Behaviour of Moths [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Poppy Adam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

This is a stunning debut novel that reveals the insecurity and paranoia that sometimes exists within families. From her lookout on the first floor, Ginny watches and waits for her younger sister to return to the crumbling mansion that was once their idyllic childhood home. Vivien has not set foot in the house since she left, forty-seven years ago; Ginny, the reclusive moth expert, has rarely ventured out. She has been selling off the family furniture over the years, gradually shutting each wing of the house and retreating into the precise routines that define her days. Only the attic remains untouched. There, collected over several generations, the walls are lined with pinned and preserved moths...Bordered Beauties and Rusty Waves, Feathered Footmen and Great Brocades, the Gothic and the Stranger...Now that Vivien is coming home, long forgotten memories are stirred up and the secrets that have separated the sisters threaten to disrupt much more than Ginny's carefully ordered world. Told through Ginny's unforgettable voice, this brilliant debut novel tells us what families are capable of doing to each other - especially in the name of love. This recording is unabridged. Typically abridged audiobooks are not more than 60 per cent of the author's work and as low as 30 per cent with characters and plotlines removed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I found listening to it enthralling as well as deeply unsettling... thanks to Sandra Duncan's performance. Her brittle, Cheltenham vowels are perfectly matched to the character of the evasive and deluded narrator. [With] the utterly brilliant matching of narrator to text... we feel we are listening to Ginny herself." Christina Hardyment, The Times "Layers of increasingly disturbing family secrets are gradually revealed in this beguiling and chilling story with a brilliant narration." Rachel Redford, The Observer"

About the Author

Aged 34, Poppy Adams is a documentary filmmaker with a Natural Science degree who has made films for the BBC, Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel. She has three children and lives with her husband in London. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Wf Howes; Unabridged edition (December 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1407428934
• ISBN-13: 978-1407428932
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Poor ending? Get out of here!, January 22, 2010

By 

Marianne MacKenzie (Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behaviour of Moths (Paperback)

A truly exceptional book and very well written, though I suspect women might enjoy it more than men.

I don't usually care much anymore for books described as "dark" and "mysterious", and I have long since done all my essential reading of Edgar Allan Poe. However, in this case, the description on the back cover is misleading: The Behaviour of Moths it is primarily a beautifully crafted story, set in just a few days, and with a (fair) bit of suspense thrown in as an added bonus.

And even if you don't much care for moths (you might find you actually do after reading this book) you will enjoy the read! As for the ending: well, I found the unexpected twist very satisfying. Far from being poor or unfinished, I enjoyed the change of focus ... and location. No more said - read it for yourself!

1.0 out of 5 stars What a poor ending!, January 5, 2010

By 

LL in CPH (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Behaviour of Moths (Paperback)

After writing 9/10 of an exellent book, something goes terribly wrong! If you ever read 'Den forsvundne fuldmægtig' by Hans Scherfig, you would know that this ending is just a poor copy of a masterpiece. What went wrong? Did she get bored by her writing and just wanted it done with?

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss it, September 24, 2009

By 

Invictus (Brisbane) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Behaviour of Moths (Hardcover)

Reading Adams' Behaviour of Moths for a second time, I am more impressed than ever. Few writers can have so adroitly given a gentle introduction to a biological area with a, much more important, gripping human story.

INVICTUS