The Crocodile Bird

By: Ruth Rendell

Narrated by: Jill Tanner

Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Liza is raised in a remote rural hamlet. One evening, Liza’s mother orders her to leave home forever. Paralyzed at having to fend for herself, Liza finds refuge with Sean, a drifter with whom she begins to share the bizarre story of her life.

©1993 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd. (P)1993 Recorded Books, LLC

Spooky, fantastic, amazing.

What made the experience of listening to The Crocodile Bird the most enjoyable?

I loved this. I have read and listened to a great deal of Rendell, and this one struck me as special, due in no small part to the 1st person flashback perspective. Jill Tanner is terrific; I am not always keen on female narrators, but she has the perfect voice for this narrative.

What did you like best about this story?

The feeling that it gave me.

Which scene was your favorite?

The one with the dogs.

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

Yes! But it was too long to do so!

The Crocodile Bird-not Rendell's best, still good

Ruth Rendell's books are time-released cleverness. All the time you're reading, your brain is storing information - without you realizing it - and for days, weeks, maybe years after you've finished the book, the stored bits will drop into your consciousness at the strangest moments. You will realize you didn't understand the full import of the book when you finished it. You will have a flash of insight, an eyebrow-raising or jaw-dropping AHA! moment as another hidden clue or bit of plot slips into its place or a layer is revealed. I'm still thinking about this book weeks after I finished it. Not because the Crocodile Bird was a gripping page-turner, though the story, told in Scheherazade-style chunks, is compelling: a young woman tells her boyfriend tales of her strange childhood with a murdering mother. It was beautifully written, of course, and the narration was good. I'm still thinking about it because the characters became real to me and I'd like to know what happens to them for the rest of their lives.
I'm glad I read (heard) it and I recommend it to the readers who enjoy storytelling that expects your brain to get involved.

Boring - Put me to sleep

From the synopsis this book sounded like it was going to be so good. I had just finished listening to "Into the Darkest Corner" by Elizabeth Haynes (a psychological thriller which I highly recommend) and I thought this would be a great next listen. The preview sounded good, the narrator sounded good... I started listening to the book and the first few minutes were interesting but then the author starts describing the scenery in detail. And then more scenery detail. When an author starts describing too much scenery detail like what the birds look like, which part of their tail is blue, what shade of green the grass is, what the air smells like... I'm thinking the author either doesn't have much story to tell and so they are using that as filler or they just like to write and see their own words on paper. I want them to get on with the story. Yes, of course scenery does matter but too much can be overdone and put someone in a trance. I didn't finish the book. When I woke up from the light nap it had put me in I moved on to another book.

Different

Reminded me of a fairy tale with a more interesting twist to the ending. The voice was perfect for falling asleep with after setting the sleep timer for 15 minutes.

Very different, I really enjoyed this book.

I loved the English accent, it turely is a different kind of story. It had me thinking about you life.