The First Day of Spring

A Novel

De: Nancy Tucker

Narrado por: Kristin Atherton

“Tense, addictive and powered by an unforgettable narrative voice.” - PAULA HAWKINS

"A stunning debut...Suspenseful? You bet. Heart-rending? From beginning to end."—The Washington Post

“Gripping…The voices of Chrissie and Julia reside deep in your skull: visceral and wicked, sad and wonderful, all at the same time.” —The New York Times

“Fans of Lisa Jewell and smart psychological suspense will eagerly await Tucker’s next.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“So that was all it took,” I thought. “That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all.”


Meet Chrissie...

Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. The feeling made her belly fizz like soda pop. Her playmates are tearful and their mothers are terrified, keeping them locked indoors. But Chrissie rules the roost -- she's the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That’s why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up, and Chrissie fears losing the only thing in this world she cares about, her child.

Nancy Tucker leaves the reader breathless as she inhabits her protagonist with a shocking authenticity that moves the reader from sympathy to humor to horror to heartbreak and back again.

Yikes.

Well, 'tis not a cozy tale, but it's unlike anything else I've read, and it was time well spent. Good pacing, great narration. I would very much like to meet Nancy Tucker's mother. Gonna go hug my mom now.

One of the Best Books I've Gotten

This is a first for me. If you enjoy Audible as much as I do you know that feeling you get when you start a book and know it's going to be amazing but this is the first time I've ever held off from finishing a book because I don't want it to be over. I'm saving it as I don't want to do anything but sit and listen. Still have the last hour left but don't need to finish to write this review. The story could end any way at all and I would still list this as one of my favorite books. Though the story is gripping and kept me glued to what came next it was the writing that had me totally mesmerized. I wonder, when I see talent like this, if the words just pour out of the author or if, as I suspect in this case, every sentence, every phrase, every nuance took hours to craft to reach this level of perfection. It is all just so beautiful. As this is Ms Tucker's first fiction novel I'm forced to impatiently wait for her next. After enjoying this I need to have my next book be something great and I went so far as to search out the most glowing reviews of The First Day of Spring from other subscribers in hopes someone would liken her style to another's. I found none and have prepared myself to be disappointed in my next selection. As the reader, Kristen Atherton is an incredible actress. She gave the perfect voice to every character. Generally I find it a bit off putting to hear an adult voice a child but that is where she shown the brightest. The voice of Chrissie was without a doubt one of the best I've heard for any aged character. In my review of The Summer That Melted Everything I wrote that I hoped the author would see my review to know how much I loved her first book of fiction. Ms Tucker, if you are reading this, please get back to your writing.

So thoughtful. Beautifully written & perfectly narrated.

I love reading and listening to books. And I generally love something about every book I pick up. I’ll admit it, most books get 5 stars from me. However, this book has made me rethink all the 5 stars I’ve given. This one was better. For me, this book was so well done. The writing was unbelievable. So detailed and the emotions ran high 100% of the time. The details and thoughts of the characters were so very real. There is so much hardship and sadness but the story and the characters were absolutely addictive. The narrator captures every single character just perfectly. So perfect. I wish I could articulate the beauty of this book with better words. I guess it shows that I’m not the writer! Please take a listen. So good.

I almost missed out

I had a hard time warming up to the book but read the reviews and decided to stick with it, I’m so glad I did because this was a good book. Some of the content was hard core but that’s what kept me reading!

Prepare to be traumatized

This story stabs you right in the soul and drains you emotionally through every chapter- the story and characters are the kind of painfully realistic that makes you think you could never have known anyone like this or this situation only happens other places. It did feel like it was dragging on a bit about 3/4 of the way through but that could also be because I was begging for the pain to end like Chrissie was…. The last chapter was as soothing for the soul without being unrealistic so I appreciate that