Her Fearful Symmetry

A Novel

By: Audrey Niffenegger

Narrated by: Bianca Amato

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt; they only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers - with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents, including Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword-puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery.

As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including - perhaps - their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life - even after death.

©2009 Audrey Niffenegger (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"[S]he has a knack for taking the romantic into the realm of creepiness, and she constructs a taut mystery around the secrets to be found in Elspeth's diaries and the lengths to which she will go to reunite with her younger lover. It's no small achievement that the revelations are both organic and completely unexpected." ( The New Yorker)

Slow!!!

The plot drags and is very slow, so sow that I had to listen to it at a 1.5 speed.

Great example of human nature.... with a twist.

What made the experience of listening to Her Fearful Symmetry the most enjoyable?

It was great how the narrator handled the different languages present in the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Fearful Symmetry?

Near the end, the way Martin's story wraps up.

Which character – as performed by Bianca Amato – was your favorite?

I think Julia was great, but my favorite was probably Martin.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book because the author did not twist events to get a happy ending. Some story lines ended happy, others not so much, but all were true to the characters. The book/story was satisfying because the choices made by the characters was very... human and basic, meaning they were not without fault, but any other choice/action would have been only an illusion, and the story would have lost the essential ingredient that made it amazing literature.

Not expected- But that is what makes it good

I read many reviews and see how frustrated many are by the "plot twist at the end" that shall not be named.

I say...this is Niffenegger delivering another sci-fi type story in the form of a feminine novel. What she does so well in Time Traveller's Wife- she does again here. You almost forget the non-realistic plot device for the pure character journey. The characters are AMAZING!

This is a ghost story. The unexpected will, and did, happen. I for one, was delighted.

Miss Niffenegger has a fantastic mind!

She also has an amazing style of writing. I love that she can take an idea that is so hard to believe and make it sound like it could absolutely happen in real life. Yes, yes. So it's a bit gloomy. It actually gave me the willies a couple of times and made me look over my shoulder to make sure nothing was creeping up around me. But that's what this book is about. If you're looking for a cheery, happy book, this isn't the one for you.

I do have to give a pros and cons list, though.

Pros:
Believably unbelievable
Intricate (if not always likable) characters
Lots of complicated story lines
Interesting history about Highgate Cemetery
And who doesn't love ghost stories?

Cons:
Confusing plot twist (not the ghost part, the twins part)
Rushed ending

After having written it out, yep, overall I liked this book. The cons really don't spoil the book as some reviewers would have you believe. In fact, leaving some of what happens next out of the ending made me think even more about the book than if she had just come out and told us what happened to Robert. But, Audrey Niffenegger is kind of a weird writer, so not everyone will enjoy this book.

Bravo! Brilliant writing and story complexity.

I read Symmetry once and listened to the audio version twice. I will do so again.
Ms Amato’s narration is the best I have had the privilege of hearing!
I read Ms Niffenegger’s first novel twice... now Symmetry... I am in awe! My generally articulate self yet finds it difficult to express my experience of Niffenegger’s brilliance... so too Amato’s competence...
Thank you!

So many dimensions!!!

Loved the story with all
The twist and turns. Great characters, wonderfully read, excellent production. I love Audrey Niffenegger.

Seductive and Entertaining

Beautifully atmospheric and written with a keen ear for dialogue, I think Audrey Niffenegger's second novel is the best ghost story since Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. The story is sublime and full of surprises. The narration is superlative. I'm already looking forward to this author's next novel.

Wow! Stellar narration!

If you could sum up Her Fearful Symmetry in three words, what would they be?

Suspenseful. London. Narration.

What other book might you compare Her Fearful Symmetry to and why?

I don't really know. I really enjoy British stories and authors, but I don't think I've ever read anything I would compare this to.

Have you listened to any of Bianca Amato’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEE her.

If you could rename Her Fearful Symmetry, what would you call it?

London Departures.

Any additional comments?

I have read this book, but listening to Bianca Amato and her voice of many colors, I enjoyed it even more than reading to myself. Wow. She is amazing.

her fearful science

Audrey Niffenegger is a fine writer with a fascinating plot, but inconsistent pace. The story dragged in places but anxious to find out how she would weave the ending I never thought of putting it away. The narrator, Bianca Amato, was excellent. While I'm always intrigued to read authors views on the afterlife, Niffenegger's science was preposterous and at times totally annoying. But, if you can overlook this, this book is an eerie, but gripping tale.

Liked it but could not give it 5 stars!

To start out with I was thrilled that my wait was over for Audrey Niffenegger's next book. I really enjoyed "Time Traveler's Wife" and loved Audrey's N. writing style. I was not disappointed in this book either and the way she paints a story with words simply amazes me.

I listened to an interview with Audrey N. before the release and knew the book was a ghost story so I expected a somewhat supernatural storyline.

After listening to the book I understand that not everyone will be drawn to this story like the "Time Traveler's Wife", but keep in mind this is a whole different kind of story.

I thought the story was good, the characters believable, and the narration by Bianca Amato 5 stars, but what disappointed me and kept me from giving it 5 stars is the last few chapters of the book felt rushed and the ending was not developed like it could have been.

I would reccomend this book if you like a supernatural twist in your reading. If you are expecting something similar to "Time Traveler's Wife" I would look else where!