Just What Kind of Mother Are You?

By: Paula Daly

Narrated by: Laura Brattan

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

What if your best friend’s child disappears? On your watch? What would you do? This is exactly what happens to Lisa Kallisto one freezing December in the English Lakes. Her whole world descends into the stuff of nightmares. Because, not only is 13-year-old Lucinda missing, and not only is it all Lisa’s fault, but she’s the second teenage girl to disappear within a fortnight. And the first one turned up stripped bare, after suffering from a terrifying ordeal.

Wracked with guilt over her mistake, and after being publicly blamed by Lucinda’s family, Lisa sets out to right the wrong. But as she begins peeling away the layers surrounding Lucinda’s disappearance, Lisa learns that all is not as it first appears to be.

©2013 Paula Daly (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd

Another riveting book from Paula Daly

Paula Daly never disappoints and I have now read most of her books and I've lined up "Keep Your Friends Close" to listen to next. The narrator was fantastic too. I just loved this book from start to finish.

Brilliant!

I don't usually write a review unless the book is outstanding - after all whether one enjoys a book or not is a matter of taste.
After struggling and sometimes failing to complete a rather bad selection I'd chosed from Audible - along came this book - it has revguvenated my appetite for audio books again!

No spoilers - surfice to say that in my opinion this is one of the best audio books I've had the pleasure of listening to in a while. The story line is well thought out and progresses in a very realistic manner. The narrator is in my top 3 - she is excellent.

I look forward to hearing more from both author and narrator - thank you both for a book that captured my imagination at a time when it was in dire need of being captured!! :-D

A very satisfying 'read'

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - it's an intriguing story which has a satisfactory ending. The reader captured the various characters very well and the pace of her reading was perfect. The likely identity of the child abductor is fascinating. Throughout, the reader's suspicions are led here and there resulting in a credible conclusion. It occurred to me more than once that if Lisa and the detective leading the case could have compared all the trivial things that were niggling them they'd have reached a solution earlier - entirely true to life. The author's explanation of how she was led to write the story (at the end of the book) was very interesting, and her acknowledgment of how hard life can be for mothers who have partners, families, jobs and sundry other responsibilities was sincere and understandable.

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

I seldom have the chance to listen to a title all in one sitting - even when I'm on a long car journey I have to stop for coffee and leg-stretches. In practice, my listening takes place in 30-minute chunks; the length of my drive to work. This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, but it did mean I was keen to get back in the car at the end of the working day!

Any additional comments?

My usual genre is Crime, with occasional forays into Human Interaction. This title does include crime and police procedures, but the interaction of the characters is more important to the story. I'll certainly look out for further books by Paula Daly, hopefully they'll be read by Laura Brattan!

Brilliant narrator but story too sensational

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I might recommend it but it would only be to hear Laura Brattan's narration as she was superb.

What will your next listen be?

I'm currently listening to 'All Change' by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

What does Laura Brattan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Laura Brattan really brings the characters to life. She acts all the parts rather than just read them. She changes her voice for all the characters using different accents and softening and hardening the tone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I felt moved to irritation very frequently but I didn't feel moved to tears.

Any additional comments?

I found the story far too sensational and, although not an expert, the policing was totally unbelievable to the point of being irritating. Having said that it was pretty easy listening and would be good to have on in the background if you're clearing out your kitchen cupboards or something.

Fab! A really enjoyable, engrossing read

What did you like most about Just What Kind of Mother Are You??

The pace of the plot really whipped along and raised lots of questions as one was reading. It was very difficult to put down. I liked the character development and in particular the central character (a stressed/ harassed mum) was believable and was well acted by the narrator. There were 1 or 2 unlikely 'coincidences' but I accept these as necessary plot devices and they didn't bother me over-much.

What other book might you compare Just What Kind of Mother Are You? to, and why?

For some reason I kept thinking of 'I don't know how she does it' by Alison Pearson - mainly because of the references to the pressures of juggling family life. In places, it also reminded me of Ruth Rendell as it is a 'detective story' but set in a contemporary, everyday setting

Have you listened to any of Laura Brattan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No - but I really liked her performance. The central character was done very well and she was very good at adapting her accent to suit the other characters in a believable and engaging way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was not so much moved, but I found the whole story generally suspenseful and at several points I was eager to get to the next part to see what was happening. I think her initial account of the central character's anguish was moving and well portrayed

Any additional comments?

Just to say I thought it was great and I look forward to further books from this writer

Very enjoyable, best I've listened to for ages

What made the experience of listening to Just What Kind of Mother Are You? the most enjoyable?

Mainly the narrator who brought this book and it's characters to life

What did you like best about this story?

It was down to earth while it dealt with sensitive issues. I liked the " ordinary" characters, they seemed very real and evoked sympathy and liking. The police woman was also a good character. I liked the fact she had the same problems in life as other women, like needing a breast reduction, it just made her more human and made me like her more.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When it started to go back in time and Lisa confessed to the incident where she got drunk and had sex at a party upstairs in the bathroom with another guest she had only just met. It was narrated in a very sympathetic way and I warmed to the character as she admitted to all her failings.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Young girls go missing.

Any additional comments?

Exceptionally well narrated, good storyline and a really good listen. Highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyable

This story had me absorbed from the start, being set locally in the Lake District. Such a refreshing change from the inevitable London scenario, and excellently read in local dialect. I predicted the denouement well in advance of its actuality, but nevertheless, it was a good read, an excellent first novel with believable characters, brought to life by Laura Brattan. I hope Paula Daly has another book in the pipeline.

For women??

What made the experience of listening to Just What Kind of Mother Are You? the most enjoyable?

Absolutely loved this. Good to hear a story that has similarities of your own life, i.e. always doubting how good you are and then realising you are actually OK..... Loved this from start to finish.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Where it was revealed that the "perfect" mother was really not perfect at all.....

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The title says it all....

Absorbing and entertaining

What made the experience of listening to Just What Kind of Mother Are You? the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the main characters. They were believable.

What about Laura Brattan’s performance did you like?

Her northern accents were great. I especially liked Auntie Jackie.

Any additional comments?

I had to force myself to go to bed because I really wanted to stay up and listen to the ending.

Don't let the title put you off.

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

Yes, I hated having to switch it off!

Any additional comments?

I hated the title of this book, but I loved 'Keep Your Friends Close' by the same author and I knew that she writes beautifully so I kept feeling tempted. I finally went for it when it was included in the 40% discounts and I had a £10 voucher. I'm so glad I did, after a bit of a slow start, it romps along without a wasted word. The characters are well drawn. The narration is excellent and I hated having to turn it off. I kept looking for opportunities to listen to more, and polished off the 9 hours, 43 minutes in two days.

Gripping....

Loved this from start to finish!
Someone said its similar to Gone Girl. Well I didn't enjoy that, something was lacking for me. This however I thoroughly enjoyed. Will definitely be recommending this.
And if you did enjoy Gone Girl, then this will show you just what was lacking in that one!!!
Very clever indeed....