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Into That Forest  By  cover art

Into That Forest

By: Louis Nowra
Narrated by: Lisbeth Kennelly
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Publisher's summary

Two girls. Two tigers. Four years in the wild.

Two girls survive a terrible flood in the Tasmanian bush and are rescued by a pair of Tasmanian tigers who raise them in the wild. Their story of survival is remarkable, as they adapt to the life of the tiger, learning to hunt and to communicate without the use of human language. When they are discovered and returned to civilization, neither can adapt to being fully human after their extraordinary experience. Totally believable, their story will both shock and captivate listeners as it explores the animal instincts that lie beneath our civilized veneer.

©2013 Louis Norwa (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

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What listeners say about Into That Forest

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    4 out of 5 stars

When tigers are better parents than your own ...

Would you listen to Into That Forest again? Why?

Even though audiobooks are a huge time commitment, I would probably listen to this one again.

This is told from Hanna's perspective. But Hannah is telling the story during her twilight years (maybe she's like 70 years old). And, being raised in the wild, her English isnt wonderful. But that really adds to the believability of what's going on. I feel like the narrator IS Hanna. This is more of storytelling than an audiobook!

And this type of a story is not one that comes along too often. Definitely a unique listen.

I'm not usually the type to speed up audiobooks, but you can comfortably speed this one up to 1.5x if you're in a time crunch (like me and I had just 40 minutes left and a 25 minute drive to work ....).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into That Forest?

Hanna is a little spitfire. And Becky seems to prefer dresses over mud. So when the girls get lost from Hanna's parents during the storm (they're young when this happens, like 6 years old), they get adopted by these tigers (and not real tigers but tasmanian tigers). Hanna seems to be the first to lose her clothes and her speech but Becky seems to hold on to those human parts of her. So the most memorable part of the book to me is their relationship. Even though these two kids are complete opposites, they've been bound by this experience.

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

I have not listened to any of the narrator's previous works. But she sounds like a grandma that has had one too many martinis. But she makes listening to this audiobook absolutely wonderful! She's very expressive and convincing.

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

Who are the real animals?

Any additional comments?

There are so many ideas to explore in this book!
- Brutality and nurturing nature of Nature
- Civilization versus the wild/Man vs Wild
- Taming wild things
- What's necessary?
- What makes a family?

There's not that many characters in the book. Hanna and Becky, who get lost in the woods. Dave and Corrina, the tigers that take them in. Mr. Carson and Ernie show up the last 1/3 of the book, they are searching for the girls.

This book has closure, so you find out what happens to everyone! No loose ends, I hate that!

Also, I'm not sure what age group this book is intended for. It's definitely graphic at times and there are some heavy topics. I wouldn't pass this out to elementary school kids but maybe appropriate for mature middle schoolers?

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27 people found this helpful

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

Excellent Narration of a Dramatic Story

First, let's just get the narration out of the way. I totally get twitchy about narration that drags, so I usually listen to all my books at x1.25 speed. This book, however, really shines at x1.50. The story becomes passionate, breathless, zips along and carries the listener with it. Lisbeth Kennelly gives a fearless and touching performance, and I have nothing but good things to say about her.
The book itself starts out with a Young Adult flair, I thought, but soon I began to pick up the universal essences from the narrative: loss, fear, loneliness, a need to belong. Things of that ilk. And by the time the two young protagonists, Hannah and Becky are "rescued," things really hit the fan, and readers of all ages will be able to relate to their dilemmas--how do we bend to society's will and still be ourselves? How do we let go of the best parts of our lives, do what's "right?" How do we live with grief? Very provocative.
Wonderfully written too. Nowra writes some gorgeous prose here. Sometimes metaphors and similes tick me off (Sorry, just have a "thing" about 'em at times), but this book is full of some really breathtaking comparisons. And I gotta say, one of the things I looooove about reading/writing, is that the written word can go ANYWHERE the writer wishes to take us. Love, loyalty, brutal betrayal, friendship, remorse, things that can never be forgiven; all surprises when handled deftly by a skilled author.
This is a great book (especially since it has tigers, and anyone who's EVER read a review of mine knows I think animals rock!), and the ONLY reason I'd be hesitant about recommending using an entire credit for it is because of how short it is, even though it's really quite a stellar work. If you're twitchy, wait for a half credit sale, Daily Deal, kindle bundle, whatever.
You'll discover your inner "beast" and will like it...

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing read and narrator performance. Brilliant.

As a daily Audible listener, this book has to be in my top 5. I usually listen while doing chores or when I have insomnia. Well, let me tell you, I could not put this down. The full characters (human and wild) were so fully developed that I felt I was literally IN the story. The literary themes of survival, rites of passage, friendship, loneliness, the chasm yet closeness of all God's creatures .... I plan to follow this author AND narrator. Both are very talented. Thank you for the gift of writing and performing this book. It will always stay with me, and I will be reading it again. It is also perfectly suitable for family reading with children, as is not the case so often these days. Thank you.

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

a kids' book that had me gripped me by the throat

The perfect narration of this story of an elderly Aussie woman, in her quavery voice and old regional speech patterns, as she recalls incidents of her childhood, is what raises this simple adventure story to a book with a lasting presence. For young adults, it will start discussions about what makes us civilized, what is a family, the nature of love, interspecies communication, and our responsibility to other species on the planet. As an adult, I was mesmerized by the performance of the reader. Her depiction of a child's experience of loss, and fighting fiercely to keep hold of the next thing, and lifelong regret and sadness, is so real and wrenching. A slow start, but then exciting and haunting.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Unexpectedly emotional

I personally loved the book but at first didn't have any expectations of it. I was surprised when it brought me to tears at some points. I was overall happy with the story besides the abrupt ending.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable Experience

This was an unexpected find that I took a chance on and I am so glad I did. A strange and compelling story, it is beautifully written with excellent narration. Described by some as a children’s book, I, as an adult, found it fascinating. I so fully believed the story that I found it hard to except that, alas, it is fiction.

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

very good

love it. can be emotional: death, heartbreak, relationship pain, emotional stress, parental misunderstanding, suicide, extinction.

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

makes me happy

while reading thus book i looked up the extinct Tasmanian Tiger... and as of April 2017 there is some question as to whether there are still tigers out there. i do hope we didnt kill them all.. i hope they are there - running free and raising pups... no confirmation yet (April 2018) but perhaps their story will end up like the Ivory Woodpecker and they will be proven to have survived us.
this us a great book - well told and well read... definitely worth the time

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Fascinating story

For some reason, the narrator speaks at a slightly slow pace, but once you increase the pace to about 1.2 or 1.25 the normal speed, it sounds like a normal narration. This book is an excellent read. The story is very visual, easy to understand, and the characters are written in a very empathetic manner despite the extreme conditions they experience.

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

Godd but very strange

If you could sum up Into That Forest in three words, what would they be?

Good but strangeAll

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters and the tigers

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The voice was very hard to listen to but explained in the end.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

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