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The Delicate Things We Make

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The Delicate Things We Make

By: Milena McKay
Narrated by: Abby Craden
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About this listen

Golden Crown Literary Society 2022 Debut Novel Award Winner

Hitting rock bottom in the concrete jungle of Manhattan, investigative journalist Jamie Walker lands the assignment of a lifetime: find the most elusive artist of a generation, who has enthralled the art and fashion world for over a decade.

This assignment is supposed to finally be Jamie's ticket to journalistic fame and fortune. The quest, however, proves to be difficult, as—so far—nobody has managed to discover who the legendary DeVor really is.

As Jamie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic artist, trying to salvage her stagnant career, she risks getting in over her head and losing her heart in the process.

Contains mature themes.

©2020 Milena McKay (P)2022 Tantor Contemporary Contemporary Romance Literature & Fiction Romance Heartfelt
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This was such an enjoyable listen. Story great. Characters well-drawn. Narration good, too. Definitely 5-star all round

Wonderful story

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The Delicate Things we make is one of those books that, as i'm reading I can't help but wander how a writer has gotten to be so good at their craft as to be able to imagine a story with so much detail.

Milena McKay is one of those writers, and this is her debut novel????

The story follows Jamie, the down on her luck journalist, and the reclusive artist Vivian as they meet and form a bond under not so honest circumstances.

This story is beautiful and breathtaking and tragic and sweet. It is everything I love in a good book and after reading this one and The Headmistress, McKay has cemented her place as one of those all time great fiction writers.

5 Stars!

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Loved this book, the passion, drive and the artworld, the characters were always interesting and sexy.
Just a heads up this book has the subject around rape and the laws around it and how the characters fought this in court.

very well written

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The story "The Delicate Things We Make" is predominantly a romance (insta love / heartbreak / redemption / reconciliation) with a little mystery thrown in.

The first several chapters had me flummoxed. With the fast paced informationally (artistic & fashion) dense narrative, I was confused. Should I be hurriedly scribbling notes in a vain attempt to help pass an impending examination? In relation to the story, I thought it excessive.

Whilst, the underlying storyline share commonality with tales of this genre, the story offers freshness and thus some uniqueness. The author's wordsmith ability definitely improved my enjoyment, during listening to this tale.

Several of the "sex scenes" could be considered quite graphic. I thought them more carnal lust rather than representative of love. I found little evidence of tenderness, gentleness, understanding (communication) and care between the "lovers". Yet, love is mentioned a few times.

The narration was a little fast for my liking. For myself, tweaking the Audible app led to disappointing results (change of pitch distortion). I frequently revisted the narration to improve my understanding of the narration. I thought that all the individual characters were portrayed with good expression and in keeping with the storyline. Generally, a satisfactory performance.

Overall, an enjoyable listen which demanded a greater level of concentration and replay.

A Satisfactory Listen

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I’m struggling to put into words how I feel about this book! It’s certainly original - kind of detective fiction, with heavy political themes (including violence against women), softened with art and romance.

The mystery and subject matter carried the story, whilst the romance took a back seat and felt squished amongst the other material. For me, the relationship pacing was off, with minimal time given to build tension and chemistry, and ultimately I found the connection a little unbelievable and in-turn, the technically very well written intimate scenes less engaging.

However, the delicate way in which McKay dealt with gender based violence, including deeply rooted power inequalities between men and women, and the life long impact of sexual assault, made this a memorable read.

Oh and no surprises here, a stellar narration by Abby Craden.

Delicately written and memorable

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