In Her Defense (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick)

A Novel

De: Philippa Malicka

Narrado por: Anna Popplewell

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB SELECTION!

As a sensational celebrity libel trial unfolds, a young woman at the periphery secretly wields the power to make or break the case. But with her own hidden past, will she dare to speak up?

Everyone is watching. Only one person knows the truth.

The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist Jean Guest of brainwashing her daughter Mary for her own financial gain. Jean insists Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome; wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee—a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody—who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit.

What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement? Twisty and propulsive, In Her Defense is a compulsively readable debut for fans of Lucy Foley and Laura Dave.

Pulled me in right away

I really liked the faultiness of every character. It made it feel very real, like the way each character distorted what they saw or felt to fit their own narrative. The manipulations of some of them made my skin crawl and then made me want to listen to the rest of it even more.

I don’t understand the bad reviews

Almost didn’t listen bc of the reviews, but I enjoyed it. It was a bit long at times (I suggest listening on 2.0+ speed), but well written, especially for those with a psychology background. The protagonist wasn’t likable, but she was human.

All of the characters were flawed and human. The storyline was original, & the ending wasn’t especially satisfying, but Iife rarely is.

All in all, it was solid

Grudgingly Finished It

Slow pacing left me bored through most of the book. I didn’t think the protagonist was very likable so didn’t really care what happened to her. The ending was not very satisfying. I finished it out of duty more than curiosity. The performance was better than the content.

Yawn

found story to be too slow though thought the jean character’s manipulative machinations to be well written

Awful!

The worst story line ever. I will never get the hours back I wasted on this!