My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part Two

Here are my favourite audiobooks of the year Part Two. Diane Setterfield appears twice, because I adored both her books.

Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

I think this has to be one of my favourite books ever. It’s so original, with a cast of characters that I absolutely adored. It’s set in the area around the banks of the River Thames in 1887. I love that it is set in my part of the country, so I recognised many of the places, particularly Kelmscott, which I associate with William Morris and the Kelmscott Press.

It’s a story about stories and storytelling, much of which happens at the pub run by Joe and his wife Margot. They have lots of children, the girls referred to as ‘the little Margots’, which tickled me no end, and Jonathan, the youngest, who today would be recognised as being Downs.

For my full review click here

Fyneshade by Kate Griffin

It’s one thing when the heroine is not very nice, but Marta is truly evil. Not because her French grand’mere was supposedly a witch, or because of the way she treats the young girl who she is sent away to ‘educate’, or the fact that she would be considered ‘no better than she should be’ in those days, but because of the way she views herself and others and is happy to wreak havoc on anyone who crosses her.

Discovering that she is not to be married to her lover Nathaniel, she accepts that she is to be sent away to be governess to ten-year-old Grace, the daughter of Sir William Pritchard, the owner of Fyneshade. She has never met him and told he is away for lengths at a time. She is shocked to discover that all members of staff at the house appear to be either old, unlovely, or in some way debilitated. They are shocked when Marta arrives and is young and attractive.

For my full review click here

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

My husband’s late granddad used to say ‘When I go, stick me in a bin bag Paul… (his daughter), and put me out with the rubbish.’ Of course we knew he was joking and wouldn’t have dreamt of doing it. But Sally takes things literally, so she does. When her father dies, she attempts a DIY cremation. Which attracts the attention of the guards, and the media. And that’s where the story begins.

Initially I found Sally intriguing, sad, often humorous, and I couldn’t stop listening (I had an audio version from Borrowbox). Then after a bit I wanted more – where was the story going – and I certainly got it. We moved from Sally to Peter and to be honest, I found his parts the more interesting of the two. If you think Sally’s childhood is dark, it pales into comparison with Peter’s. Because just when you think things couldn’t get any darker, they do. And then darker still.

For my full review click here

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I am not going to leave a long review as this book has been reviewed so many times, there isn’t much I can add. Suffice to say it moved me to tears on more than one occasion. As with Once Upon A River, the writing is beautiful, perfect and evocative. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before (or in this case listened to). And the narration by Jenny Agutter is just right.

But there is one important thing about this book to remember before you embark on a remarkable journey. It’s long (especially as an Audiobook). It’s a slow, beautiful, moonlight cruise, not a 4-hour trip on a jet plane. It’s as much about the journey as the destination. In fact it’s all about the journey, with quite a few stops along the way for tea and cake. And there’s a cat. Need I say more. Oh and a bookshop.

For my full review click here