A Nearly Normal Family

De: M. T. Edvardsson, Rachel Wilson-Broyles - translator

Narrado por: Emily Watson, Georgia Maguire, Richard Armitage

Now a Netflix Limited Series

New York Times Book Review recommends M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family and lauds it as a “page-turner” that forces the reader to confront “the compromises we make with ourselves to be the people we believe our beloveds expect”. (NYTimes Book Review Summer Reading Issue)

M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the listener to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life - and one another.

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost 15 years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

(P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio

Fabulous Riveting Wholly Satisfying

I would rate this among the top two or three audio productions I have heard (and I listen a lot). It is a near perfect synthesis of story, character, language and form. The readers Emily Watson Richard Armitage and Georgia Maguire are superb, never getting in the way of the storytelling while remaining crystal clear in characterization and narration. Bravo to E.T. Edvardsson for a beautiful novel, Rachel Wilson-Boyles for a seamless translation, director and production team.

Meh..

This book started out strongly with an interesting premise; daughter accused of murder, parents shocked and struggling to make sense of it all. Unfortunately I felt as though the author tries too hard to force feed the reader overwhelming amounts of emotion from each character, and as a result the story drags rather than unfolds. The plot itself is rather straightforward and not as "full of shocking twists" as the description would have you believe. The ending was was rather bland and predictable. I did enjoy the glimpses into Swedish culture and it's judicial system. Overall the book did keep my interest enough to listen to the end, so I don't feel as if my credit was wasted, but I'd hardly put it on my list of great reads.

Predictable

Very pedestrian and predictable. Narration was good, but the story itself was just meh. Disappointed.

Just ok

It started off well, interesting story line, possibilities of good twists. But it fell way short, got slow and never picked up after that. Predictable plot that never really satisfies. None of the characters are very likable. I’m now second guessing my 3-star review and thinking it deserves less.

Captivated my attention

At first, I thought I’d have the plot figured out for this book in a flash. I was surprised that I needed to keep adjusting my assumptions. I enjoyed the different voices of the narrators. Worth the time and the credit!