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The Confession

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The Confession

By: Jessie Burton
Narrated by: Hayley Atwell
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About this listen

A Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick, The Confession is an absorbing tale of secrets and self-discovery from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse.

When Elise Morceau meets the writer Constance Holden, she quickly falls under her spell. Connie is sophisticated, bold and alluring – everything Elise feels she is not. She follows Connie to LA, but in this city of strange dreams and 1980s razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.

Three decades later in London, Rose Simmons is trying to uncover the story of her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was a now reclusive novelist, Rose finds herself at the door of Constance Holden’s house in search of a confession . . .

'Dazzlingly good . . . Without doubt one of the best novels of recent years' - Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie

©2019 Jessie Burton (P)2019 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd Contemporary Contemporary Romance Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance

Critic Reviews

A bold, intelligent, wonderful novel (Sarah Winman, author of Tin Man)
A beautiful novel and one that will stay with me for a very long time (Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours)
Her best yet, I’m dazzled by it . . . I am deeply jealous of every reader who has it all ahead of them (Daisy Buchanan, author of The Sisterhood)
An irresistible tale of families, deception and the consequences of our choices (Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars)
In The Confession, Jessie Burton hasn’t just captured a myriad of women’s experiences but also the intrinsic ambivalence of living in a female body: the advantages, the oppressions. She’s built a world of women that is so vivid and absorbing that at one point I paused in my reading to google Connie – and only then remembered that she was a fictional character (Jean Hannah Edelstein, author of This Really Isn’t About You)
I loved Burton's debut, The Miniaturist, but this is even better! Rose's mother disappeared when she was a baby, and the last person to see her was Constance, a reclusive novelist based in Hampstead. When Rose tracks her down, will she get the answers she needs? I was completely engrossed (Nina Pottell, Prima)
All stars
Most relevant  
I completely lost myself in this book! I loved every second. Hayley Atwell does an amazing job at embracing each character differently and with such uniqueness that at times i forgot it was the same person. The story is amazing and the ending felt just right for the characters. I would 110% recommended this to everyone looking for a good book to get lost in

Absolutely wonderful

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Not a wasted word nor one too many. Jesse Burtons use of language is brilliant. I was captivated by the story but it was her ability to portray each character and their evolution as this tale unfolded that has me unable to put this book down.

Magnificent

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What I loved about this book: the narrative is divine, Jessie Burton describes things beautifully, and the narrator did a wonderful job.
What I didn’t love: the aimlessness of the characters, particularly Rose and Elise. Constance may have been selfish but at least she did things with her life

Beautiful words, frustrating characters

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