A House in the Sky

By: Amanda Lindhout, Sara Corbett

Narrated by: Amanda Lindhout

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

As a child, Amanda Lindhout escaped a violent household by paging through issues of National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. Later in life, in war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq, she carved out a fledgling career as a television reporter. And then, in August 2008, she travelled to Somalia – "the most dangerous place on earth."

On her fourth day, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda converts to Islam as a survival tactic, receives "wife lessons" from one of her captors, and risks a daring escape. Moved between a series of abandoned houses in the desert, she survives on memory - every lush detail of the world she experienced in her life before captivity - and on strategy, fortitude, and hope. When she is most desperate, she visits a house in the sky, high above the tortured woman kept in chains in the dark.

A House in the Sky is the searing and intimate story of an intrepid young woman and her search for compassion in the face of unimaginable adversity.

©2013 Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett. (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic Reviews

'Moving and informative reading for everyone.' ( Library Journal)

'Writing with immediacy and urgency, Lindhout and Corbett recount the horrific ordeal in crisp, frank, evocative prose. But what readers will walk away with is an admiration for Lindhout’s deep reserves of courage under unimaginable circumstances.' ( Booklist)

Incredible story. I loved this book.

The book was very well written and the descriptions were so vivid. It was hard reading sbout what she went through. I'm not sure how many people would have survived such an ordeal. Exceptionally well narrated too.

Great read!

This was my first audio book and i finish it in days! Her experience was carefully described and well documented. Can't wait for the movie to be out.

Gripping

What did you like most about A House in the Sky?

This is a compelling narrative read by the author which gives an added intensity to the listening experience.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Hauntingly honest, many scenes brought tears to my eyes. It has remained with me long after I finished listening

Any additional comments?

Avoid this if you don't like hearing about the reality of difficult circumstances but recommended if you want to learn about courage, hope and the human spirit.

An absolute MUT READ ....if you can...

This may seriously be the most gripping story you'll ever read/listen to
but...

It is definitely 18+
Not for the faith hearted.

It is riveting, intense.

You are best warned that this is no ordinary biography.

The depth of human cruelty can make a harsh read.

This book will make your heart skip a beat and teeth grind from time to
time.

It's frequently say audiobooks give you much more than just a book. But
this one... Wow!

Narrated by Amanda herself, it makes for an experience that is intensely
genuine and relatable despite never having lived anything close to this.

I hung up to her every word, often listening for hours before putting it
down (2 days to go over 15hrs)

The story is so intense by moments, I had to lower the volume to tone it
down.

I love reading biographies and this is certainly a Top 3 ever.

Thanks to Amanda for sharing this intimate story and for being able to
describe this as if it was an "out of body" experience. I remain amazed
someone could go through this yet demonstrate incredible wisdom and
compassion despite such raw recent memories.

We should all look at supporting your foundation.

Compelling

Would you listen to A House in the Sky again? Why?

Compelling but heartbreaking story. Could not help thinking how strong Amanda is.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amanda is so forgiving and her strength of character got her through a terrible ordeal which was made worse by the mere fact that she was a woman.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This story is so sad in places it made me cry

Interesting

Overall I would recommend this book. It's pretty gripping. Took a while to get going though. The first 1/3 of the book was mostly about her previous travels round the globe but when the story takes off it is pretty gripping and to be fair it normally takes me months to get through an audiobook. This one I've finished so quick my next audible credit isn't even available yet :)

awsome story

so you may think it is a little naive to enter a war zone without a back up plan , hostage training etc but people need adventure (spread the word of what is going on in war zones) and this lady had a wild ride and a great if harrowing story (possibly a film ??)
how you over come the repeated rapes without a massive breakdown is a credit to her inner strength

Not sure how much is fact

Having looked at the media coverage of her release the pictures do not appear to reflect her story. Nigel comes across appallingly but actually looks more haggard in the release photos. Nigel is harshly portrayed if he had truly been such a bad / weak person surely she would not still be declaring life long love for him after their release. I sincerely hope she has personally made donations equal at least to the amount that was raised to secure her release from the book profits. Articles about this couple state that they are no longer close, I'm not surprised after reading this book. She came across as a self centred and selfish person to me who got herself in this situation due to her ignorance or naivety then expected others to save her.

An extraordinary book!

Brilliantly written, Amanda tells the harrowing story of her kidnap and captivity in Somalia. Some of it is not easy to listen to and her strength and will to survive are heart warming and heartbreaking in equal measure. What an extraordinary woman!

eye opener

An insight into this hostile world,and its reasoning processes. Its a shame that Amanda missed seeing the beautiful side.