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Florence and Giles

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Florence and Giles

By: John Harding
Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard
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About this listen

A gripping gothic page-turner told in a startlingly different and wonderfully captivating voice. In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. Left to her own devices she devours books in secret and talks to herself in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. Florence becomes convinced that her new governess is a vengeful and malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. Against this powerful supernatural enemy Florence must use all her intelligence and ingenuity to both protect her little brother and preserve her private world.

©2010 John Harding (P)2011 WF Howes Ltd Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Genre Fiction Ghosts Historical Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Psychological Scary Fiction
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I could not stop listening brilliant storytelling. Listened in one day as I was gripped right the way through

Excellent

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this story and the telling of it had be riveted from start to finish, a truly charming and beguiling book! thoroughly recommended read.

magical stuff!

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The story moves along at a clip but there are many unanswered questions which feel more the product of a rushed job than an attempt to maintain suspense to the end

Who chopped up the photographs in Mrs Grouse's room?
What were the true circumstances of the deaths of the children's parents (biological and step)?
What was the significance of the mysterious uncle's fiancée except as a feeble excuse to keep Florence illiterate?
Why was miss Taylor so seemingly desperate to be appointed governess?
What exactly happened to Miss Whittaker?
Why did Florence take the train - to establish a false trail for miss Taylor?

The use of language is interesting and captured well the secret interior life of a neglected but highly imaginative girl although so many neologisms did start to grate towards the end. Overall, an engrossing but ultimately u satisfying book but, then again, I admit I love to have resolved endings

Gripping but incomplete? (Spoilers)

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This one didn't land with me. Not in the same league as Sarah Waters' - Little Stranger or Susan Hill's - Woman in Black.
Some might enjoy it, but I ploughed through 3/4 of it and gave up.

meh

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Thought it was really cleaver and kept me interested all the way to the end!
My favourite section was pert 2 and it just seemed to speed up from there!
At first the narration of Flo was a bit annoying but I soon got used to it.
Would recommend this to anyone as it’s not scary but maybe at most gruesome.

Really enjoyed the progression

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