Olive cover art

Olive

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Olive

By: Emma Gannon
Narrated by: Sian Clifford
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About this listen

*Don't miss Emma Gannon's new novel, Table for One – available to buy now*

‘Explores such an important topic with a lightness and warmth’ Dolly Alderton

‘Thoughtful, funny, and honest’ Elizabeth Gilbert

‘It'll give a voice to countless women’ Marian Keyes

Olive and her friends have shared every milestone.

From first loves and first heartbreaks to flatshares and the first scary steps into the real world, they’ve been through it all – together.

But in the maze of life, through the winding paths that lead to different choices and different futures, will the bonds of friendship hold strong when Olive needs them most?

Moving, memorable and a mirror for anyone at a crossroads, OLIVE is a love letter to the life raft of female friendship and reminds us how, with a little courage, we can all follow our own paths.

Contemporary Contemporary Romance Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Friendship Comedy Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

‘It explores such an important topic with a lightness and warmth’ Dolly Alderton

‘This tale of four young women trying to sort out the dilemmas of motherhood … will bring relief and recognition to many. It’s a lovely book — thoughtful, searching, funny, and (most importantly) honest’ Elizabeth Gilbert

‘Funny in parts, painful in others, thoughtful throughout, it explores many dilemmas, with characters who feel utterly real’ Sophie Kinsella

‘It'll give a voice to countless women . . . a profound issue wrapped inside an accessible, highly engaging novel’ Marian Keyes

‘Gutsy and refreshing’ HEAT

‘It's warm and charming and yet VERY brave in its honesty about having children and how that impacts female friendships. I suspect a lot of women will feel relieved and seen when they read it’ Holly Bourne

‘Important themes explored by a true champion of women’ Nina Stibbe

‘Thought provoking with a wonderfully relatable hero’ Good Housekeeping

‘So fresh and funny and utterly distinctive . . . I loved it’ Emma Jane Unsworth

‘A delicate, heartbreaking and delicious story that will bring a pang of delightful recognition to every woman who reads it’ Scarlett Curtis

‘A witty, tender portrayal of female friendship under pressure’ Mail on Sunday

‘Honest, relatable, and incredibly real, Olive is going to resonate with an entire generation of young women’ Louise O’Neill

‘In Gannon’s capable hands, women are not so much divided along their disparate lines – but united’ Pandora Sykes

‘Cuts rights to the heart of conversations around women and the stereotypes we either adhere to – or reject’ Cosmopolitan

‘I raced through this brilliant, brilliant book, feeling more thoroughly seen than I have in years. Olive's story is big and bright and beautiful, and holds up a much-needed mirror to society’ Lucy Vine

‘Incredibly warm and loveable, you won’t be able to put Olive down’ Bustle

All stars
Most relevant
I absolutely loved this. Narrator was excellent, and I guffawed aloud in public a number of times while I was out walking and listening. So relatable and feels like your own group of friends.

Faultless story

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If you're young, considering a family or not, then this book would be a good read for you. I felt a little old for it to be honest. A nice story of friendships though.

Took me a While to get into this

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Loved the book, a topic that has not been explored much and it gave me a in-site into a whole new world. Highly recommend reading.

Very interesting topic, loved it!

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Thank you. I finally felt seen and my life choices treated in a respectful manner. A must read for anyone who is contemplating or has chosen to be child free by choice.

I finally felt seen and heard

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Easy to listen to, I enjoyed it especially closer to the end. Think I may be a little old (at 37) for some of it as the language was a bit ‘young’ and I found some of it a little cliched but maybe I’m cynical! Good holiday read.

Enjoyable

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