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Harbor  By  cover art

Harbor

By: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
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Publisher's summary

From the author of the international and New York Times best seller Let the Right One In (Let Me In) comes this stunning and terrifying book which begins when a man's six-year-old daughter vanishes.

One ordinary winter afternoon on a snowy island, Anders and Cecilia take their six-year-old daughter, Maja, across the ice to visit the lighthouse in the middle of the frozen channel. While the couple explore the lighthouse, Maja disappears - either into thin air or under thin ice - leaving not even a footprint in the snow. Two years later, alone and more or less permanently drunk, Anders returns to the island to regroup. He slowly realizes that people are not telling him all they know; even his own mother, it seems, is keeping secrets. What is happening in Domaro, and what power does the sea have over the town's inhabitants?

As he did with Let the Right One In and Handling the Undead, John Ajvide Lindqvist serves up a blockbuster cocktail of suspense in a narrative that barely pauses for breath.

©2008 John Ajvide Lindqvist and ©2010 Marlaine Delargy (Translation) (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“John Ajvide Lindqvist is rightly seen as one of the most exciting writers working in the horror genre at the moment - a rival, indeed, to Stephen King.” ( TheScotsman.com )

What listeners say about Harbor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    71
  • 4 Stars
    65
  • 3 Stars
    55
  • 2 Stars
    22
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Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    48
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    32
  • 2 Stars
    9
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Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    67
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    52
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    23

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Delightfully Creepy

This is a delightfully creepy Scandanavian tale. But unlike many of the other Scandanavian writers who write thrillers or mysteries, John Ajvide Lindqvist writes supernatural stories.

Harbour starts out with a family going for a little mid-winter picnic to the lighthouse, and the 8 year old daughter disappears into thin air. Several years later, her parents have divorced, and her father (who has hit rock bottom and spends his time drinking and despairing) returns to the island where they formerly lived and were happy.

But the island has its secrets, and the residents want to keep things that way. The book is suffused with magic and bits of creepiness. The ending is a little overblown, but the journey along the way is perfectly delicious.

The narration is well done, and the writing is very solid. This is a great escapist read. It's a little less bleak than Let Me In, but is equally well done. This is definitely credit-worthy.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

difficult to follow

What would have made Harbor better?

this is not a book to listen to if you have to divide your attention. The author jumps back a fourth between past tense and present. It was difficult for me to keep track when I was doing something as simple as driving. I never, EVER just sit and listen to a book so I had to keep rewinding to figure out what was going on!!

What other book might you compare Harbor to and why?

I wouldn't

Have you listened to any of Julian Rhind-Tutt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first performance of Julian Rhind-Tutt I have heard

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Harbor?

I would make the time jumps more easy to follow

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really loved this book!

Lindqvist's prose is wonderful and his storytelling is meticulous -- it unfolds so gradually that one may not notice a turn in the story until it's well underway. What a crafty writer! Great book!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely no story in this book. 7

What disappointed you about Harbor?

I tried three times to start this book. It's reviews were OK and I thought I was just missing something. It starts really good. Then it gets bogged down in something, I don't know what because the story could not hold my interest. I forced myself to listen to the first download this time and again - I can't even begin to tell you what the story is about.

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6 people found this helpful

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

Great Writing Lame Story

Where does Harbor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Low middle

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Make the lines between magical realism and the real clearer. Don't apply rational ideas to magical realism and don't lend magic to the moments of reality.

Which scene was your favorite?

Finding Maia

If you could take any character from Harbor out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Andres

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Pointless

I only kept listening because the narrator was good. The story is silly. Please don't waste your time or money on this one as I did.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Long Book, Slow in many places

I liked the book enough to listen to the end. I probably would not actually recommend it to the first time reader.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Narrator is fantastic, story not so much

I'm on the second half of the book, and I believe I may quit at this point. The pacing of the book is very slow, which would not have bothered me if, when the action did finally begin, it had not been so offensive. But praise goes to Julian Rhind-Tutt for a great narration, at least.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Harbor to be better than the print version?

I rarely if ever write reviews since most of what I read or listen to is not worth the time. This story was however, a wonderful surprise. In addition to having quite a unique and intriguing concept, the execution was excellent as well as the narration.

What did you like best about this story?

An old idea was given a new perspective and that concept was developed very well. Additionally, it provided me with a very interesting view of life in Sweden.

What does Julian Rhind-Tutt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This narrator is by far the best I've heard out of the dozens of audiobooks I've listened to over the years. He had the ability to very naturally transition from character-to-character without "overdoing" any of them. He was also one of the most accurate readers I've heard. I could not identify even one word mis-spoken or mis-read.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen to audiobooks during my sometimes long commutes to and from work everyday. There were many days I found myself losing track of how I made it into work or home going on "autopilot" for the drive while paying in-depth attention to the book. There were also many-a-evening where I sat in my garage for a time listening until my wife popped-in to let me know dinner was ready.

Any additional comments?

All-in-all, an excellent listen. I'm certain that in the not too distant future I will be listening to this story again which I've never done with any other audiobook.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

An uninspired tale well told?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Ultimately, the pacing of this book was too slow for me, and the core premise isn't interesting enough to merit my investment. Other people might enjoy this book, but to me it's just another Creepy Isolated Locals with Occult Secret tale stretched out very thin with a dash of pretentiousness.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I think I'll go into more science fiction. I've had several runs with disapointing horror recently.

What about Julian Rhind-Tutt’s performance did you like?

He is good at bringing regional flavor and low-minded malice to characters.

Was Harbor worth the listening time?

On the whole it didn't satisfy me. It's not necessarily a bad book, but it took too long for me to reach an unsurprising turn of events.

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1 person found this helpful