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The Hand That First Held Mine

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The Hand That First Held Mine

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Karen Cass
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About this listen

An unforgettable novel of love and motherhood from best-selling author Maggie O'Farrell.

Winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award and a Sunday Times best seller, The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell is a gorgeously written story of love and motherhood from the author of This Must Be the Place.

When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin and leaves for London. There, at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene, she carves out a new life. In the present day, Elina and Ted are reeling from the difficult birth of their first child. Elina struggles to reconcile the demands of motherhood with her sense of herself as an artist and Ted is disturbed by memories of his own childhood that don't tally with his parents' version of events. As Ted begins to search for answers, an extraordinary portrait of two women is revealed, separated by 50 years, but connected in ways that neither could ever have expected.

©2010 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2012 Headline Digital Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

"O'Farrell has a remarkable ability to convey the texture of human emotion with precision. In The Hand That First Held Mine, she also demonstrates a masterful gift for storytelling." ( Observer)
"Like Daphne du Maurier before her, Maggie O'Farrell writes books designed to stir up the female subconscious and bring our most primal fears to the surface... this book will leave your stomach in knots." ( Daily Mail)
"The journey this novel invites us on is wonderful, involving time travel, heartache, elation, confusion, freedom, nostalgia and art." ( Scotland on Sunday)
All stars
Most relevant
I could have listened to tales from the lives of the two protagonists until the cows came home. I particularly enjoyed Lexi and I would have equally liked Elina if not for the dodgy attempt at her accent on the audible recording. I felt like the book could have happily meandered along ad finitum for me!

I was so sad when it ended!

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Would you listen to The Hand That First Held Mine again? Why?

Yes, it's so intriguing and complicated I think I missed a few clues first time around.

What did you like best about this story?

Great characters, a mystery, interweaving of past and present, beautifully written

Which character – as performed by Karen Cass – was your favourite?

Lexie

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I'm not giving it away here!

Any additional comments?

I just love this author and the narrator is brilliant at creating the characters.

Gripping and moving

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An engaging listen though perhaps a bit meandering. Thankfully a satisfying ending. I do enjoy this author.

Engaging

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Loved how the characters slowly unraveled and developed throughout the story. Even as I started to see their connection to one another, it still took a while to piece everything together. Such a great book.

Great characters.

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This book had me spellbound from beginning to end. Her use of the English language is superb and the words flow so beautifully from one chapter to the next weaving an intriguing story. I love this author.

So exquisitely written

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True to style and very beautifully crafted and performed. Maggie's books are like bathing in a deep pool of constant delights.

Fantastic

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I absolutely loved this book! I have been entranced to the very last word.
I didn't guess the connection with the two families.
Maggie O'Farrell writes so beautifully.
The narrator is really good.

Marvellous!

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This is a great book. About motherhood, greed and jealousy. It gets a bit boring in the middle, but wow, the end is fabulous.

Well narrated

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I didn't like the present tense style - he said she said she picks up .... etc. A bit tedious. Very slow to develop.

Slow to develop

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