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  • The Ghost Woods

  • By: C.J. Cooke
  • Narrated by: Paula Masterton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (197 ratings)
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The Ghost Woods cover art

The Ghost Woods

By: C.J. Cooke
Narrated by: Paula Masterton
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Summary

In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.

This place is shrouded in folklore – old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who is not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.

Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds – and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.

As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew – and risk what she holds most dear.

©2022 C.J. Cooke (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Original and compelling, The Ghost Woods is a beautifully written, chilling tale that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished." (Elizabeth Lee)

"It’s no surprise that C.J. Cooke has done it again. She is the queen of gothic thrillers and never fails to amaze me with her writing. The Ghost Woods is an eerie, timely story and an instant classic of the genre." (Samantha Downing)

"Beautifully crafted, this thrilling and atmospheric read had me racing to the very satisfying end." (Rebecca Netley)

What listeners say about The Ghost Woods

Average customer ratings
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  • BB
  • 13-03-23

Brilliant

Such an amazing novel. Brave women & survivors. Working my through all her books. Can’t stop listening. Thank God for audiobooks- I’d never get anything done !

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story.

This is a fantastic storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator was brilliant and brought together the different characters struggles expertly and effortlessly.
I definitely recommend this audio book.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An Atmospheric Allegory

Atmospheric Allegory of Women Being Blamed for Pregnancy

🧡 This was a beautifully written story with well crafted prose and a clever link between two timelines. Some loose ends and confusing elements, but I was invested in the characters and wanted to know what happened to them.

💚 This felt like two books, with two-thirds being a moving tale about the mistreaatment of unwed mothers and the other third a gothic horror. I think it would have worked better with the latter threaded in earlier and more prominently. I wanted more scary stuff, more creepiness and more supernatural backstory.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 The dual timelines made this a challenging listen. We follow two women of similar age in the same place. Each one narrates her part of the book. But it was difficult to keep track of who was talking. To the producers’ credit, they announce as much at the beginning of each section, but if I picked up in the middle of a chapter I was a bit lost. This would have been more accessible as a paperback than audio and I think it would be better yet on screen.

🎧 Paula Masterton is the sole narrator and she is so enjoyable to listen to, but a second narrator with a distinctly different voice would have been so helpful in signposting who was speaking.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Favourite book on audible so far …

I loved the story and the narration of this book would highly recommend. I’m off to check out the authors other works.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another amazing story

This is the third book I’ve read of CJ Cooke and it’s amazing like “The Nesting” and “The Lighthouse Witches”
If you haven’t tried her books yet then please do yourself a favour and grab one or grab them all as you’ll love them

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book.

What an amazing book to listen to, a mix of horror, magic and the terrible reality of the mother and baby homes. Definitely listen to the author's note at the end of the book - it explains the content/context of the narrative.

Brilliant; intriguing, sad and shocking. Loving and hopeful.

I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to listening to The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it

Whilst it was haunting, it lacked something captured in The Lighthouse story. The annoying bit of the narration was the constant repetition of the house/country etc each time the story switched character. It began to detract from my enjoyment towards the end. Still a clever piece.

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1 person found this helpful

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amazing!!

I love this. it had been in my wish list for a while and I kept putting it off, not knowing if it was for me. The historic elements gave a gravity and heart breaking reality to the fictional horror. the strange twists and turns only highlighted by the human emotions

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

Great gothic horror

Wonderful audio book that kept me hooked. Intriguing plot with characters that you really root for

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

An interesting concept

An interesting take on an historical and sad time in Western history. Good twists and turns.A very thought and emotional provoking story.

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