The Woman in the Wood

By: Lesley Pearse

Narrated by: Rosie Jones

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifteen-year-old Maisy Mitcham and her twin brother, Duncan, lose their mother to an insane asylum one night in 1960. The twins are sent to their grandmother's country house, Nightingales. Cold and distant, she leaves them to their own devices, to explore and to grow.

That is until the day Duncan doesn't come home from the woods. With their grandmother seeming to have little interest in her grandson's disappearance and the police soon giving up hope, it is left to Maisy to discover the truth. And she will start with Grace Deville. A woman who lives alone in the wood, about whom rumours abound...

©2017 Lesley Pearse (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Slightly disappointed at storyline

I throughly enjoyed the story up to the point when it was discovered that Duncan was missing and revealed that he was physically, emotionally and sexually abused. Didn’t expect the story to take that turn and didn’t like the detail and I actually fast forward over those parts. I only finished the book because of the narrator.
I will be careful to purchase another book from same author but will love to listen to narrator again. Loved her performance.

The Woman in the Woods

First book I have read/listened to by this author and am hooked. loved it from start to finish and was actually sad when it finished.
Definitely hooked and will be reading more and iwill be watching for new ones. Narration was excellent

The woman in the woods.

AWFUL NARRATOR... AT THE AGE OF 15 AND 17 DUNCAN HAS A HIGH PITCHED VOICE LIKE A LITTLE GIRL. OFTEN MONOTONOUS NARRATING. YOU CANNOT ALWAYS TELL WHO IS SPEAKING FROM ONE CONVERSATION TO ANOTHER.. IT'S VERY CONFUSING. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE NARRATOR, THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BETTER BOOK. THE MOTHER FELL OFF A HORSE WHEN THE TWINS WERE SMALL. AND THE FATHER OF THE TWINS BLAMES HER FOR USING THAT AS A SELFISH EXCUSE TO BECOME A HERMIT. HE TAKES HER TO A MENTAL INSTITUTE. ... TOWARDS THE END OF THE BOOK HE TELLS HIS SON THAT THE TWINS MOTHER HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A BRAIN TUMOUR WHEN SHE FELL OFF THE HORSE??! WHAT A HUGE CONTRADICTION. THEN HE TELLS THE TWINS HE COULDN'T TELL THEM ABOUT THE TUMOUR AS HE WAS NO GOOD AT EXPLAINING THINGS. SO THROUGHOUT THE STORY LESLEY PEARSE BASICALLY TELLS THE READER THAT THE MOTHER WAS A NEUROTIC SELFISH NARCISSIST, AND THE CHILDREN KEEP TALKING ABOUT, AND WONDER WHY THEIR MOTHER COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THEM FROM WHAT THEIR FATHER HAD SAID.
I'M SURPRISED AT LESLEY PEARSE . THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST CONFUSING, RIDICULOUS CONTRADICTION. THAT'S LAZY WRITING! OBVIOUSLY SHE THINKS THE LISTENERS ARE IDIOTS?! THE TWINS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 15. OH MY HAT! THEIR LEVEL OF SPEECH AND THINKING ARE MORE LIKE 5 YEAR OLDS! REALLY..?? THEIR VOCABULARY IS SO IMMATURE AND CHILDISH .. "LET'S GO AND ASK HOW MUMMY IS"... THEN THE 15 YEAR OLD MAISIE BURIES HER FACE IN THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DRESS FOR COMFORT, AND CRIES.. .REALLY IT'S QUITE UNBELIEVABLE!!.. EYEROLL.. THERE IS NO DEPTH TO THE CHARACTERS... THIS STORY IS A MIX OF ENID BLYTON AND HANSEL AND GRETEL. . THE CHILDREN LOVE RIDING THEIR BICYCLES AND DOING LITTLE ERRANDS... LIKE JACK AND JILL RIDE UP THE HILL.. THEY LOVE TO SPY ON THE OLD LADY IN THE WOOD. THEY LOOK THROUGH HER WINDOWS TO SEE IF SHE HAS A CRYSTAL BALL.. SHE HAS A WART ON HER NOSE THAT JIGGLES... HUH?? DUNCAN IS TOLD 'NOW GO AND CHANGE THE SHIRT AS YOU HAVE YOUR BREAKFAST ON IT'.. 'NOW LEAVE THE TABLE'. THE 15 OLD BOY LOVES CLIMBING TREES.. THE FATHER SENDS THE TWINS TO LIVE WITH THEIR GRANDMOTHER, AS HE SAYS THE SCHOOL THEY GO TO IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.. IN THE NEXT SENTENCE YOU ARE TOLD THAT THE FATHER NEVER EVER LOOKED AT THEIR REPORTS OR TOOK AN INTEREST IN ANYTHING THE TWINS DID.... SO HOW DID HE KNOW HOW BAD OR GOOD THEIR SCHOOL WAS..?.. THE TWINS DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WORK THEIR FATHER DOES. BIZARRE
. SO FAR MY FAVOURITE BOOKS WERE "ROSIE", "SOPHIE" AND "REMEMBER ME". .
THE NARRATOR AND STORY GETS SLIGHTLY BETTER IF YOU IGNORE THE VOICES AND CONTRADICTIONS. THE FATHER CHANGES CHARACTER COMPLETELY AND BECOMES THIS LOVING, WISE PERSON TOWARDS THE END OF THE BOOK.. PLEEEEZ! ABSOLUTELY NOT MY FAVOURITE AFTER BUYING MANY OF HER BOOKS. THAT'S MY 5 CENTS WORTH! I'VE WASTED A CREDIT.