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The Offing

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The Offing

By: Benjamin Myers
Narrated by: Ralph Ineson
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Offing by Benjamin Myers, read by Ralph Ineson.

FROM THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GALLOWS POLE COMES A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
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‘What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness ... Gorgeous’ – Max Porter, author of Lanny

‘Glorious ... Leaves an indelible impression ... A moving and subtle novel in many ways, infused with a love of the minute pleasures in life, and the lasting regrets’ – Scotland on Sunday
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One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea.

Staying with Dulcie, Robert’s life opens into one of rich food, sea-swimming, sunburn and poetry. The two come from different worlds, yet as the summer months pass, they form an unlikely friendship that will profoundly alter their futures.
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An i Book of the Year
A Reading Agency Book of the Year
A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick
A BBC Radio 4 'Book at Bedtime'
An Observer Pick for 2019©2019 Benjamin Myers (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt
All stars
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What a wonderful novel. So many layers. And a fabulous reading . I enjoyed every aspect of it.

Could not have been better!

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I loved the poetry in every description of leaf and bird and youth and wisdom. It will stay with me as an aspiration to inspire those around me also. But first to open a poetry collection such as the D.H.Lawrence I once loved. Wonderful

The poetry of youth and meadow and generosity.

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Loved this book. I was not sure about the narrator's voice at first but soon got very used to it. It was beautifully read and beautifully written. For the lovers of good writing, nature and poetry..I would highly recommend.

A beautiful, touching story

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Maybe it’s the times. Maybe my age. Maybe just my mood. But what seemed at first a beautifully written book about nothing much reeled me in like a trout that doesn’t know it’s hooked until it’s too late. By the end I was in that cottage thinking about lost time. Wonderful.

A slow-burning poetic elegy

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Prepare to be transported in time, in possibility, in adventure and in life. I loved this story and would recommend it to cozy up with.

Immersed in storytelling

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