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The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding

By: Holly Ringland
Narrated by: Emmanuelle Mattana
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Publisher's Summary

The bestselling novel from the author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a haunting and magical novel about joy, grief, courage, and transformation.

'On the afternoon that Esther Wilding drove homeward along the coast, a year after her sister had walked into the sea and disappeared, the light was painfully golden.'

The last time Esther Wilding's beloved older sister Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. In the wake of Aura's disappearance, Esther's family struggles to live with their loss. To seek the truth about her sister's death, Esther reluctantly travels from Lutruwita, Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands, following the trail of the stories Aura left behind: seven fairy tales about selkies, swans and women, alongside cryptic verses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.

The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is a sweeping, deeply beautiful and profoundly moving novel about the far-reaches of sisterly love, the power of wearing your heart on your skin, and the ways life can transform when we find the courage to feel the fullness of both grief and joy.

'Vivid and soaring ... The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is a haunting story of trauma and redemption that is nonetheless compelling and accessible. It's a great recommendation for fans of Vanessa Diffenbaugh's The Language of Flowers or Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things, as well as Ringland's debut The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' Books+Publishing

'Like the best books, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is ultimately a story about love. Ringland is a virtuoso of fairytale storytelling for adults.' Sydney Morning Herald

'A mythological journey as much as an unfolding mystery, full of symbols ... a magical, witchy, quirky, luminous book, full of the natural world, the night sky and the ever-changing water around the islands on which it is set.' The Australian

'This intercontinental journey into joy, grief, nature and magic confirms Holly Ringland as one of Australia's most precious, life-changing storytellers.' Booktopia

'Fans of Holly Ringland's beautiful first novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, will fall equally in love with her second.' The West Australian

'Myths and legends are the touchstone to truth in this epic journey through love, loss, courage and kinship. But The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is also an elegant and mesmerising tribute to the places that hold our stories, heart and memories. Holly Ringland writes with such tenderness, wit and imagination about all these things that it's impossible to come away from this magical story unchanged' Sally Piper, author of Bone Memories

'Another spell is cast by Holly Ringland. I was swept away by this triumphant and luminous story' Myfanwy Jones, Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlisted author for Leap

'Nobody writes about the pain of being alive more deftly than Holly Ringland. She brings such empathy to the topics of grief, love, family conflict and loss. Some of her sentences took my breath away, and I found myself madly flicking pages, days later, to find them again for safekeeping. Astonishing in its scope, detail and sensitivity, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is tender, magical, epic, funny and devastating. This is a very special writer at her best' - Kate Leaver, author of The Friendship Cure

©2022 Holly Ringland (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding

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Incredible

This book was amazing. So well written. The depth, the beauty, the pain. What a book!!!!

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Amazing and moving. Loved it

Thank you for an incredibly moving and rich story. It was just incredible. The narrator was perfection. I didn’t want it to end. I absolutely loved it and the beautiful stories of women and the Faroese had me spellbound.

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A book of storytelling and transformation

The words in this book are like art on a page, it is beautifully written and the narration is calming and extremely easy to listen too.

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Not as good as Alice

Loved the lost flowers of Alice but sadly this was not as good. I didn’t warm to the characters as they were too earth mumma tattoo loving for me. But it did have a story and I kept listening to the end.

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so spell binding from the first word to last!!

Awesome story & well narrated!Had me from the beginning & and sad when it ended!!!!

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So much to love about this book!

Story. Characters. History. Educational. Respectful. Honest. Provocative. Imaginative. Immersive. Sad. Joyful.
And the 80s playlist!!! 😍

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Lovely story of Love, loss and Grief

This book had me in tears at times, some many things hit a nerve, great story which would make a wonderful film.

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The story felt authentic, the characters real and relatable.

Holly really shows her talent as a story writer with this incredible journey into a family that struggles to deal with deep emotional wounds, of grief and loss. Holly holds her main character with so much love and sensitivity, it's hard not to feel a strong urge to cry, laugh and all inbetween.

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The best read

I loved The Seven Skins I felt I was really there in Esther’s Story. I wanted it to go on and on.

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Couldn’t put it down!

I couldn’t stop listening, so much detail, I could see everything in my mind so clearly.
Holly Ringland has an amazing story telling ability that really holds your attention.
I started this book for our book club and it was the best choice. I don’t remember reading such a great story, something that has made me cry, laugh and given me goosebumps and even some second had embarrassment for Esther.
Highly recommend.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.