Black Water Lilies

By: Michel Bussi

Narrated by: Joan Walker

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

Giverny. During the day, the home of the famous artist Claude Monet and the gardens where he painted his water lilies. But once the tourists have gone, there is a darker side to the peaceful French village. This is the story of 13 days that begin with one murder and end with another.

Jérôme Morval, a man whose passion for art was matched only by his passion for women, has been found dead in the stream that runs through the gardens. In his pocket is a postcard of Monet's Water Lilies with the words 'Eleven years old. Happy Birthday.' Entangled in the mystery are three women: a young painting prodigy, the seductive village schoolteacher and an old widow who watches over the village from a mill by the stream.

All three of them share a secret. But what do they know about the discovery of Jérôme Morval's corpse? And what is the connection to the mysterious rumoured painting of black water lilies?

©2016 Presses de la Cite (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group

Beautiful story, with surprising twists and turns.

Beautiful story with surprising twists and turns. I have enjoyed the narration. Beautifully descriptive story.

Amazing !

I loved this audiobook! Michel Bussi is the best ever. Amazing. Awesome. The narrator Joan Walker is great too.

Dreadful reader

I read a good review of the printed form of this book, on the strength of which I bought the audible version. Less than half way through I returned it as the reader made it unlistenable. I found myself drifting off and missing chunks of story - she reads with a sort of world weary dreariness, every character sounding the same. I think this may be a good book but the reader ruins it completely.

Intriguing conclusion but.....

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book could do with serious editing. While the conclusion is unexpected and original, there were long sections when it was difficult to remain interested - not helped by the monotonous reader.

If you’ve listened to books by Michel Bussi before, how does this one compare?

I have not read any of his other books and don't think I ever will.

What didn’t you like about Joan Walker’s performance?

A very affected voice which became progressively more irritating. There are three main characters in the book, one a child, one a young woman and the other an 80 year old and she made them all sound alike.

Do you think Black Water Lilies needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Most of the characters were dead at the end....so unlikely!

Any additional comments?

There are so many excellent readers around it is hard to understand why such a dull one was selected for this book.

Atrocious Rendition. A Crime in Itself

Another awful performance from Joan Walker. She need to stick to voicing Say Nav instructions. How to ruin a reasonably good novel. Unlistenable. It's up there with the rendition of All The Light You Cannot See. Please audio producers pay heed: there are a host of top notch audio book actors out there and they are not that expensive - even the names. So stop using people who sound like they are only fit for the Thought For Today's slot if BBC's Today programme. For goodness sake get some quality. This is the very worst form of bad acting. No not acting. Reading lines without any real preparation or understanding. Ear bleedingly terrible.

Wow! A captivating, emotional and dark story.

This is a story that surprises you in the richness of the characters and description of life in the French town of Giverny. Beautifully written, intriguing and mysterious; the story is told mainly through the eyes of an 86 year old widow. I was blown away by the ending of this story. You know it's been an amazing read when you literally gasp out loud and then question everything you've read. Brilliant. I loved the narration of the story too. Definitely one of my favourite reads. If you enjoy Joanne Harris or Carlos Ruiz Zafron, then you'll love this.

Fabulous book

very enjoyable book, with a great twist. I will look up the authors other work.

What a clever story set over 73 years in Monet’s waterlily gardens

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and highly recommend it if you like twisty mysteries! Even the French names were not too off putting 🙄

A Superb Read!

One of the best - and cleverest - books I’ve listened to in a long time.
Excellent narration with a totally appropriate voice - and voices.

Learn as you read

I had read The Crash by the same author and loved it, this second book certainly did not disappoint. Black Water Lillies is fabulous, I learnt a little about Monet and the area he is from. It’s nice to learn a little history whilst enjoying the storyline of this book.
It kept me engaged until the end and I loved the characters.
I will certainly be getting more of Michel Bussi books.