Apple Tree Yard

Bit of an ordeal in places but a great story

I downloaded this book on the strength of the advertising poster, with no indication at all of what it was about until I started listening to it
A minutely observed tale of lust, trauma and consequences.
Charts the course of an illicit relationship through its many faces, from the woman's point of view, in the form of an intimate letter in much the same style as We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Could this book have been written by a man? I can't help but wonder. The wit of it for me is in the subtlety of the things she notices. (Things that men, apparently do not.) The things that remain unsaid.
I once read that an affair isn't about two people leading a double life; it's about two people leading half a life each. This story sets out to prove that in spades.
Most exciting story in months, which helped by being intelligently and sensitively read.
It made me find lots of excuses to keep listening just to see what would happen next!

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

A Gem, But Not Flawless.

A middle aged female academic, an affair, two brutal crimes, a trial and a conclusion. Sound familiar, a typical thriller ?. Well no, this dark intimate look into the human psyche is so much more than that, disturbing revealing and totally absorbing. Author Louise Doughty is a truly gifted writer, her use of language is well judged, her characters are beautifully drawn, their flaws and idiosyncrasies are subtly weaved into the story.It is not a comfortable listen, as the story unfolds the author reveals small insights into future events, this works really well, however you are left to ponder, as to how the story will unfold.
The real strength of the book is Louise Doughty's superb dissection of how we perceive ourselves and how we are able to make the facts fit our version of events, and sometimes we are only fooling ourselves.
The scenes set in the courtroom at The Old Bailey are probably the finest description of a legal case that I have ever read, a great insight into the workings of the British legal system.
Narrator Juliet Stephenson is quite brilliant, I could listen to her reading the Great Western Railway timetable, every character is distinct and her tone and intonation are just perfect.
In my opinion the book has one very minor flaw, the book is written in the first person, through the eyes of the previously mentioned female academic. The story is told in a series of letters written to her lover, though never sent, The letters are in the form of monologs both telling the story and revealing the main characters feelings as she attempts to justify her actions. I felt that in some of the monologs the author dragged thins out a little too far, this made the story feel a little ponderous, thus my only real minor criticism is that the book lacked pace. The book did not quite make 5 stars for this reason, but it was a very near thing, a very good, thought provoking book, I can only recommend that you read it.

48 of 52 people found this review helpful

Gripping, shocking and thought provoking

I have been waiting for this audiobook to appear for the last six months since it came out in hardback and I was so excited to download it. It's my first listen of the year and I really can't imagine listening to a better novel this year. Louise Doughty has always been one of my favourite writers since the early novels such as 'Crazy Paving' (why are they not on audio?) but this is far superior to anything she has written before. It is gripping, shocking, thought provoking and completely consuming. I really did not know what to expect next and was completely mesmerised by Juliet Stevenson's perfect narration. Louise Doughty writes so well and her excellent prose is so well matched by the narration that I felt my life was completely overtaken by this amazing novel.

37 of 40 people found this review helpful

Brilliant Recommendation!

What made the experience of listening to Apple Tree Yard the most enjoyable?

What a great choice of narrator, Juliet Stephenson used just the right tempo and intonation in her voice, which is like silk, to keep you wanting to hear more.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story unfolds as Yvonne narrates her experiences, leaving you wanting to listen more and more. The twists and turns in the plot keep you guessing continually about the outcome.

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No I haven't but I will be checking out other books that she has narrated.

16 of 17 people found this review helpful

Multi-layered and absorbing

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent characterization, complex plot and very thought-provoking indeed. Juliet Stevenson's narration is utterly superb. I had never heard of this author before; I'm glad I decided to follow the recommendations of other readers, she is a great discovery!

31 of 34 people found this review helpful

Think I read a different book, except at the end

Well I can honestly say this book is the first I nearly gave up on. I hated the start I was bored and the dismal erotica in the first third left me cold. Worse than that it seemed pointless. However, I stuck with it as I kept hoping it would take a twist and get interesting. It di but I was over 2 thirds in before it happened. In fairness the end third was a good legal drama and I did enjoy it. I think maybe that is why so many positive reviews hit, the end obscures the dull build up.
I also found the narration dull boring and depressing and over 14 hours was just far to much.
I accept I am on my own here but as I think I have a wide taste in literature I cant help feeling others are being overly generous.
In summary had the book been the last third with a little of the build up I would have scored it up around 3.5 or so

51 of 60 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

If you could sum up Apple Tree Yard in three words, what would they be?

Addictive
Evocative
Brilliant

What did you like best about this story?

The story is excellent, the characters believable, it held my interest the whole way through and Juliet Stevenson's narration was absolutely perfect.

Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favourite?

Yvonne

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Beware of tasting fruit from the forbidden tree

Any additional comments?

I'm recommending this book to everyone I know, it's a great listen!

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Best novel I read in 2013 - page turning thriller

What did you like most about Apple Tree Yard?

Strong narrative, intriguing development of lead characters

What did you like best about this story?

Unreliable narrator, the unstoppable flow of events, court scenes, twist at end.

What about Juliet Stevenson’s performance did you like?

Beautiful voice, paced perfectly and excellent accents as expected of her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes as the book was the best of all my reads in 2013 I bought the audio version on the day it was released but as it is 14 hours long I had to listen to over two days.

Any additional comments?

Read it (or listen to it) and then read Louise Doughty's other books in particular What Ever You Love.

29 of 34 people found this review helpful

Tedious Taudry Encounter

What would have made Apple Tree Yard better?

Should have been a short story.

Would you ever listen to anything by Louise Doughty again?

Never !

What does Juliet Stevenson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She has a nice voice, but I felt sorry for her (and myself) trolling through this .

What character would you cut from Apple Tree Yard?

Anyone who wasn't necessary for the story, like woman in painfully described green dress walking down road, adding zero to the story, or woman cleaning her ears with tissue, again described in painful minute detail for ten minutes, pointless tedium.

Any additional comments?

This had the ingredients of a taught little novel, I was expecting " Brief Encounter" meets " Witness For The Prosecution" but got " stupid woman who keeps telling me how intelligent she is meets sad little fantasist" , perhaps the author believed she was being paid by the word and was therefore determined to use as many as possible to pad this boring taudry little tale out into a sizeable book. Please do not waste ( what felt like) days of your life on this, there are many better books and this one should never had made it to print let alone an audio book. I read other reviews and thought it couldn't be that tedious they'd never have let it onto their site, but I was wrong and the other reviewers right, give this a miss.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Sex with a stranger...

At 52, respected geneticist Yvonne Carmichael had weathered her husband's infidelity and her son's mental illness. Is this why she falls to having sex in the shadows of Apple Tree Yard with a stranger who may be magnetically attractive, but who is clearly duplicitous? Yvonne tells her own story and right at the beginning of this dangerous affair she tells us that it will all end in a murder trial at the Old Bailey. But how will this come about?

Listening to exactly how Yvonne's life unravels is as addictive as her affair. What makes it utterly engrossing, credible and involving is Juliet Stevenson's superb narration. From the outside you might think Yvonne must be crazy, but the gentle, human narration makes you understand her. It's a really tense ride and one of the listening experiences you won't forget!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful