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Only Ever Yours

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Only Ever Yours

By: Louise O'Neill
Narrated by: Emma Weaver
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About this listen

Winner of the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year Award.

Eves are designed, not made. The School trains them to be pretty. The School trains them to be good. The School trains them to Always be Willing. All their lives, the eves have been waiting. Now they are ready for the outside world.

Companion...concubine...or chastity. Only the best will be chosen. And only the Men decide.

©2014 Louise O'Neill (P)2015 WF Howes Ltd Dystopian Fiction Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Critic reviews

"Deserves to be read by young and old, male and female, the world over in the same way Harry Potter and The Hunger Games were." (Sunday Independent)
"Utterly magnificent...gripping, accomplished and dark." (Marian Keyes)
" The Handmaid's Tale meets Mean Girls." ( The Vagenda)
All stars
Most relevant  
Ok dystopian novel. Terrible narration with words often mispronounced. This spoils it completely - I.e. 'bellying' for 'belying".

poor narration

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Was definitely not the right person to narrate this. She reads too quickly at times and the speed makes it uncomfortable and make you feel kind of anxious (which I didn't like.) Try the sample to see if you can deal with it. If not, but the book instead.

Great story. Terrible narrator.

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the last few chapters felt like the author didn't know where they were going with the story. it was a real disappointment as I felt so invested and then it was a huge build up for a quick dull solution that didn't live up to the quality or writing style of the rest of the book which left me thinking....is that it?
the narrator stumbled over pronunciation in places but was pleasant to listen to otherwise.

Disappointed

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Great story but awful narrator. I would suggest just reading this book and saving the credit.

Great story but awful narrator

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What made the experience of listening to Only Ever Yours the most enjoyable?

The story is good, the characters are interesting and quite well developed. I think it gives a good portrayal of teenage girls and their relationships.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It's a little shallow, so maybe some more exploration of the dystopian world they live in and how it came to be.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I honestly cannot believe how bad the narrator was. She mispronounces things, trips up over her words constantly and is extremely irritating. I don't understand why they didn't re-record all her mistakes. She is also very shrill.

Narrator is the worst!

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loved it, gripping read. Scarily true to real life. would highly recommend! easy read too

great read

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Gripping, thought provoking, unputdownable.
The only let down was the narrator, mispronounced words, wrong intonations etc... Would much prefer Aoife McMahon telling the story.

Great book, poor narration.

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What did you like most about Only Ever Yours?

Disturbing dystopian novel; a modern "Handmaidens tale". Crisply written from the main character's view point. You can almost taste the fear that pervades the novel. Haunting, beautiful. I liked best how you felt at times that you were in the main character's head, feeling her desperation and fear as she tries to survive a dysfunctional and cruel world.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Frieda, because she is so flawed, often unlikeable and very damaged.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Had I come to this for the first time just from the audible book I would not have loved this book so much, because the narrator was not skilled at showing the underlying fear that set a chilling backdrop to the surface bullying and bantering of the girls in their final year at school as they jostled for positions. The narrating was often harsh, loud and irritating, which to some extent was fine as the girls are largely supposed to be irritating and unlikeable, but the subtle shades of darkness were not there. There were times when the narration, in my opinion, should have been whispering, chilling, or depressed, but it wasn't. Also you couldn't always tell when characters were speaking or thinking, They melded into one in the narration. I just think that dark meaning was lost in the telling. I would not recommend this narrated version of this book.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is a powerfully dark book that packs a punch of horror. It usually makes me cry and feel fear and despair.

Any additional comments?

I would strongly recommend this book but not this narrated version of it.

Brilliantly written - narration loses meaning

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I liked this premise from the outset, although I think it could have been fleshed out a bit more. I I would like to know more about the dystopian world in which the characters live, outside the school setting, and I'd like to know more about the different motivations of the girls as well, as they are quite difficult to differentiate. But in general I liked the idea and it was definitely gripping and well-paced, with some interesting messages and warnings. However I do think the poor narration of this audiobook detracts from the story, which is a shame for the author. The reader mispronounces a number of words - I had to rewind to work out what word she meant in a couple of instances - and uses very weird intonation that makes it tricky to know exactly what tone the author is going for. I think probably better to read the actual book as the narration is distracting.

An interesting premise but bad narration very offputting!

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Only Ever Yours sits neatly alongside The Handmaid's Tale as an oddly feminist warning from a possible future. However, the vapidity of the girls - and the future without religion - make this a different prospect, despite the clear parallels between frieda and Attwood's Offred.

I do have issues with the performance - some words and phrases are clearly deliberately altered to signify the passing of time with the modification of language. The occasional mispronunciation - 'chaste' to rhyme with 'past' to give one example - which clearly isn't deliberate jars, and jars badly. Additionally, whilst the breathless and rushed delivery works for the 'Mean Girls' aspect of the novel, you're left strangely cold and uninvolved by moments of horror and pathos.

Would I recommend it? You bet. This book should be a mandatory 13th birthday present for everyone. Even boys. Perhaps especially boys.

Patchy reading of a powerful novel

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