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Just an Ordinary Family
- Narrated by: Rebecca Macauley
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction
Non-member price: $38.13
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Publisher's Summary
Liane Moriarty meets Jodi Picoult in this tensely negotiated story of family ties, betrayal, and sacrifice.
Every family has its secrets....
Alice Hunter is smarting from the raw deal life has thrown her way: suddenly single, jobless, and forced to move home to her parents' tiny seaside town. And now she faces an uncomfortable truth. She wants her twin sister Libby's enviable life.
Libby's closest friend, Jess Dekic, has been around the Hunter family for so long she might as well be blood. She's always considered herself a sister closer to Libby than Alice ever could be....
Libby Hunter has all of life's boxes ticked: prominent small-town doctor, gorgeous husband, and two young daughters. But when she is betrayed by those she loves most, it reveals how tenuous her world is....
For Karen Hunter, her children are a double-edged sword of pain and pride. She's always tried to guide her girls through life's pitfalls, but how do you protect your children when they're adults?
As the family implodes, the fallout for these four women will be inescapable....
Best-selling Australian author Fiona Lowe wields a deft hand, creating utterly addictive storytelling that will have you questioning your own perceptions of what family is.
Praise:
"Fiona Lowe weaves an extraordinary story of loss, love, and forgiveness." (Glam Adelaide)
"If you loved Big Little Lies, you'll want to devour Fiona Lowe's Just an Ordinary Family next." (Mamamia)
"Drama, upheaval and family secrets feature in the latest novel by Fiona Lowe, the undisputed queen of Australian small-town fiction...a moving character-driven tale that steadily draws you into its thrall." (Canberra Weekly)
Critic Reviews
"Fiona's insight into the fickle nature of life, the way relationships evolve, what a tough gig parenting can be and how best intentions can so easily come undone makes it simple to identify with her characters and lends an authentic resonance to this roller-coaster story." (Australian Country)
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What listeners say about Just an Ordinary Family
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 27-08-2020
Tried by couldn’t listen to the narrator
Not sure if the story is a 1 star or 5. Sadly, the woman reading the book is unpalatable, I couldn’t get through an hour. Such a shame.
4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 07-04-2020
LOVED!
Wow this was a roller coaster of emotion! Loved every second and didn’t predict anything!!
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 26-10-2020
Loved this book
I really loved reading this book. It was tense in parts but also emotional and funny with laugh out loud moments. it constantly kept me coming back for more.
1 person found this helpful
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- RUTH
- 15-10-2020
A great story to get hooked on.
11 hours is not wasted on this story. it's in depth insightful and entertaining. Unexpected turns. You go on a journey with the characters. I had a movie going on in my imagination. Loved it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Libby Whittaker
- 02-01-2021
Okay
There are some interesting characters in this book but overall it was a bit drawn out. Some of the plot twists were quite obvious too. I also found the narrator's voice a bit annoying, like really whispery a lot of the time. Having said that I did end up finishing all 16 hours of it and it tied things together nicely at the end so overall 3+ stars.
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- Anonymous User
- 30-12-2020
This book has everything!
Loved every second, couldn't stop listening. Love, betrayal, secrets, death, forgiveness. Great narrator, great author.
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- Anonymous User
- 19-12-2020
Had a lot of promise
This story had a lot of promise however once the main storyline had been revealed, it went on for too long. There was hints of other stories in play but took too long to get there. There were a number of chapters I skipped through as just boring and didn't add anything to the story. I listened to the end but was a little struggle to the end...
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- Claire
- 10-12-2020
Great listen.
A little bit of a slow start introducing the characters however after this a great story that made you laugh and cry with unexpected twists. Each characters perspective was portrayed so well.
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- Anonymous User
- 28-11-2020
Captivating.
This beautiful book had my feeling all of the emotions. I loved reading its every page.
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- Tanya Ralph
- 01-11-2020
Keeps giving
This is a long audio book (16 hours) and there were many times during the story where I thought it was wrapping up only to look at how long was still left in surprise. It didn’t drag, instead it just kept delivering. There is so much that happens to this “ordinary family” many skeletons in the closet that come out, but it is the way that they deal with them that shows the reality in the story. I really enjoyed it.
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- Narelle
- 21-04-2020
Thoroughly enjoyable
It's one of those books you just don't want to finish. Easy listening but with a few twists. Characters are very believable
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