The Wicked Girls

By: Alex Marwood

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Edgar Award Winner, Best Paperback Original, 2014

On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two 11-year-old girls meet for the first time. By the end of the day, they will both be charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, journalist Kirsty Lindsay is reporting on a series of sickening attacks on young female tourists in a seaside vacation town when her investigation leads her to interview carnival cleaner Amber Gordon.

For Kirsty and Amber, it's the first time they've seen each other since that dark day so many years ago. Now with new, vastly different lives - and unknowing families to protect - will they really be able to keep their wicked secret hidden? Gripping and fast-paced, with an ending that will stay with you long after you've listened to it, The Wicked Girls will appeal to fans of the Academy Award–nominated film Heavenly Creatures and the novels of Rosamund Lupton and Chevy Stevens.

©2012 Alex Marwood (P)2013 Tantor

NO REPRIEVE

This is a story of, unforgiveness. Two young girls, accidentaly caused the death of another child, much younger, who was foolishly left in their care. Those that should have been blamed, went free and the burden of responsibility for the death, was unjustly applied to twelve-year-old girls. Several years passed and the 'convicted' girls, who are now adults, have made a valiant effort to go on with their lives. When another tragedy strikes, they are thrown together again, to face the horror of being in the spotlight of an unforfiving and judgemental society. .

Excellent... And Tragic

I purchased this book based on the positive reviews and the summary which sounded intriguing. I was not disappointed. This book is beautifully written with excellent character development and a stellar delivery by the narrator.
In my opinion, the best books are ones that make us ask difficult questions of ourselves. While listening to this book I felt compelled to consider and reflect on my own judgment, my beliefs and values, and our absorption as a culture with assigning blame. I was also intrigued by the themes around our obsession with "evil" (or rather our perception of it) flawed though it may be.
This book is extremely thought-provoking, but to me it was also incredibly sad.
I strongly recommend it.

Wickedly innocent

This was a very interesting story of how two girls worlds collide and then years later through tragic events they come together again and still have to deal with the impact of their past in order to address their futures. The narrators accent takes a chapter to adjust your hearing but does a good job telling the story.

Wickedly delightful

Where does The Wicked Girls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Wicked Girls ranks amongst the best and most enjoyable books I have listened to on Audible, although I am a relatively new listener.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The two protagonists in this book are inextricably tied together, interdependent and wonderfully developed and both Annabelle and Kirstie both are characters that are highly engaging for their good and wicked ways.

What about Anna Bentinck’s performance did you like?

The narrator's performance was first class. In many ways it was like listening to a play and at times I was so immersed I completely forgot I was listening to just one person. She completely captured the essence and class of the characters and contributed to the enjoyability of the book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Evil and goodness; flip sides of the same coin.

A Compelling Read

I read Alex Marwood's second book first and saw that this one had great reviews. I'm glad I did because I think I would have been disappointed had I listened to this one first. My heart still aches for both children and women. Marwood makes no attempt to sugar coat the ugliness of human nature as the story progresses. We really understand and get to know both Jade/Kirsty and Belle/Amber, their dreams and disillusions, and finally how even one day of traumatic experience can still bond two souls 25 years later.

Good read

I liked this book. Narrator was not irritating. Good story and easy to follow. Recommend.

Enjoyable Enough

It wasn’t life changing but it was exactly what it was supposed to be. Worth a listen.

Had a hard time getting into it

I’m glad I stuck it out but it started out very confusing. Hard to keep track of where the story was. I had to start chapters over a lot. Could have been me not being that interested and therefore not following well.

Too Sad (and Horrifying) For No Reason

Let's start off my saying the writing is great and the performance is fantastic. But the story was utterly bleak with no resolution. The ending is just as devastating as the rest of the book. There's no lesson, just sadness that gets worse and worse and then it's over.

I love engrossing page-turners because they are a fun - and yes, sometimes "wicked" - distraction. But when they are dark and cruel and morbid from start to finish, I feel ugly and dissatisfied. The graphic descriptions were in line with the story, but too much for me without anything to balance them.

I feel like a sadder person for having read this.

Also ::spoiler::
I can't support any story where bad things happen to dogs. :(

Angry for ALL the innocent girls.

If you could sum up The Wicked Girls in three words, what would they be?
I wanted to intervene, oops one word too many.

What did you like best about this story?
Not sure there was something that I liked about the story, I was angry at the injustice.

What about Anna Bentinck’s performance did you like?
Anna Bentinck's performance was excellent. The narration was difficult due to age changes in the main characters as well as education and life experiences that occurred over time.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The ending was heartbreaking, moving and as a listener I could feel it coming from a mile away, but there was no stopping it.

Any additional comments?
Perhaps it is the greatest complement to an author for a reader/listener to express strong emotions when discussing their story, I don't know. But many times while listening to The Wicked Girls I was angry at the injustice done to Jade and Bel. SO MANY other adults and siblings were responsible for the events that lead to the death of Chloe. I can't think of a more heinous character than Bel's mother. Many reviewers made comments like, "I didn't want to like these girls but I did." Jade and Bel were victims as much as Chloe. I feel a tirade coming on so I better end. #HorribleMother, #Injustice, #HeartbreakingStory, #tagsgiving, #sweepstakes