The Trouble with Goats and Sheep

A Novel

By: Joanna Cannon

Narrated by: Paula Wilcox

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

Part coming-of-age novel, part mystery, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is a quirky and utterly charming debut about a community in need of absolution and two girls learning what it means to belong.

England, 1976. Mrs. Creasy is missing, and the Avenue is alive with whispers. The neighbors blame her sudden disappearance on the heat wave, but 10-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren't convinced. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. Inspired by the local vicar, they go looking for God - they believe that if they find him they might also find Mrs. Creasy and bring her home.

Spunky, spirited Grace and frail, nervous Tilly go door to door in search of clues. As the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives uncover much more than they could have imagined. Instead of finding their missing neighbor, they must try to make sense of what they've seen and heard, and a complicated history of deception begins to emerge. Everyone on the Avenue has something to hide, a reason for not fitting in. It's only in the suffocating heat of the summer that the ability to guard these differences becomes impossible.

Along with the parched lawns and the melting pavement, the lives of all the neighbors begin to deconstruct. What the girls don't realize is that the lies told to conceal what happened one fateful day about a decade ago are the same ones Mrs. Creasy was beginning to peel back just before she disappeared.

For fans of Jeannette Walls' The Silver Star, this "is a gripping debut about the secrets behind every door" (Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry).

©2016 Joanna Cannon (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Fabulous plot and narration

This book drew me in from the start with lovely images and characters that were vivid and complex. It is a layered story that leads the reader to think deeply about social norms, compliance, community, shame, betrayal, and evil.

Great Listen

I enjoyed the narrator of this book and the story was good too. The two girls were really sweet, brave and determined.

Fabulous story and narration!

This was an absolutely delightful and enjoyable story. The narrator did a phenomenal job of capturing the tone and essence of this story perfectly. I loved it from the first sentence to the last.

Debut Novel

What exquisite writing, each sentence is constructed with the gift of an artist! A parable worth reading.

Delightful

I had many mixed emotions while listening. All of which I related to parts of my life. I enjoyed the way the story switched back and forth between past and present. It’s a wonderful story.

Loved it!

I loved the book, and l loved the characters, reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that the end left you hanging a bit.. wish there was a epilogue or more of a final ending to it, I like to listen or read a book with all questions answered at the end. The narrator was fantastic, and the plot good. I like the time period also.

Loved This!!

Great book club discussion! This was my first listen after reading the book years ago. So sweet, funny, touching, timely and engaging!!

Charming

Wonderful and lyrical.... and beautifully read..
I have already recommended to friends who do audible as well as bought the hardcover for friends who don't.

Thought provoking story

Just loved the story and the author's writing style.
Recommend this as a good book club read as well!

A good English neighborhood , through the peephole

A delightful book, narration excellent. The story of a small street in England where the neighbors think they know each other’s secrets. There are a few that they don’t know. I like the pacing of the book, told from a little girl’s viewpoint. You slowly get to know what goes on behind closed doors, although the biggest secret of all leaves you dangling to the end. A good solid listen.