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Visitation

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Visitation

By: Carolyn Gillespie
Narrated by: Carolyn Gillespie
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About this listen

How can you believe your own eyes when nothing feels real anymore?

It's 1983 Dundee, Scotland. Smart lonely and raging with grief, Ella is done trying to fit in. Caught up in the post-punk scene and on the verge of going off the rails, she is packed off to St Cecilia's, a convent boarding school to keep her out of harm's way. But when her new classmates claim to have been visited by the Virgin Mary, Ella is drawn into a far darker world of chaos. And who can tell what's fake and what's real?

From the immersive and beautifully rendered 80s setting to the timeless themes of belonging and identity, VISITATION is a captivating exploration of loss, longing and difference.

©2025 Carolyn Gillespie (P)2026 Carolyn Gillespie Coming of Age Genre Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

"A darkly atmospheric coming of age story so haunting it kept me riveted until the very last page." - Jane Hennigan, Author of MOTHS

"Immersive and beautifully rendered." - LOUISE FINCH, Carnegie Prize shortlisted author of THE ETERNAL RETURN OF CLARA HART

"Emotive, tender, funny, intriguing, and brilliantly well written." - LIZ RUMBOLD
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Listener received this title free

I don’t listen to many audio books but wanted to see how this was with the variety of accents. Carolyn Gillespie’s voice, tone and range are excellent - giving scope and character to each person in this story. The story itself was enthralling, very engaging with a fresh angle on the growth of a person who is deep in grief. A recommended listen.

Thoroughly enjoyable listen

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Another brilliant book by Carolyn. Great but hard read, in a good way. Described as a coming of age story, although true, it is a journey through grief, the pain of which is palpable, hence the hard read.
Also really appreciated that the boarding school experience wasn't romanticised as many book seem to.

Great book

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Listener received this title free

A compelling and accomplished novel that evoked a stirring sense of place and time. A brilliant read.

A dark yet uplifting coming of age

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