The Summer It Rained Champions

De: Sarah Cordwell Scott

Narrado por: Maria Nicola Johnson

A scorching summer, a chaotic family, and an English village teeming with outrageous characters.

Eight-year-old Sharon Rowling has a lot to contend with. Her stunning mum, Maria, literally stops traffic with her beauty, much to the dismay of her dodgy dad, Ricky, who is under height and underemployed. Then there's her three excruciating siblings plus her unhinged Shetland pony, all of whom remain stubbornly oblivious to the fact that Sharon's deepest fear might soon become a reality.

Sharon's uproarious tale begins during the blazing British summer of 1976, when even a handsome world boxing champ finds himself on the wrong end of her clueless dad's fists. However, it soon becomes clear that Sharon's embarrassing family are not the only bizarre inhabitants of the English village of Widdleton, and the stifling weather is getting the better of all of them...

Filled with humour and seventies nostalgia, this book is perfect for those who enjoy amusing, heartfelt tales about family, community, and identity. The village of Widdleton warmly invites you to join Sharon and her eccentric neighbours as they navigate their sweltering summer of self-acceptance.

©2023 Sarah Cordwell (P)2025 Sarah Cordwell

I loved this audiobook

This was a very enjoyable audiobook to listen to. The combination of the story and the narration of the story made for a very enjoyable listen. This story has a lot of moments that had me giggling. The shenanigans that the characters find themselves in are really funny sometimes and when I realized what was about to happen at moments in the story before the characters did, I was delighted and on the edge of my seat waiting to see how they would react to the situation. I recommend this audiobook 100%!

Fabulous modern English story!

Terrific family tale. Made even better by the narrator Maria Nicola Johnson. All of her great voices make this story hard to stop listening to and make the story amazing!

A heartwarming story

My husband and I listened to “The Summer it Rained Champions” over the span of a long road trip this summer. The story kept us engaged throughout and we found ourselves smiling along as well as feeling the tug of our heartstrings at various moments. The narrator, Maria Johnson, does an outstanding job with the character voices and accents. Through her telling, she fully colors the characters personalities and brings an artistry and warmth to the complexities of a story about a life and all its ups and downs. A story well worth listening to!

Delightful!

This was a very fun listen! It’s as if a goofy family-oriented 90’s sitcom were made into a book. And the narration is key: the varied voices, pacing, and tone make the many lighthearted vignettes of Widdleton come to life and ensures that all the punchlines land. Would recommend!

The Summer it rained Champions

It took me an hour to feel this book was going to live up to the 'hype'.Being on the 'other side of the pond' a lot did not translate well. The family stuff did.What a family! The rest was enjoyable. Narration by Maria Johnson was terrific! I was given this book free for an honest review.