Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Days of Abandonment  By  cover art

The Days of Abandonment

By: Elena Ferrante
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.22

Buy for $13.22

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

An IndiBound best seller, The Days of Abandonment shocked and captivated its Italian public when first published. It is the gripping story of a woman's descent into devastating emptiness after being abandoned by her husband, with two young children to care for. When she finds herself literally trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal.

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.; 2015 Blackstone Audio (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Days of Abandonment

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    234
  • 4 Stars
    135
  • 3 Stars
    155
  • 2 Stars
    77
  • 1 Stars
    57
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    295
  • 4 Stars
    154
  • 3 Stars
    91
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    28
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    216
  • 4 Stars
    113
  • 3 Stars
    113
  • 2 Stars
    81
  • 1 Stars
    64

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Days of Abandonment to be better than the print version?

The audio edition is better because of the subject matter. The silence of divorce is hard to take. Likely many who are drawn to this book could stand to hear a sympathetic voice. The audio version delivers that.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Days of Abandonment?

The line when the narrator says after the husband left, she and her children lived with a permanent sense of danger . With that Ferrante got to the bone chilling truth. I say without irony it hit me like Tammy Wynnette's record DIVORCE which I consider one of greatest artistic treatments of the subject.

Which character – as performed by Hillary Huber – was your favorite?

Olga of course.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The film your ex will never watch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

98 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Quick (not bad) listen ....

To be brief, this novel is not about chains of events or mystery of any kind. Rather it is a swirls of deep emotions and self pity and literally decomposition of a human soul.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Maybe it's you

Divorce is terrible. I've played its victim in various roles. That's why I was interested in this book. But this lady's complete lack of rationality is indefensible. Sickening in fact. (Spoiler alert.) To turn on your children and dog like that just means you're a bad person. I don't care what you're going through. To victimize the innocent is never justifiable. What your husband did is despicable. But you're no better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Icky and dark.

I stopped listening 15 chapters into it. It truly is about the days of abandonment x-number of years into a long marriage with two kids. It's exactly how I hope I would not behave given those circumstances. It's just yucky and I can't finish it. It's left a bad taste in my mouth.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

monotone narrator and monotonous story

This isn't worth $1, and certainly not worth a credit. I've skipped from chapter to chapter hoping to find good character development, some sort of joy in being alive, or something worth listening to. I haven't found it yet.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Strange story!

Almost stopped listening, but forced myself to listen to the end. Seemed like a very weak female character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

How Disturbing!

Not only disturbing but depressing and disappointing as well! I would hate for anyone that is already in the depths of depression to read this story. I would fear for their safety. The only redeeming quality I found is in the actual writing. The writing was so well done, as was the delivery, that it just made me sad.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Woman goes crazy when husband leaves her

The main character, Olga, disgusted me. I wanted to stop listening halfway through but plowed through hoping that some great insight would emerge. It didn't. I was sick of listening to her meaningless, self-pitying introspection. Sure her husband did her wrong....so why was two-thirds of the book devoted to pining after him? The narrator was the only redeeming factor in this audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Odd Book With No Point

The story was so strange, and the writing extremely choppy. There was absolutely zero character development! Despite the author trying to show us what life is like after the separation and eventual divorce for a 38-year-old woman and her two children, I truly felt as though her behavior and interactions with the kids were ridiculously over the top. This woman definitely needed some intense, long-term psychiatric treatment. Not at all believable that she would get better so quickly.Surprisingly, even the husband's attitde and behavior is pretty strange, especially when he admits to not really liking his children and thinks that their annoying behavior will lead to his new relationship falling apart. What? Really?Apparently, neither one of them is committed to putting the kids firstI do understand that the story is meant to be dark, but this book is simply awful. Only positive here would have to be the narration. Hilary managed to portray the main character as depressed and with flat affect, while she performed the children with far more energy. Skip buying this one, even if at a discount.☹️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

erotic , sensual, highly entertaining!!!

The author goes deep into the psyche of a torn soul. a must read! Exellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful