Great read!

I loved this book! It was my first audio book, and well worth the punt into this new medium.

Craven vividly captures the beautiful landscape - and the harsh realities - of the Tasmanian bush, while drawing the reader into a thrilling and macabre story of a 18th century convict escapee on the run from the authorities and his gruesome past. It is quite a disturbing - yet fascinating listen, and not for the light hearted! It's even more disturbing when you find out it is based on a true story!

Enjoyed the narration which brought the characters to life. It felt like they were in my house!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Enjoyed!

**MILD SPOILER ALERT**
Well, I must say, I really enjoyed listening to this book! I came in blind, not knowing what to expect and found I got pulled in to the story!
I have to admit, I saw the twist coming from quite early on, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story and was only mildly disappointed to find the story was completely fictional as it was definitely believable; a very nice spin-off from an actual event!
I really enjoyed the narrator! Ok, so some of her voices aren’t brilliant (especially the male characters) but she more than makes up for it with her portrayal of Grace: she completely draws you in!
It’s probably more 4 stars in reality, but I can only justify 4 or 5 if I think I’d listen to it again and is it’s not my preferred genre, it’s unlikely.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Mystery and Thriller

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel. The story revolves around Grace, an English woman who moves to the new colonies in Australia with her lover and his two young daughters. However, things don't go to plan and Grace finds herself incarcerated in an insane asylum. She escapes, and retrieves one of the man's daughters, thinking she is saving the child from abuse. Grace is devasted that she couldn't rescue both girls and sets out for the next nearest settlement. Unfortunately, she gets lost in the forest and ends up meeting a convict that has been hiding out there for years. Starving and cold, she has no choice but to seek shelter with him. But then the child, Violet, goes missing. Did the man do something to her?

This story is about love, trust, loss and hope. The author does a good job of keeping up the mystery element of the story and the characters are well rounded. I didn't warm to the character of Grace very much until the end. The other main character, Alexander Dalton, was interesting as the reader/listener is never sure if he is a good or bad man.
The only small issue with this novel for me was that sometimes the POV would change without warning, which brought me out of the story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed listening.

The narrator did a good job of bringing the story and characters to life.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

narrator ruined it for me

lost the story occasionally because the narrator was rubbish. I had to speed it up, she was becoming tedious

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A great study on human nature...

What a great study on human nature. How will you act and who can you trust - or have to trust - when you are out in the wild either on your own or with somebody? And can you blame people for decisions they take under those circumstances.

During the first chapters, I found the voice of the narrator a bit monotonous. It is, however, perfectly suitable for this kind of story.

Initially I thought ,forgotten places' was a S
story about spirits/ghosts. It is - however - more real than one can be comfortable with and - in part - even based on historical fact.

A very entertaining book that left me unsure about how I would act under the circumstances described. Highly recommended.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

great historical fiction

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

An enjoyable historical fiction book about a very dark moment of life in Australia’s history, the descriptions of the harsh life and day to day life of some of the people who lived there. This is quite a powerful story with great descriptions of the wild landscapes. very well researched.

The book cover is great, it gives away nothing but adds to the mystery and the danger of the book. The one problem I had was with the narration, I didn’t enjoy the narration very much, but that is something so very personal don’t let it put you off the book because of it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Forgotten Places

A historical story of a woman with a young girl on the run and a mysterious recluse man collide in a harsh environment where survival is of utmost importance .

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

good book

English settler Grace Ashwell flees an abusive lover in Hobart Town, with six-year-old Violet in tow.
good book

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Brilliant

The narrator is excellent in producing atmosphere in the story and her ability to create characters with accents is superb. I do not understand why other people can be so negative, it is greatly unjustified!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!