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Abominations
- Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction
- Narrated by: Lionel Shriver
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
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Abominations
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Summary
The first essay collection from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.
‘This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer… Order a copy in case she’s cancelled by Christmas’ THE TIMES (Book of the Year)
‘You may disagree with Lionel Shriver’s bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the freedom of expression issue’ Rachel Cooke, OBSERVER
‘Testament to the fierce intelligence of a writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more — and who also makes it fun’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
Novelist, cultural observer and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces ‘under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous’ points of view, she regularly deplores the conformity of thought and attitude that has overtaken society.
Bringing together thirty-five works curated from her many columns, features, essays and op-eds for the likes of the Spectator and Guardian, speeches and reviews, and some unpublished pieces, Abominations reveals Shriver at her most iconoclastic and personal. Relentlessly sceptical, cutting and contrarian but also frequently moving and vulnerable, this collection showcases her piquant opinions on a wide range of topics, including religion, politics, illness, mortality, family and friends, tennis, gender, immigration, consumerism, health care and taxes.
Though some of the more divisive essays in Abominations have ‘brought hell and damnation down on my head,’ as she cheerfully explains, she also offers insights on her novels and explores the perks and pitfalls of becoming a successful artist. Readers will find plenty to challenge them here, but they may also find many nuanced and considered insights with which they agree.
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What listeners say about Abominations
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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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah King
- 09-04-24
Sterling Shriver gives an entertaining and thought provoking insight into what makes her tick
As a Lionel Shriver fan already, I stumbled across this recently on Audible and was surprised to have missed its publication.
I thoroughly enjoyed almost every line and was deeply interested to hear what the author thinks or has thought about all the different topics covered.
I suspect some people would disagree violently with much of the content, but I found it heartening to read so many of my own beliefs written so, so much better than I could have articulated them.
Thank you Lionel for all your books.
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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
- Graham G Grant
- 14-02-23
Vice-signalling
Lionel Shriver is a powerful voice of reason in a tumultuous time, when little seems to make sense. In Britain, she’s seen as Right-wing - but in the States she’s regarded as left-of-centre. She’s pro-Brexit, an immigration sceptic, and in favour of lower taxes. That’s enough to make her more or less an extremist in some virtue-signalling parts of the liberal commentariat. Everything in this powerful collection is clear-headed and thought-provoking - and few if any sacred cows are spared. She takes on the NHS and welfare culture, as well as lockdowns and the normalisation of massive state spending as a result of furlough. It’s perceptive but importantly has a light touch, and much of the book is effectively memoir - she discusses her brother who was in IQ terms a genius but tragically died after becoming morbidly obese, inspiring her novel Big Brother, and her time in Northern Ireland, which she argues was the birthplace of identity politics. There’s never a dull moment: get it now - and enjoy!
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2 people found this helpful