Identical

By: Ellen Hopkins

Narrated by: Laura Flanagan

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for U.S. Congress. Everything on the surface seems fine, but underneath run very deep and damaging secrets.

When the girls were nine, Daddy turned to his beloved Kaeleigh in ways a father never should. Raeanne needs to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite; Kaeleigh wants to do everything she can to feel something normal, even if it means cutting herself and vomiting after every binge.

How Kaeleigh and Raeanne figure out just what it means to be whole again when their entire world has been torn to shreds is the guts and heart of this powerful, disturbing, and utterly remarkable book.

©2008 Ellen Hopkins (P)2008 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Hopkins' gift with free verse reaches new heights in this portrait of splintered identical twins.... Kaeleigh and Raeanne maintain distinct voices throughout as they wrestle with psychic damage and an astonishing, devastating realization. Sharp and stunning, with a brilliant final page." ( Kirkus Reviews )

"Hopkins' verse is not only lean and sinuous, it also demonstrates a mastery of technique." ( Publishers Weekly)

Amazing!

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Ellen Hopkins can really paint a picture with words.

The plot is amazing!

I randomly selected this book because I am a fan of Ellen Hopkins as well as Laura Flanagan. I admit I didn’t read much about the book before selecting it (but aren’t all the best suprises unknown?) but I was not disappointed. The performance was above and beyond.. as well as the story line, and the ending! I will absolutely be relistening to this book immediately!

Story good, but predictible

Where does Identical rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is not as good as Ellen Hopkin's other books, but good.

What didn’t you like about Laura Flanagan’s performance?

Her voice is annoying...too much "growl"

Any additional comments?

Story line very predictable. I knew the "twist" after the first paragraph.

I’m obsessed with the series, voice sucks.

I’ve read the entire crank series & extra books by Ellen Hopkins multiple times. This time I thought I’d listen to the audio book. The voice actor is terrible. The way she did the twins voices? Ugh. It’s almost unbearable. Raeanne sounds like she’s crashing from dope. It’s just too much. We get it, she does drugs & she’s not a giddy person. The voice actor makes her sound like a hippie that’s done too many mushrooms. The voice sounds manly. I don’t like it. Kaylees voice parts sound like an anime character. Insecure but laughing in every sentence. Makes me imagine Kristen Stuart tucking her hair behind her ear. Both voices are cringe. It was very disappointing. Ellen Hopkins rocks though, love love love her books.

AMAZING!!!

Ellen Hopkins has done it again!!! AMAZING! Some might be disturbed, say it's really graphic but these stories happen in real life. I would know, addiction, sexual abuse by a parent, bulimia, parental neglect these are all things that need light shined on. I would say this is for an older reader/s. Children shouldn't read this but for teens/adults it's a must read if you like Ellen Hopkins previous work. The author, she made it all come to life, by using different tones to portray different characters throughout the book. Overall I would say it was a very interesting, deep, amazing plot twisting story just wait till you get to the end. 😊 Thank you Ellen Hopkins for all the amazing, beautiful, deep, harsh, and real books. Thank you for helping me get through my demons by giving me something amazing to read to give me strength to keep going. You're amazing!

I finished it!

On the fence with this one. For the most part I wasn't enjoying the book, took me awhile to get through it. I did however like the ending so I'm glad I finished it.

voice not fit for this book

I couldn't get 5 mins into my favorite book because the woman's voice is not an appropriate fit .. it's raspy and annoying

Dark, Dark, Dark

Ellen Hopkins is a talented writer, but this is a slow, dark story. It is narrated very well by Laura Flanagan who portrays both sisters with distinctly different personalities. It is very contemporary and the sisters are dealing with issues faced by today’s high schoolers as well as facing challenges which have been around since time began. The story is gripping, but oh so dark.

Wow. I Suspected...

But I never thought the ending would be as well explained as this one was. Don’t want to give any spoilers, but as I listened to this one at work, I had to take a pause to soak in the hot mess I just listened to. Bravo! Sad the book is done, but without saying to much, it needed to end.

very exciting and suspensful

A story that keeps you on the edge. You hang on every sentence and dont want to turn it off because you are addicted to it. I loved it.