Remember Me This Way

By: Sabine Durrant

Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins, Daniel Weyman

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Everyone keeps telling me I have to move on. And so here I am, walking down the road where he died, trying to remember him the right way.

A year after her husband Zach's death, Lizzie goes to lay flowers where his fatal accident took place. As she makes her way along the motorway, she thinks about their life together. She wonders whether she has changed since Zach died. She wonders if she will ever feel whole again. At last she reaches the spot. And there, tied to a tree, is a bunch of lilies. The flowers are addressed to her husband. Someone has been there before her.

Lizzie loved Zach. She really did. But she's starting to realise she didn't really know him. Or what he was capable of.

©2014 TPC & G Limited (P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton

A ridiculous pile of drivel

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The whole story was ludicrous from start to finish. The narration was irritating and sappy. I doubt anything could have been done to improve it.

What will your next listen be?

Something which is better written, better narrated and not something which could only be described as a "chick flick" in a book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The main reaction was disappointment that I wasted a precious credit on this nonsense.

Creepy story of obsessive love

The book starts very well and really gripped my attention as diffident librarian, Lizzie Carter, meets handsome Zach through internet dating. Soon his obsessive, compulsive behaviour starts alarm bells ringing, in my mind at least, if not Lizzie’s. She puts up with physical and mental abuse that beggar’s belief in those of us who haven’t suffered this trauma, but women’s refuges apparently see it all the time. Little clues suggest that Zach has fabricated a persona and Lizzie eventually sees that the relationship has no future. The story becomes creepy as events suggest to Lizzie that Zach hasn’t been killed in a car crash, but is stalking her and she starts to fear for her life. The book sustains a powerful momentum until near the end when it falters as threads are cursorily resolved. Midway I did start to become irritated by Lizzie’s apologetic behaviour particularly when the teenage daughter of a friend of Zach’s takes advantage of her hospitality.

It’s a disturbing, psychological thriller that did keep me listening despite the weak ending.

The narrator is very good and is convincing as Lizzie, effectively irritating as the recalcitrant, whining teenager.

Brilliant!

Having read the first review I almost didn't listen to this book as the voice of the narrator is so important to me, but I'm glad I made my own mind up! Yes, Lizzie's voice is girly, but, it's a well modulated British RP accent and fitted very well with a shy, insecure librarian so appropriate in my view. She also did the male voices very well. Zach's voice was also very easy to listen to, so no problem there. If I had purchased this in paper form, I would describe it as a page turner, however as I only listen to books these days I will have to find another accolade. A compulsive listen maybe? Give it a go, I'm confident most of you will be glad you did, even if it does put you off internet dating for life! Let's face it...if you don't enjoy it as much as clearly have, then there is always the guarantee of returning it so you won't waste a credit if it's not for you! :-)

Gothic and tense

I discovered Sabine Durant via the interesting "Under Your Skin" (excellent writing, compelling page turner, deeply annoying ending). I wasn't sure about this one at first, worrying that it also might have an annoying ending...thank godness it didn't. It's equally compelling, a masterclass in the two-viewpoint/split timeframe narrative, and great fun in a dark, tense, gothic way. Daniel Weyman is excellent as the male lead, unfortunately not equally matched by Penelope Rawlins who insists on "doing" male voices which make the men sound like idiots. If she just read it straight, it would be a much better listen. However, she doesn't spoil the audiobook because the story, plot and characters are so strong. Highly recommended.

5* story

I loved the first book by this author, so I downloaded Remember me this way as soon as it appeared. The story evolves slowly and cleverly with lots of twists. I was, at times, frustrated by the main character's inability to ask the right questions, or stand up for herself, but again the reasons for this become apparent as the story evolves. The only thing which stopped me giving this an all round 5 star rating was the narration. I felt as if I was listening to some light chick lit at times and her cheery girly voice annoyed me! All credit to the story for keeping me listening!

A great find!

What did you like best about this story?

I had not come across this author before. She writes beautifully. I was struck by how almost imperceptively, quite soon into the book, a disquieting sense of malevolence built-up. I will not give any spoilers, suffice to say the characters are very well drawn with a really light touch. This includes an excellent, but subtly written psychopath and the psychological frailties of others.

Which character – as performed by Penelope Rawlins and Daniel Weyman – was your favourite?

Both were excellent narrators. Penelope's performance of Onie was exceptional. Daniel only voiced one character, but did so brilliantly.

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

It could have been, but its too long.

Any additional comments?

I worried throughout about Howard, but will say no more.

Gripping but not entirely plausible

I don't necessarily expect to find this type of fiction wholly realistic, and in this case that is just as well. On the plus side, this is a genuine page turner and I found myself making excuses to hide a way and listen to the next chapter. Zach is a brilliant character and the slow reveal of the true nature of his personality is enthralling. I was less enchanted with Lizzie whose passive aggressive personality seemed to be more of a plot device than a portrayal of a real person. I also thought her relationship with Anya was way beyond convincing and her reaction to one particular revelation was frankly ridiculous. The tightly written plot was the thing that kept me going to the end but I was disappointed that the ending revealed many red herrings in the plot, and this made me feel that the whole thing was not nearly as clever as it originally appeared. The performance of both narrators was excellent, even down to Anya’s squirmy teenage voice.

Another good book choice

What did you like best about this story?

Interesting theme and thoughts, good to listen to the other side of bullying.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Thoughtful

Any additional comments?

Please give it a go.

LOVED this book until lost the plot at the end ...

Loved Lie With Me and Under your Skin and loved 80% of this book, until it literally seemed to lose the plot towards the end when very stupid protagonist choices just made me switch off, especially ridiculous reactions to events which then seemed to be forgotten. Plus the epilogue seemed like such a damp squib. Kept me intrigued and excited most of the way along but felt let down - not with events but just stupid behaviour by Lizzie who had seemed quite sensible up until then. Could have been SO SO SO much better but left me with a "why did I bother" feeling at the end.

Not bad

I did enjoy this book but found it didn't live up to Lie With Me which I loved. I thought the end was a bit disappointing but I did like the characters and overall I would say worth a listen