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Extinctions
- Narrated by: William McInnes
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
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Extinctions
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Publisher's Summary
Winner of the 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award
He hated the word retirement, but not as much as he hated the word village, as if ageing made you a peasant or a fool. Herein lives the village idiot.
Professor Frederick Lothian, retired engineer, world expert on concrete and connoisseur of modernist design, has quarantined himself from life by moving to a retirement village. His wife, Martha, is dead, and his two adult children are lost to him in their own ways. Surrounded and obstructed by the debris of his life - objects he has collected over many years and tells himself he is keeping for his daughter - he is determined to be miserable but is tired of his existence and of the life he has chosen.
When a series of unfortunate incidents forces him and his neighbour, Jan, together, he begins to realise the damage done by the accumulation of a lifetime's secrets and lies and to comprehend his own shortcomings. Finally, Frederick Lothian has the opportunity to build something meaningful for the ones he loves.
Humorous, poignant and galvanising by turns, Extinctions is a novel about all kinds of extinction - natural, racial, national and personal - and what we can do to prevent them.
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What listeners say about Extinctions
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael G. Vallender
- 22-07-2020
Wonderful story
This book will teach you something or make you cry or both. Everything that is complicated about life comes together in a wonderful story set in the complexity that is Australia. Loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- susanne richards
- 01-06-2022
Brilliant
This is a wonderful book but not a light read. The author’s insights into the time of retirement can be confrontational but so true.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 29-05-2018
Enjoyed this more than I expected
William McInnes narrates this beautifully written book and I was hooked in his fist few words. Let him take you on a journey with Fred, Martha, Jan, Caroline and others, back forth through time and travails. I enjoyed every minute.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ryan Morrow
- 09-01-2018
Very well written, not entirely fulfilling.
Great to listen to& over the moon to hear Aussie narration. The story however left me wanting something more conclusive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- joe douglas
- 01-10-2019
an extraordinary book about life and love
A wonderfully complicated study and exploration of the intricacies and interconnectedness of life. I found this to be a head and heart stretching book. So many topics woven together, love, grief, loss, shame, friendship, purpose, commitment, family, relationships, children, adoption, class, suicide , domestic violence, abuse, acadaemia, Latin, French, Languages becoming extinct, people and ideas becoming extinct, war, ptsd, addiction......so many things. Probably very many more themes. No wonder this book won the Miles Franklin award.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 20-11-2017
Very good work Josephine Wilson
The main character starts out as a grumpy and disengaged man, but an honest and straight talking neighbour triggers some frightening realisations and a good attempt to make amends. His is an interesting back story and family dynamic, but now his respectable academic career is a distant memory and his personal short comings are suddenly obvious. There are awkward and funny moments that made me laugh out loud. William McInnes has a beautiful voice and he does old man Frederick brilliantly.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roslyn
- 10-11-2017
A wonderful read
A beautifully written and insightful book which explores many different issues including ageing and extinction. The characters are so very real and much of what they deal with is very confronting. William McInnes is simply brilliant!
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Quentin
- 09-11-2017
The characters sweep you away...
William McInnes does an amazing job of bringing Josephine's characters to life in all their troubled glory. The story makes you think about your own pending extinction and what the world will remember you for when you are gone. Josephine goes to great lengths to get inside the world of reinforced concrete and William McInnes solidifies the character of a troubled retired engineer. A great listen.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-01-2018
Thoughtful and funny
My husband and I listened to this as we drove across outback Australia. It’s a great story about very believable characters. William McInnes is a terrific narrator and plays each character extremely well. The book tackles many difficult topics such as failed parenting, long term marriage, careers pressures and adoption of children. There is a lot written showing accurate specialist knowledge of design, architecture and engineering which adds to the books structure. The book definitely provokes discussion and we recommend it highly.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Grace Less
- 24-01-2021
Not bad
It was just ok. I think it tried to do too many things though and run too many major stories. Also the main character is just so unappealing.
I liked the narration tone, however the accents were inconsistent and distracting. Especially some of the horrendous missteps with the American accent.
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