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The Wakes cover art

The Wakes

By: Dianne Yarwood
Narrated by: Melissa Madden Gray
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Publisher's Summary

'Warm and profound. I can't wait for everyone to read it' SALLY HEPWORTH

'An insightful, emotionally intelligent writer . . . her book is like a warm embrace' The Times

'An uplifting novel about friendship, death and how the joy of living can be found in the most unexpected places' Guardian

This is a story about Clare, Louisa and Chris. And sometimes Paul, and less often, Beth. It is most certainly not about frittatas (a terrible concession), and more to do with lemon tart (a perfect contrast of textures).

It is about what to do when your husband tells you that he doesn't love you anymore. And what to do when your wife leaves you after too many rounds of IVF. It's about helping your new friend with her funeral catering business, and discovering that, sometimes, the most unlikely of pairings are the very, very best. It is about food that is outrageously good and comforting to sad people. And, for once, not being sensible, and throwing away everything you know.

Catering, like life, doesn't always go according to plan, and as Clare, Louisa and Chris's stories become more intertwined, they will learn that life will always manage to break in to remind you of just how good it can be.

This is a book about living. After all, the thing about death is that it makes life important.

'So warm and poignant and sweetly funny. I loved it' JACQUELINE MALEY

'A celebration of what it means to be alive, and the joy of finding friendship where you least expect it . . . explores the messiness of middle age with warmth, humanity and wry humour, as well as fiction's most delicious lemon tarts! I'd eat this book if I could' JOANNA NELL

©2023 Dianne Yarwood (P)2023 Hachette Australia Audio

What listeners say about The Wakes

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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Well written, insightful and entertaining

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Beautifully written with great insight into relationships and their effect on our lives. Entertaining and easy to listen to. Definitely recommended.

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  • Overall
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Nice enjoyable read

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the character, the setting, the story. It was very Australian and very relatable.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely. Moving and uplifting

I really enjoyed this. But needed to skip back a few times as it does jump about in time.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Until you're there, you won't know.

This was a lovely story and a welcome insight to Wakes. Thankfully most people don't know what goes on in the funeral world until we're thrown grieving and reeling into the world of funerals and wakes. This is a delightful story that embraces the gentle side, without too much of the harsh reality of death. A subtle insight into the loving and caring types who facilitate in times of loss.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautifully constructed characters

It made me smile and cry in beautifully subtle scenes. I fell in love with the characters.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable and engaging

An uplifting novel about life, love and loss. Very easy to listen to and relatable

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Loved it!

A beautifully crafted story. Thoroughly enjoyable.
It left a smile on my face and a craving for a good chicken sandwich!

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Highly recommend

What a beautiful surprise this novel is, from start to finish.
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it does make you think about life

The happenings in this story are so relatable. A good reminder to live life doing what makes you happy, whenever possible.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I have some issues with this book

Firstly, can audible please correct the chapters. The first 2 chapters in this are actually the forward and the dedication, very annoying but not the first time.
Second, it was really hard to distinguish the characters, it was a very monotone book and whilst I liked the narrators voice, the fact that every character sounded the same there was just no pep in any of the story
Thirdly it’s a book about wakes, I know that but it really struggled to show any interesting plot, half the time I wanted to shake the characters.
Just not for me, but I do wanted to enjoy it

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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.