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  • Falling Animals

  • A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick
  • By: Sheila Armstrong
  • Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
  • Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

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Falling Animals cover art

Falling Animals

By: Sheila Armstrong
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
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Summary

*A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK *

An immensely impressive debut from a major literary talent’ JOSEPH O'CONNOR

‘Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book’ LOUISE KENNEDY

The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspenseful

On an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.

Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.

Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today.

©2023 Sheila Armstrong (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What listeners say about Falling Animals

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written and narrated

Poetic ,elegaic and sometimes disquieting . A body is found on a beach and through a series of stories where characters lives have touched in some way , his identity is revealed. It is beautifully written and the narration is excellent .

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Beautifully written and beautifully read. I enjoyed the format of each person's narrative and how they were spun together to create a cohesive story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Captivating

I like how similies are used, the descriptions of the wild, forgotten places and people in the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful

I liked the individual stories and never knowing where they were going - beautifully written prose

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

Something outside my comfort zone and a truly remarkable book! I have never experienced anything like it, listened to it in two sessions, it’s magical.
Cannot say too much without giving it away but it’s written from a very clever perspective, it works so well and carries the story on a wave.
Not to be missed.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The writing was poetic

Whilst the writing was incredibly well observed and discriptively beautiful, it was a little heavy going. Once I got used to the way of the prose though, I settled down to the rhythm of the book and enjoyed the flow of the narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Captivating and Unexpected

such a beautiful and hauntingly gripping story that leads you to a beautiful ending.
It's hard not to give away the magic of this story and the way it's told but it really is wonderful, each chapter can be enjoyed almost as a short story so I found it worked well for times when I was short on listening time.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Some lovely description but found the complex story didn’t prove as exciting as expected

I liked the language used and enjoyed the reading. Pleasant narrator’s voice with light Irish accent

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