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Lady of Hay

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Lady of Hay

By: Barbara Erskine
Narrated by: Isla Blair
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About this listen

A story spanning centuries. A long awaited revenge.

In London, journalist Jo Clifford plans to debunk the belief in past-lives in a hard-hitting magazine piece. But her scepticism is shaken when a hypnotist forces her to relive the experiences of Matilda, Lady of Hay, a noblewoman during the reign of King John.

She learns of Matilda's unhappy marriage, her love for the handsome Richard de Clare, and the brutal death threats handed out by King John, before it becomes clear that Jo’s past and present are inevitably entwined. She realises that eight hundred years on, Matilda’s story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to repeat itself…

Barbara Erskine’s iconic debut novel still delights generations of readers thirty years after its first publication.

©1986 Barbara Erskine (P)2013 HarperCollins Audio Historical Fiction Fiction Marriage King Royalty

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Critic reviews

‘The author's storytelling talent is undeniable. Barbara Erskine can make us feel the cold, smell the filth and experience some of the fear of the power of evil men.' The Times

'Unusual, intriguing, cleverly handled and gripping.' The Good Book Guide

'Fascinating, absorbing, original – all such praise comes easily when describing Barbara Erskine's Lady of Hay. But perhaps the most suitable world is hypnotic.' SHE

'Convincing and extremely colourful.' The Mail
All stars
Most relevant  
The full book is way better, can't understand why you would alter such a great story. The narrator was not up to par either, with mispronounciations and awful accents. Having read the book, I was disappointed with this variation.

Didn't realise it was abridged

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This novel in paperback I loved and I consequently went on to read Erskine's other novels. But this was excruciating. The author read it as if it were Mills and Boon and jolly hockey sticks. For old time's sake I tried to persevere but I gave up.

Previously I loved this novel

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This book suffered hugely from being abridged. Most of the wonderful historical discrimination of the medieval lives were cut. We were left with too much physical relationship descriptions. Sad because Barbara Erskine's books capture past times beautifully interwoven with modern. I've got all the other books which are unabridged and they are marvellous.

Very disappointing abridged version of a great book.

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Any additional comments?
This was the first Barbara Erskine book I read, years ago, and I think her best. Since then the stories gradually became a bit formulaic, but I always returned to re-read this. When I first joined Audible, it was also the first I listened to, and Isla Blair reads it beautifully and had me hooked on audiobooks from around chapter 2. Maude, or Matilda, de Braose is a fascinating character and Erskine's interpretation of her family's relationship with King John is compelling. It's very much a novel but is based on fact - these people did live and much of their lives is documented. The result is a very strong, well headstrong, but 3 dimensional character. I've just listened again, and it is a book you can return to and still enjoy fresh. A fascinating period in history, and the reincarnation aspect is dealt with well. So with 4 for story and 5 for narration, why 3 overall? Purely because it's abridged. I wish Isla Blair could also record the other Erskine book that (nearly) measures up to Lady of Hay, Kingdom of Shadows. It's not listed. But please, unabridged.

If only it weren't abridged...

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I just realised this is the abridged version and it was very short. Thankfully I realised an hour in so it's not the end of the world. From this, I discovered that I can return books. I have purchased the unabridged audio version

I returned this- ABridged

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Would you consider the audio edition of Lady of Hay to be better than the print version?

I read the "Lady of Hay" many years ago and loved it then but listening to it was a vast improvement.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lady of Hay?

It has a very happy ending and I loved this as so many of Barbara's books don't.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I just enjoyed listening to the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Most of the book is very sad.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to the next Barbara Erskine book in the Spring.

Wonderful book I loved listening to it.

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This book was one of the very first I read as a young teen. Because of it, I now love any fiction involving women during the medieval/tudor times. I hope they upload Child Of The Pheonix soon as that partly follows on from this book and is even better!

love it

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Isla Blair really needs to learn to pronounce Welsh if she's going to read a book with Welsh dialogue. This is a good story, but I really wish you had the full version! Don't like beloved stories with bits chopped out.

Missed 'Abridged'

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What did you like most about Lady of Hay?

Love this book so much that I had read it on kindle but just had to listen to it on here love old time books

Lady of hay

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This book is dated, the characters unlikeable and undergo unexplained personality changes as the book goes on! The story of Matilda is interesting but the rest dismal!

Disappointing

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