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I Came to Say Goodbye

By: Caroline Overington
Narrated by: Tai Hara, Jennifer Rani
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Summary

Caroline Overington's best seller is a heart-breaking, utterly compelling novel of a family ripped apart.

It was four o'clock in the morning. A young woman pushed through the hospital doors. Staff would later say they thought the woman was a new mother, returning to her child - and in a way, she was.

She walked into the nursery, where a baby girl lay sleeping. The infant didn't wake when the woman placed her gently in the shopping bag she had brought with her. There is CCTV footage of what happened next, and most Australians would have seen it, either on the internet or the news.

The woman walked out to the car park, towards an old Corolla. For a moment, she held the child gently against her breast and, with her eyes closed, she smelled her. She then clipped the infant into the car, got in and drove off.

That is where the footage ends. It isn't where the story ends, however. It's not even where the story starts.

©2022 Caroline Overington (P)2022 Audible, Ltd
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What listeners say about I Came to Say Goodbye

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Enthralled

OMG
What a brilliant book, I didn’t miss a word.
10 stars to the narration especially Tai Hara
I will probably need to listen again, something I very rarely do.
Cannot praise this book enough.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

A very good descriptive story. Gives insight of life in Australia for very ordinary folks.

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I Came to Say Goodbye

Oh my goodness. I wasn’t about this at the beginning, but how glad I am that I went with it. It wasn’t long before I was completely enthralled. It was such a moving story and so beautifully read, with voices that I could listen to for ever and could totally believe in. I was so sorry when it ended.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

The narration on some audible books is not right for lots of reasons which can put me off continuing with it, but this book has nailed the narration and they are brilliant. I was so glad because this is such a sad, happy thoughtful story so well written. It’s sad because of what happens, why one family suffered so much, thoughtful, in as much as what happens with social services’ involvement in this story happens here too in England, sometimes they are so up their own backsides with bureaucracy they lose sight of the humans involved.
The happy part is something I didn’t see coming along with the characters
- but it was so welcome after all that had gone before. Be prepared to loose it big time.
Beautiful book, wonderful characters, excellent narration. Listen to it you won’t be disappointed.

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Terrific back story

Beautifully built story which takes the listener through a humorous and thoughtful explanation of the terrifyingly ordinary sadnesses of a family. Loved it

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Brilliant

enjoyed from start to finish. ist book I've read by author. Will try more. thanks.

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An amazing book

I began listening to this book because it had great reviews and was free, I had no remaining credits.
However, I kept listening because it is brilliant, very sad but so good.
The narrators are brilliant especially the Australian narrator.
I really recommend giving this book a try, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Narration let’s it down

I think this book could be very good but I struggled with the narrator. I almost gave up a couple of times since he said she said is said throughout the whole book and it’s very irritating, but apart from that the book was overall not to bad

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great

Great book. Very well written and the narrators were perfect. It really made me cry.

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keeps unfolding right to the end.

This story flows and twists right to the end. Beautifully written and narrated. I really did not think I would get emotional and cry but finally broke towards the end of the story. I was cautious as it is not my usual choice of read. Caroline Overington has brought so many topic to one story, mental health, motherhood and fatherhood, cultures, adoption, child abuse etc that I thought it would be difficult to listen and navigate through but it is so well written through the main characters views that it didn't lose it thread.

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