Bones & All

A Novel

By: Camille DeAngelis

Narrated by: Julia Knippen

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Maren Yearly is a young woman who wants the same things we all do. She wants to be someone people admire and respect. She wants to be loved. But her secret, shameful needs have forced her into exile. She hates herself for the bad thing she does, for what it's done to her family and her sense of identity; for how it dictates her place in the world and how people see her - how they judge her. She didn't choose to be this way.

Because Maren Yearly doesn't just break hearts, she devours them. Ever since her mother found Penny Wilson's eardrum in her mouth when Maren was just two years old, she knew life would never be normal for either of them. Love may come in many shapes and sizes, but for Maren, it always ends the same-with her hiding the evidence and her mother packing up the car.

But when her mother abandons her the day after her 16th birthday, Maren goes looking for the father she has never known, and finds much more than she bargained for along the way.

Faced with a world of fellow eaters, potential enemies, and the prospect of love, Maren realizes she isn't only looking for her father, she's looking for herself.

Camille DeAngelis' Bones & All is an astonishingly original coming-of-age tale that is at once a gorgeously written horror story as well as a mesmerizing meditation on female power and sexuality.

©2015 Camille DeAngelis (P)2015 Camille DeAngelis

I LOVED THIS!!!!! RECOMMEND!!!!

What did you love best about Bones & All?

It was an interesting and really weird story...Maren is a tough little cookie...good thing or she would have never survived this...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bones & All?

The ending when she warns him....the ending line of this book was awesome!

What about Julia Knippen’s performance did you like?

I have listened to several of Julia's performances...she was actually the reason I gave this book a chance....and I am glad I did!

If you could take any character from Bones & All out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I dont think this is an appropriate question for this book..LMAO!!!!!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is an interesting take of cannibalism in everyday society...Maren has been this way since birth, causing her mom to move around all the time to protect her child....well when Maren turns 16...her mom has had enough and leaves her to fend for herself...leaving a note saying she was sorry, and some cash with Maren's birth certificate....Maren goes in search of her mother, and her unknown father...meeting others like her along the way and learning there is more people out there like her than she had ever known..

IT WAS A GREAT BOOK AND THE NARRATION WAS SUPERB!!!! I RECOMMEND...AND I WOULD LIKE MORE!!!!

Quite excellent!

I have gotten books to read for review and decided it wasn't for me. Honestly the narrators were lacking or the writing was not believable or both and giving a review was painful not to mention the agony of listening! I understand this is their art after all.
This book changed the game. I couldn't wait to listen. Very different with a sweetness that reminded me of The Girl with Everything. Couldn't even begin to guess what was coming next. Loved loved loved it! Maybe not 5 stars but a solid 4.5 and how many of those do I find?

A Powerful, Hard to Forget, Unique Read

This novel will certainly get attention because of the film adaptation coming out, but it stands on its own. It’s a powerful, spare, strangely beautiful work. Its plot is filled with twists and dread. However, it’s the echoes of deeper themes that make it so fascinating. It keeps teasing at being a metaphor for things like veganism, being closeted gay, being adopted, searching for identity in one’s bloodline, co-dependency, etc. However, it wisely, artfully, never maps solely onto any one issue, making it universally resonant despite also being so specific. It’s a book that makes you feel things you don’t want to feel, and that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. The audio version is read with a resigned coldness that is very effective.

A TASTY TREAT or THE SOFTER SIDE OF CANNIBALISM

Maren has a secret.

This is an amazing coming of age story of a gentle,sensitive and insecure girl with a unique dilemma. She eats people. Abandoned at age 16, she sets off to find her father and hopefully the truth behind her actions. She discovers love and acceptance from others and within herself along the way.

Ms. DeAngelis' dialogue and descriptive writing is a pleasure to read. I was quickly drawn in to the story. The characters' personalities and emotional depths are fantastically developed and defined. I feel like I know Maren and hope to meet up with her again, soon!

This is not a fairy tale with a "they live happily ever after". In fact, I was somewhat disappointed with the surprise topsy-turvy ending. But life so on and so does Maren.

I am SO glad I had today off because once I started I did not put it down. Julia Knippen's narration was incredible. It was her soft-spoken rendition of Maren and her ability to make all the characters come through that made the book come to life. Bravo to Ms. DeAngelis and Ms. Knippen for a book well done.

This book was gifted to me by the author, narrator and/or publisher via AudioBlast in exchange for an unbiased review.

I truly enjoyed this book and will gladly pay for a sequel and the opportunity to visit with Maren again.

Amazing story. So good.

I really loved this book. I wasn't sure if I would when I started it, but I found Maren to be much more sympathetic than I would have thought. I think it was a wise choice to use the first-person perspective which made Maren a complex character. The dialogue was believable, but I had a bit of a hard time understanding how the Eaters work. However, I think it's better that we didn't learn the graphic details of the eating process as it would have made Maren less sympathetic and would have changed the tone of the book.

I think Julia Knippen really helped bring out Maren's personality. Her voice was demure and a bit shy and fit the writing style and situations perfectly.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

kept me listening.

It was a good read, couldn't stop listening. the narrator was excellent. When listening to these books, the narrator takes on a big role in making the book worth taking a listen to. this narrator did just that.

The only thing I could ask for is MORE!!!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Blast.



I had read the previous reviews. I came to the conclusion that the story was pretty good but fell short at the end.... or atleast that's what I was led to believe by the reviews. don't judge a book by its reviews. I thought this book was well done and I don't think the characters fell short at the end.

firstly it starts off a little slow and maren is unsure of herself. she overcomes emotional, financial, and physical obstacles. she is only 16 but she is a monster.

the narrator did a great job and was believable. her voice changed with the characters. loved it! that last sentence was powerfully executed by narrator as the author I'm sure intended it. it literally sent goosebumps up spine. :)

the only thing I could ask for is MORE!!!!
I want a second book. I want a grown up version of her accepting herself for what she is, an eater.
I want more details. more blood, guts, and gore!

Shocking good story

Would you consider the audio edition of Bones & All to be better than the print version?

I've never read the print version, but I do prefer audiobooks to the real thing since I can listen to them while I work, drive, or clean. It is like being a little kid again and being read to by a parent.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bones & All?

One of my favorite scenes is when Maren meets her father and is reading his journal. You finally get some answers to questions.

What does Julia Knippen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brought the characters to life by the voices she gave them. I loved how each character sounded different so i was easy to get to know the characters. When I read it, I don't tend to give them unique.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Most definitely. I was trying to figure out what she was and why. The story was really good and pulled you into it the more you listened.

Any additional comments?

Loved the story!

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I want more details…

Better than the movie. But what were they? I wanted more description of what they were, some more history or lore.

Horrible

This book is surprisingly a total bore considering the subject matter. The narrator will put you to sleep. There is probably one interesting character that’s not in the story much. It’s a waste. I tried but with 2 hours left of me not caring, I gave up.

twilight level

If you are expecting horror, then I'd look elswhere. big let down. . .

Interesting...

I personally really enjoyed this book despite there being some very obvious flaws.

For example, it is physically impossible to grind bones with milk teeth. There is no explanation of how the eaters actually manage to eat people who are far bigger and stronger than them. It would be physically impossible for a baby to eat an entire adult person - the food has to go somewhere!!

Despite the technicality flaws, it enjoyed the book itself and am looking forward to seeing the film.

Interesting yet somewhat disappointing.

I, as many others, were firstly informed of this books existence because of the upcoming movie, of the same name. I will say, it was quite an interesting listen. Never quite boring, but I was somehow expecting more cannibals, more struggle, more growth or more decay. The last chapter was unnecessary, mostly. end it in the parking lot, or before she wakes up afterwards. Let the reader hope, that she has changed for him. Let us realize, on our own, that she hadn't. Was it a good "read", yes, and could I go back, I would listen again.

Ludicrous

We’re expected to believe a baby can devour an adult without leaving a trace? I love horror and crime novels but really? This was just silly.

It will be interested to see how the film approaches this

This was a bit of an unusual listen for me and probably wouldn’t have been something I stuck with if it hadn’t been for the Guadagnino film that’s coming out soon.

On a straight reading of this, there are several things that I highly doubt are physically/biologically possible. You also have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to the police/forensic investigation of any of the disappearances. The sheer number of incredible coincidences are also hard to believe.

In fact, it’s these facts that make me wonder whether the intention was never for this book to be read on a face-value level, but was always meant to be read as an allegory for marginalisation, teenage angst and the state of society.

However sceptical I am, this book does stay with you long after you’ve read it though - for me, it left a kind of hollow, unsettled feeling.

I think it will be really interesting to see how Luca Guadagnino adapts this story. The book is both meandering and very much fixed inside Maren’s head, so the POV transition will undoubtedly give this a different, fresh feel.

One thing I did genuinely like about the book that the subtlety with which Lee’s feelings/motives are translated to the reader through Maren’s POV. From what I’ve seen of the trailer so far, the film is being marketed as a road trip romance. Considering the very particular conundrum presented in the book, it will be particularly interesting to see how that angle is conveyed on screen. Indeed, I’m fully prepared for Russell and Chalamet to break my heart with their performances.

I think this is the kind of book where time and distance might facilitate a more nuanced reflection, however these were my first thoughts.

Hopefully the movie will be better than this?

I wanted to like this book. I tried to suspend my disbelief of a baby eating an adult babysitter in a matter of hours (or even minutes) and ignoring the physics of it all, the volume of one adult fitting inside a baby's body and the energy said baby would have gained in the form of calories (that apparently disappear into thin air). The characters that appear out of nowhere in the plot just to assist the heroine, could have been explained if said protagonist was indeed some seductive succubus, like she tried to do so in the end, but she's not.

Characters enter the story and leave suddenly despite acting contrary to their personality (a fatherly figure that kept tabs on his distant son throughout his life, then suddenly decides to attack his granddaughter because she found out about their relationship? A guy who considered suicide after losing his teenage love, but stayed alive to take care of his sister, then gives up on life when he saves another life interest's life?). I wanted to treat this as a coming of age, and feminist empowerment tale, but the protagonist only reaches that point completely out of the blue by the end, without any character building whatsoever in the meantime.

And now I'm reading some reviews mentioning that the author meant to write an allegory of meat eating as cannibalism. B**ch are you for real? This wasteful cannibalism of consuming empty calories without feeling full, could have easily been an allegory on consumerism. But meat eating, really? Not even gonna start mentioning how backwards that is (with meat eating being more dense in calories and protein than plants).

Luckily, the book is relatively short, and so was the time wasted on it.