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Half a World Away

The heart-warming, heart-breaking Richard and Judy Book Club selection

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Half a World Away

By: Mike Gayle
Narrated by: Joanna Brookes, Kayi Ushe
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About this listen

 'His most accomplished and moving novel yet' Lisa Jewell
'Emotionally high-voltage' Metro

From the author of The Man I Think I Know

***

Strangers living worlds apart.
Strangers with nothing in common.

But it wasn't always that way...

Kerry Hayes is a single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never hope to afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot ever forget her past.

Noah Martineau is a successful barrister with a beautiful wife, daughter and home in fashionable Primrose Hill. Adopted as a child, Noah always looks forward, never back.

When Kerry reaches out to the sibling she lost on the day they were torn apart as children, she sets in motion a chain of events that will have life-changing consequences for them both.

By turns funny and moving, Half a World Away is a story that will stay with you long after you read its powerfully emotional, heartbreaking final page.

***

Readers love Half a World Away!

'These are people who matter, situations one can believe. Most readers will find themselves caring very much. A life-affirming read.' Vine

'It isn't easy, it is heart-wrenching, but, oh, is it worth reading. I can't recommend this book highly enough.' Vine

'How have I not read a Mike Gayle book before? I want to give this book all of the starts in the universe. I cried my eyes out at the end. It is touching, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking.' Netgalley

'This story is raw and beautiful and sad. It puts lots of things into perspective and makes you think about what is important in life. Beautifully written, easy to read and will certainly bring tears to your eyes. A must read.' Netgalley

'This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It's about family, about class, about love, about choices and sacrifice. It's about letting go and learning to hold on. It's optimistic and heartbreaking and funny and emotional. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after you finish it. Buy it, read it, love it - and hang on to those tissues, you'll need them.' Netgalley

Authors love Half a World Away!

'Mike Gayle has such a talent for delving into hearts, minds and contemporary issues. Half a World Away is supremely poignant, uplifting and heartwarming in equal measure - as well as being a real page-turner.' Sophie Kinsella, author of Surprise Me

'Mike has a prodigious talent for writing completely relatable characters who draw you into their world and tug at your heart strings. Half a World Away is an absolute triumph and a joy to read. Once again Mike tackles complex and thorny issues with a confident and compassionate hand.' Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things

'Half a World Away is heartbreaking and beautiful, full of poignant moments and characters you fall for from page one. I couldn't put it down.' Libby Page, author of The Lido
(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2019 Pizza FTD Ltd Fiction Women's Fiction Funny

Critic Reviews

Mike Gayle has such a talent for delving into hearts, minds and contemporary issues. HALF A WORLD AWAY is supremely poignant, uplifting and heartwarming in equal measure - as well as being a real page-turner. (Sophie Kinsella, author of Surprise Me)
What an involving, captivating, heart-rending story. Some books fade from the memory but I know I'm never going to forget these characters - they feel like my own family. (Jill Mansell)
His most accomplished and moving novel yet. (Lisa Jewell)
Accomplished, sensitive and powerful novel...A truly beautiful story about the power of love and family, this is Mike Gayle's best book to date
Mike has a prodigious talent for writing completely relatable characters who draw you into their world and tug at your heart strings. HALF A WORLD AWAY is an absolute triumph and a joy to read. Once again Mike tackles complex and thorny issues with a confident and compassionate hand. (Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things)
Emotionally high-voltage novel
Mike Gayle just gets better and better and HALF A WORLD AWAY might be the loveliest yet. (Jenny Colgan, author of The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After)
Heartbreaking and wonderful, a beautiful book about the power of love to surmount almost anything. (Julie Cohen)
Mike Gayle is so good at writing relatable characters going through big challenges... This is a warm-hearted book that deals with all kinds of issues - class, race, marriage - and brings a lump to the throat, too. (Sophie Kinsella for the Daily Mail)
Gayle has a profound talent for acute observations. He makes us care, pulls at our heartstrings then hits us with humour. And he doesn't disappoint with his latest offering
HALF A WORLD AWAY is heartbreaking and beautiful, full of poignant moments and characters you fall for from page one. I couldn't put it down. (Libby Page, author of The Lido)
Mike Gayle's writing is wise, compassionate and prone to making you cry
He has a wonderful way of lifting the reader up while tugging at our heart strings at the same time. A lovely story about what family really means... (Fionnuala Kearney)
HALF A WORLD AWAY is heartbreakingly lovely. Its main characters came to feel like friends of mine, and the book is full of such warmth and love. It truly captured my heart. (Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare)
This book is a treasure, written from the heart. (Alice Peterson)
Gayle writes beautifully about fractured families and the unshakable power of love, in a book that is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, and full of the deeply relatable characters for which he's so well-known. This is a triumph of a novel, true and heartfelt, and you'll be in floods when you reach the poignant final page. (Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't Call)
All stars
Most relevant
I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. I haven’t cried listening to or reading a book in a long while and having a good cry is always a sign that you have become fully invested in the characters and the story. It was a lovely escape for a few hours, as I devoured this book, it was easy to follow, had loveable characters, kept you engaged and made you think about life and all that we have to be grateful for. Will defiantly seek out more of this authors books, really enjoyed this one.

Loved it!

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Mike Gayle has been one of my favourite authors for nearly 30 years. I love a good story written well - no gimmicks or sudden plot twists, but well rounded characters with life struggles.
This was my first audiobook of his though - I was so impressed with the performance. So good I was sad when it ended.

Brilliant! Loved from start to end

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excellent reflection of human spirit and resilience by a onevifcthev strongest female characters. fell in love with main character from the outset.

heart breaking and repairing book

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