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Nora Webster

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Nora Webster

By: Colm Tóibín
Narrated by: Niamh Cusack
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About this listen

It is the late 1960s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town, looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, at times kind, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.

Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she seems both fiercely self-possessed but also a figure of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.

The portrait that is painted in the years that follow is harrowing, piercingly insightful, always tender and deeply true. Nora Webster is a novel that illuminates our own lives in a way that is rare in literature. Its humanity and compassion forge an unforgettable reading experience.

©2011 Colm Tóibín (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Marriage
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A simple story with such minute complexities.
The combination of story and narration was, for me, simply sublime.

Magnificent

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Another great book by a great author. The characters come to life so vividly. Toibin is a masterly observer of human behaviour. His use of language is delightful too. I enjoyed it so much, I’ve read the book twice in a couple of weeks.

Great writing

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