The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

By: Joshilyn Jackson

Narrated by: Joshilyn Jackson

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Laurel Gray Hawthorne needs to make things pretty, whether she's helping her mother make sure the literal family skeleton stays in the closet or turning scraps of fabric into nationally acclaimed art quilts.

Her estranged sister, Thalia, an impoverished Actress with a capital A, is her polar opposite, priding herself on exposing the lurid truth lurking behind middle class niceties.

While Laurel's life seems neatly on track - a passionate marriage, a treasured daughter, and a lovely home in suburban Victorianna - everything she holds dear is suddenly thrown into question the night she is visited by the ghost of a her 13-year old neighbor, Molly Dufresne. The ghost leads Laurel to the real Molly, floating lifelessly in the Hawthorne's backyard pool. Molly's death is inexplicable - an unseemly mystery Laurel knows no one in her whitewashed neighborhood is up to solving. Only her wayward, unpredictable sister is right for the task, but calling in a favor from Thalia is like walking straight into a frying pan protected only by Crisco.

Enlisting Thalia's help, Laurel sets out on a life-altering journey that triggers startling revelations about her family's guarded past, the true state of her marriage, and the girl who stopped swimming.

Richer and more rewarding than any story Joshilyn Jackson has yet written, yet still packed with Jackson's trademarked outrageous characters, sparkling dialogue, and defiantly twisting plotting, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is destined both to delight Jackson's loyal fans and capture a whole new audience.

©2008 Joshilyn Jackson (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Jackson matches effortless Southern storytelling with a keen eye for character and heart-stopping circumstances." ( Publishers Weekly)

Slow start

What did you love best about The Girl Who Stopped Swimming?

Realization what she had was enough.

What did you like best about this story?

The husband's character. He loved her in his own way.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Male voice was not realistic.

If you could take any character from The Girl Who Stopped Swimming out to dinner, who would it be and why?

David. He seems charming in a total geeky way.

Never Disappoints

Any additional comments?

I enjoy everything Jackson writes. She is a wonderful author who consistantly charms you with her characters and pulls you into their lives.

Slow.. but decent.

Story overall was kind of slow. Toward the end (last 20 pages) the story started picking up….. left me, ehh, I prob wouldn’t read it again if I knew what I know now. But if you want a SLOW read, with decent end. It’s good.

One of the Best books I've purchased

I read a review of this audio book in our local newspaper and was SO glad I purchased it. This was truly the best audio book I've gotten and I've gone on to purchase others by this author.

The narrator was terrific. She really brought the different characters to life. The mystery and plot were actually secondary in my opinion to the lively and descriptive writing here. The characters were finely drawn and it was a joy to listen to. I listen to audio books each day when I walk my dogs and I had a hard time stopping each day.

Highly recommend this audio book.

Excellent writing; wonderful narrarator

I am nearing the end of this well-written novel. The author is a terrific reader - listening to this novel has the feel of listening to a full cast production without the jarring sensation that sometimes accompanies listening to a cast with multiple readers. Her tone, timbre and accent changes with each character, yet I never feel as though she is over-acting.

Highly Recommend!

I fell in love with Joshilyn Jackson's writing after reading Gods in Alabama. I was worried about this one because I was afraid of being let down. No worries there! This is a great book. I look forward to reading more of her writing and love that she narrated this one and Between Georgia. I think she is the only one who could have brought her characters to life so perfectly.

Good good good

I really enjoyed this audio book. It made me want to buy, and I did, her other books in print.
Easy to follow and enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

Bravo!

Absolutely exquisite. The reader struggles to focus at the beginning because events unfold slowly and details are meticulously woven into the plot. The story gently crescendos into a dramatic series of pivotal events that end in the most satisfying, humanly flawed way.

A good listen for a credit

Not as good as Between Georgia, but overall a good listen. I wasn't disappointed that I used my credit.

Such a good listen

Loved this book. Joshilyn does a great job narrating as well.

I’ve enjoyed every book she’s written.