Instructions for a Heatwave cover art

Instructions for a Heatwave

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Instructions for a Heatwave

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Dearbhla Molloy
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About this listen

The stunning new novel from Costa-Novel-Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976.

It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back.

The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each with different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share.

©2013 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2013 Headline Digital Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction
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What made the experience of listening to Instructions for a Heatwave the most enjoyable?

Her ability to entwine lives and keep you interested the whole way through the story
She is a great story teller.

Maggie's books wrap you around a story , love them

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True to style Maggie O' Farrell delivers another insightful sensitive story which makes a compelling read

A satisfying read

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A tale of the beauty of family in all it’s messiness and deficiency. Richly narrated. Left me thankful and thoughtful.

Ordinary lives that are rich because of ordinary love.

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I must admit I found the 1st 30/50% of the book a bit hard to get into. I’m glad I stuck with it as it comes together beautifully.

A big tale of family. Some bits reminded me of one of my favourite movies ‘little miss sunshine’. And that is high praise indeed.

How I felt like I knew these ‘real people’ by the end.

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sad funny human. miss it already.great characters. I want more of them. more if their lives. what next?

characters so real I miss them already

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I didn’t hate the ending but after so much build up it was a bit of a let down. I felt so invested in these characters that I needed more.

Great characters but strange ending

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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.