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Lola in the Mirror

By: Trent Dalton
Narrated by: Victoria Graves
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Publisher's Summary

Bighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton.

SHORTLISTED FOR DYMOCKS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

'Unpredictable, fantastic ... It takes a charged narrative, like Dickens achieves, and as Dalton does too, to reach the heart and the brain - writing that is able to carry both stories, the individual and the political/personal ... To tell you more would spoil this complicated and surprising story. You should read it.' Sydney Morning Herald

'Mirror, mirror, on the grass, what's my future? What's my past?'

A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside a van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River.

The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. A vision of a life as an artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen 'Lady' Flora Box. A life of love with the boy who's waiting for her on the bridge that stretches across a flooding, deadly river. A life beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can ever do. She must look in the mirror.

From international bestselling author Trent Dalton, Lola in the Mirror is a big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror: all our past, all our present, and all our possible futures.

'Trent Dalton's third novel reminds me of the 1980s advertising slogan for the author's home state of Queensland: Beautiful one day, perfect the next ... Lola in the Mirror is a bold, big-hearted, hopeful, humorous, dark, reflective, truthful, superbly written novel that confirms Dalton's place in all the shimmering skies (to borrow the title of his second novel) of Australian literature. He is not a rising star but a star full stop.' The Australian

'Wonderful ... An original, heart-thumping novel ... you are right there with the protagonists, feeling and believing every word and every raindrop. It is the type of novel you read filled with pure hope and sorrow for the characters. You want to believe that everything is going to work out just fine, and that there will be dancing, and art, and delight. You won't know until the end, and by that time you, too, are running through the streets, turning the pages, and trusting that love wins.' Readings

'Dalton holds a mirror up to the darkest corners of this Australian life and reveals every bit of beauty, magic and calamity it has to offer.' Booktopia

©2023 Trent Dalton (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Lola in the Mirror

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Chapters out of order

The story is great definitely worth the read, but they are in the wrong order which ruins the story as you hear most of the end half way through. Quite disappointing. Chapter 20 needed to swap with chapter 26,

The chapter order is 1-19, 26, 21-25, 20, 27 until end

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11 people found this helpful

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chapters out of order

Chapters 20 and 26 are switched. This is pretty disappointing. Please fix it or advise readers until it can be fixed as the story doesn't make sense as is and contains spoilers.

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8 people found this helpful

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Perfect

Amazing. Still listening. Chapter’s are out of order, chapter 20 needs to come after 22.

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5 people found this helpful

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What a story, fabulously narrated

My favourite part was “Vicky Peterson” meeting Danny Collins. What a concept.. Much love. Once again, Mr Dalton has not failed to deliver a totally immersive story with relatable characters. Victoria Graves, you’ve quickly become one of my all time favourite Aussie narrators, I just love your expression and style. Listen to, or read this story, you will not be disappointed.

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4 people found this helpful

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Bad, bad, very bad

I haven’t even made it to the end and I’m so, so done with the unrealistic introspection of the main character. None of the characters are drawn with any depth, the plot is full of holes and the mispronunciations abound. Artists do not develop in a linear way; it’s not start with drawings and develop to paintings and you’re done! I don’t indulge in illegal substances, but I really think I’d have to pay for them up front if I did. A policeman would never display photos of their family at work. Why does a hitman need a scrawny, soft side-kick? The delay in revealing the police information about identity is ridiculous and the outcome of the shoot out scene is obvious. I sincerely hope people don’t pair up the way it happened on the bridge. I’m assuming they are supposed to align because of artistic tendencies. Seems very tenuous and far-fetched. I’ve typed all this while the book drones on at top speed. The statistics around homelessness and domestic violence were clobbered over our heads. Many readers are already aware of these things. The author wouldn’t need to do this if the plot and characters were well researched, developed and presented. Finally, figure out how to say posthumously. Very annoying!

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3 people found this helpful

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Perfection

Beautifully written and narrated. I think I enjoyed this even more than Boy swallows universe!

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Mispronunciations were annoying

Great story by Trent Dalton. Met all my expectations. Well narrated but poorly produced audio because there were at least five annoying mispronunciations.

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2 people found this helpful

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This is the best book I have ever read!

I think this is the best book I have ever read! I was entranced from the first page and wanted to know more. My heart ached for the girl in the story right to the end when I was beside myself.
The concepts behind this story are eminently wonderful, the narrative style eloquently & naively beautiful. This was not “reading a story”. This was an outstanding unique, uplifting & moving experience. Thank you Trent Dalton for your insight. You have added to my life!

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Love home grown stories

This story has a bit of everything, love, intrigue, sadness, thrills and resolution.
Great narration and captivating story. After reading the reviews I was a bit apprehensive regarding the out of order chapters mentioned, but it all flowed perfectly so the issue must have been rectified. I did miss chapters being introduced 1, 2 etc. would personally prefer chapters announced.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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LOLA IN THE MIRROR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved every moment, what a beautiful story - kept me guessing the whole way!! Incredible way to tie it all together.

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  • elizabeth
  • 22-11-2023

Honest, true and heartbreaking.

So delicate and charming at the same time, a story which takes you on a sorrowful but uplifting place.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 31-10-2023

Insightful and breathtaking

Brilliant, tragic and inspiring story. Cry at the extraordinary loss and sadness and cheer on the unrelenting hope and belief in a brighter future without pain, suffering and loss. Who am I?

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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.