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The Labyrinth

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The Labyrinth

By: Amanda Lohrey
Narrated by: Danielle Carter
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About this listen

The Labyrinth is a hypnotic story of guilt and denial, of the fraught relationship between parents and children, that is also a meditation on how art can both be ruthlessly destructive and restore sanity.

Erica Marsden’s son, an artist, has been imprisoned for homicidal negligence. In a state of grief, Erica cuts off all ties to family and friends, and retreats to a quiet hamlet on the south-east coast near the prison where he is serving his sentence.

There, in a rundown shack, she obsesses over creating a labyrinth by the ocean. To build it - to find a way out of her quandary - Erica will need the help of strangers. And that will require her to trust and to reckon with her past.

©2020 Amanda Lohrey (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction Fiction Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

"Iridescent.... The Labyrinth is a nuanced and engrossing novel of bread and bones broken, the trace and rack of violence and threads that lead the way out of exile." (Saturday Paper)

"The pace of the book reflects the contemplative nature of walking a labyrinth, both the inner one and the physical one that mirrors it." (The Herald Sun)

"A deeply meditative book.... [Amanda Lohrey’s] writing here is beautifully layered, rich in imagery and meaning, without ever being laboured.... The Labyrinth offers a pull towards the unknown and a comfort in solitude." (Guardian)

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Sad, different and I loved that the story was a bit unusual….especially loved the narrator Danielle Carter. She “played” the story well…. 😍

Enjoyed this book

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This book was beautiful but left me feeling unsatisfied. Definitely worth a read for rich description and philosophical questions it raises.

Beautiful but somehow unsatisfying

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I was entranced by this story. Personally, I thought the reader’s voice perfectly suited the characters. It’s an engrossing story about an older woman’s reflections on her past life and the decisions she makes about how to move forward. I don’t understand all the symbolism around the labyrinth, but I enjoyed the characterisations and the recognisable landscape and people.

The Labyrinth

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The journey of the days is visual with characters each taking turns to play their parts to end at the beginning, but changed

Few books have I rewound so many times as I hang onto each word

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A quiet reflective journey, captured beautifully him Carter’s narration. Thoroughly enjoyed the story. Descriptions of Australian bush were perfect.

A meditative journey

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This is soooo brilliant. I’m never going to be able to articulate how truly sublime this work by Amanda Lohrey is! And as for the narration by Danielle Carter … oooh so yummm: incredibly seductive, profoundly indelible and all at once disturbingly provocative. You will feel it all! I am certain that I will be listening to this sporadically over the many years to come to keep my faith in humanity lit, I’m sure of it! Loved!!

Brilliant

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This story is very well written, I wish it was longer as I didn’t want it to end.
The narrator has a gift of playing each character too. Well done!

Compelling and captivating

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I enjoyed the rhythms of this book; the story unfolding and characters fading in and out. The whole concept of the labyrinth and it’s relation to the story was spell-binding. One to treasure.

Mystical

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The narration and characters were great and I loved it until the end. Somewhat anti climatic but forgiven as it was still intriguing.

Intriguing story.

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A very skilled narrator brings this beautifully written novel to life in which life relationships are explored. The subtle conclusion leaves me with an unfinished feel...like the Labyrinth. The sexual metaphor felt ovely dramatic to me. An interesting read nonetheless.

Beautifully written but with an unfinished feel.

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