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Infinite Splendours

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Infinite Splendours

By: Sofie Laguna
Narrated by: Matthew Backer
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About this listen

From the winner of the Miles Franklin Award for The Eye of the Sheep.

Lawrence is a bright, caring, curious boy with a gift for painting. He lives at home with his mother and younger brother, and the future is laid out before him, full of promise. But when he is 10, an experience of betrayal takes it all away, and Lawrence is left to deal with the aftermath.

As he grows into a man, how will he make sense of what he has suffered? He cannot rewrite history, but must he be condemned to repeat it? Lawrence finds meaning in the best way he knows. By surrendering himself to art and nature, he creates beauty - beauty made all the more astonishing and soulful for the deprivation that gives rise to it.

Infinite Splendours is an extraordinary novel, incandescent with love and compassion, rich in colour and character. The power and virtuosity of Laguna’s writing make it impossible for us to look away; by being seen, Lawrence is redeemed.

And we, as listeners, have had our minds and hearts opened in ways we can’t forget.

©2020 Sofia Laguna (P)2020 W. F. Howes Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

"It is quite a feat to write characters with such nuance...in harnessing her storytelling facility to expose the flaws in the system with what is becoming trademark empathy, Laguna is an author proving the novel is a crucial document of the times." (Louise Swinn, The Australian)
All stars
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The performance is excellent. Not quite sure the title fits the story. To listen in places can be quite harrowing but the ending is truly emotional

A challenging listen

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I liked it but it was depressing. I can understand how the vicious cycle continues but this abuse of a child is unforgivable and how easy it can destroys the innocence and the soul.

harrowing

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A sad story beautifully written and skilfully narrated - hard to put down- particularly fascinated by the Beverley and Wallace characters

Insightful

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I found this book most unusual and impressive - but I found last quarter or so hard going, and hard to finish. This was because we were drawn more and more into Lawrence's private world, and I for one found it nearly suffocating. One can only sympathize with him over what happened to him at the age of ten, and admire him for the way he uses his suffering in the pursuit of his art. Yet I found it hard to believe that he would be quite so helpless, relying on his brother even for basic shopping, and hiding away from nearly everyone. In the end Lawrence became rather a bore for me, as did the mountain we kept hearing about - as 'he'. His actual end was, I guess, inevitable, and terribly sad.

Sensitive writing with claustrophic atmosphere

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I think I felt nearly every emotion possible… the author is a true artist. Breathtaking.

Incredibly talented author

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Exquisitely beautiful but painful story and very well narrated. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Heartbreaking

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It's a very long time since I wept when completing a book. The character development and imagery of landscape is what stands out for me. Atmospheric and Australian as well as a vivid portrayal of times gone by. I loved it.
brought to life by perfect narration.

Haunting and heart-rending.

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I’m sorry, I’m a big Sofie Laguna fan, but this book throughout the whole reading, made you feel despairingly hopeless and gutted at the awful tragedy of someone’s life played out before you. Don’t want to give too much away but don’t read this book if you’re feeling emotionally fragile.

A despairingly hopeless tale

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Just too depressing. I can’t even imagine writing this. It actually made me feel very depressed and I persevered hoping it would come good.

I didn’t need to experience this story

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This story may be beautifully composed, however the subject matter is so confronting and difficult to listen to it is not enjoyable at all.

Challenging content to listen to

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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.