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Always Greener
- The true story behind Restless Dolly Maunder
- Narrated by: Kate Grenville
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
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Always Greener
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Summary
'If there’d been a gun in her hand at that moment she knew she’d have shot them.... She’d been so pleased with little Dolly Russell, the good life she’d got for them all. Thought she had it made, had got her hands at last on the levers of her life.... Now it turned out that all that, being so pleased with herself, was no more real than a puff of smoke.'
Always Greener is an exquisite portrait of Kate Grenville's complex, conflicted grandmother, who she feared as a child and only in adulthood came to understand. Born in rural Australia, Dolly Russell becomes a successful businessperson, mother and troubled wife. Then came the depression, bankruptcy and World War I. Yet, in a way, those disasters freed her. They allowed her to use her intelligence and ambition to make a space for herself in a man’s world.
With all the pathos and subtlety that defined Grenville’s Australian classics such as Lilian’s Story and her Booker-shortlisted The Secret River, Always Greener tells the story of a generation of women often forgotten at our own cost.
What listeners say about Always Greener
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leo dogliani
- 27-06-24
The story the understanding of the woman’s situation
I really liked the authors manner when speaking and the real life she was portraying even though it was fictional
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. Fritchley
- 06-03-22
Really worth listening to
I am always a little wary of the free “included” books but having enjoyed actually reading Kate Grenville’s The Lieutenant” , I thought it was worth a go.
Well, what a little gem! A superbly written (and narrated, by the author) biography of an extraordinary, ordinary, woman. Not famous, not a celebrity, just a woman.
Fantastic book. Give it a try, I’d be amazed if you were disappointed
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- flowertoes
- 31-07-21
Always greener.
A moving loving insight into another time,towards the end the relationship between Frank and his mother is heart rending,a truly magnificent story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-11-21
Loved it!
Beautiful story beautifully told by the author. While I’m of the generation that had greater opportunities, this story is so relatable. It captures a time when women had strict roles and weren’t expected to have drive and passion for anything outside their families. Dolly Russell chafed against the restrictions and did her best to achieve business and personal success but was hampered by her own restlessness and longings for something always greener.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Maggieann
- 30-08-21
Thoroughly enjoyed this book
Beautifully written and narrated by the author.l could listen to her all day and the story was very believable
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JSM
- 27-11-21
Beautiful
This is beautifully written and performed. I’ve never read or listened to Kate Greenville but I will look for her again.
It’s difficult today to imagine how tough it was back then, especially for women, but this is a story of strength, survival, and ultimately success of the matriarch of the family.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- "tappingpoodle"
- 15-02-22
very interesting biography
An interesting listen. The sound effects were a distraction however. Very well read .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- eGJ
- 18-01-23
Fascinating record of a life
Thank you audible for the chance to hear the story of Kate Greenville’s grandmother; an absorbing listen throughout and enhanced by the background noises!
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Vicuña
- 21-08-21
Interesting but background music is intrusive
I was enjoying this but suddenly there’s music playing in the background as part of the audio. At first it seemed like part of the chapter intro but it continued and I found it intrusive. So much so it was irritating and I could n’t concentrate on the narration. Gave up. And disappointed as I like Greenville’s writing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- michelle reilly
- 18-10-24
boring
the music in-between was very jarring at points and irritating, but the story itself just brushed over points of Dolly's life with no real depth. I only finished the book by accident as it played in the background while I drove to and from work. I have never giving a poor review of a book because I can usually find something I like or am interested in but I just couldn't wait for it to be finished
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