Sister," and I have to say I found it wanting, both due to the narration and the endless descriptions of longing for one's family.
Couldn't listen any more
I'm English, so it's not the accent, it's the constant high-pitch hysteria that never ends, like someone crying and complaining for HOURS on end. I couldn't take it any more, my life is stressful enough and whilst I enjoy drama, there needs to be a break in the whining.
