Try free for 30 days

  • The Natural Way of Things

  • By: Charlotte Wood
  • Narrated by: Ailsa Piper
  • Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (244 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Natural Way of Things cover art

The Natural Way of Things

By: Charlotte Wood
Narrated by: Ailsa Piper
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Two women awaken from a drugged sleep to find themselves imprisoned in an abandoned property in the middle of a desert.

The Natural Way of Things is a gripping, starkly imaginative exploration of contemporary misogyny and corporate control and of what it means to hunt and be hunted. But most of all, it is the story of two friends, their sisterly love and courage.

©2015 Charlotte Wood (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"One hell of a novel by one of our most original and provocative writers." ( The Weekend Australian)

What listeners say about The Natural Way of Things

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    81
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    61
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    21
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    128
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    9
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    71
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    46
  • 2 Stars
    33
  • 1 Stars
    19

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Liz
  • 06-01-2017

Great story. .unexpected and intriguing

a story that draws you in and keeps you listening. highly recommended. disturbing and intriguing exploration of the essence of humanity, and the relationships between men and women, power and surrender, friendship and sex

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

not what you expect

makes you question your morals, your survival techniques, would people miss you and really is this possible. whole way through I was rechallenged with thoughts every chapter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An unforgettable brilliant work

Charlotte Woods dystopian story set in the unforgiving Australian outback is not a stretch. The Australian governments cruelty to refugees on Manus and Naru clearly illustrating just how easy and convenient it would be to remove and quarantine women with stories of sexual assault - to allow the perpetrators of these crimes against women to thrive and to punish their victims afresh. The story is deeply disturbing but Woods writing is irresistible. Her teasing reveal of the women’s experiences and the building of their survivors skills is cloaked in exquisite tenderness and black humour, blood and compassion. What an absolute gem of a book. And narrated to perfection by Ailisa Piper. I can’t want in sink into more books by this author and read by Piper.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Brown trout?

A bag of moisturizers? A bus to nowhere? Brown trout? Terrible ending I couldn't believe the storyline amounted to nothing in the end. Just another account of violence against women.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Dr
  • 22-07-2016

Depressing!

Recommended for our book club but I found this book really depressing, repetitive and doesn't go anywhere. Waste of 5 hrs!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Listened right to the end to find out what the whole book was about and still none the wiser now that I’ve finished it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

uneventful

this book is repetitive with its stagnant plot of events & disconnected events . no climax or resolution

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Awful

While the story is compelling it is horrible. Women filled with self loathing and loathing other women are kidnapped, tortured and abused.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

The well crafted story in this powerful book is riverting. It is fiercely unflinching in describing the the extraordinary circumstances that bring out the best and worst of human nature. It is wise and compassionate as well as gritty and visceral. The adaptation and resilience of some of the characters is astonishing. Charlotte Wood's descriptive style is brilliant. The narration by Ailsa Piper is flawless, engaging and intelligent. Thoroughly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Is it just me?

Pretty awful book. Read in monotone. Strange story that is never fully explained. Ridiculous premise. Enjoy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.