Coincidence

A Novel

By: J. W. Ironmonger

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

What determines the course of our lives? Chance . . . or destiny?

On Midsummer's Day, 1982, three-year-old Azalea Ives is found alone at a seaside fairground.

One year later, her mother's body washes up on a beach—her link to Azalea unnoticed.

On Midsummer's Day, 1992, her adoptive parents are killed in a Ugandan rebel uprising; Azalea is narrowly rescued by a figure from her past.

Terrified that she, too, will meet her fate on Midsummer's Day, Azalea approaches Thomas Post, an expert in debunking coincidences. Azalea's past, he insists, is random—but as Midsummer's Day approaches, he worries that she may bring fate upon herself.

A mixed review

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This book started out strong, with a compelling narrative. About half way through the story, it began to bog down as the author went into detailed discussions of the mathematical odds of circumstantial occurrence. This slowed the otherwise interesting story down to a crawl, and it never recovered. So, I'm not sure I could recommend this, although I thought the narrator, Steven Crossley, was excellent.

Very captivating story based on interesting math!

I started this book with no expectations and was totally thrilled by the idea and the story within the first 30 minutes of listening to it. The plot revolves around a woman who thinks that she is exceptionally affected by coincidences and the bad ones. She comes across and finally meets the professor who is a leading authority on coincidences and the interaction between them is absolutely mind-blowing. Very well written and well narrated book. I will definitely read more from JW Ironminger! I am glad I went by other reviews for this book on Audible and decided to listen.