The Start of Everything

A Novel

By: Emily Winslow

Narrated by: Sheila Burminham, Stephen Hoye

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's summary

In this stunning psychological thriller for readers of Tana French, Kate Atkinson, and Donna Tartt, Emily Winslow has crafted a literary prism told through the eyes of her many intricately drawn characters. Masterly and mesmerizing, The Start of Everything will captivate until the very last minute.

"If you don’t want to see me again, say so. But it’s not right to say nothing. It’s not right to go silent. You know what to do."

Cambridge, England: Outside the city, the badly decomposed body of a teenage girl has washed up in the flooded fens. Detective Inspector Chloe Frohmann and her partner, Morris Keene, must work quickly to identify the victim before the press takes off with the salacious story. Across the hallowed paths and storied squares of Cambridge University, the detectives follow scant clues toward the identity of the dead girl. Eventually, their search leads them to Deeping House, an imposing country manor where, over the course of one Christmas holiday, three families, two nannies, and one young writer were snowed in together. Chloe Frohmann begins to unravel a tangled web of passions and secrets, of long-buried crimes and freshly committed horrors. But in order to reveal the truth - about misaddressed letters, a devastating affair, and a murdered teenager - she may have to betray her partner.

©2021 Emily Winslow (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Emily Winslow effortlessly weaves together separate lives with intertwined lies, creating a powerful web of small deceits and horrifying misdeeds. The Start of Everything is a must [listen]!" (New York Times best-selling author Lisa Gardner)

Very much like Tana French and Kate Atkinson

I did something I have never done before with an audible book, I went back to the beginning, when I came to Part 2. Now whether it was because my listening attention was not as focused, due to activities. like walking two disobedient dogs, or, because I underestimated this book, I am not sure. I actually went back to check one thing, and just went oh well, I may as well just listen to it from the start. It was a decision I did not for one moment regret.

This is a wonderfully complicated, intricate, exploration of individuals, motherhood, families, and nannies, all set in the academic world of Cambridge.
I loved all the twists and turns. There is more than a murder to unravel in this book. The different narrators all give testimony sometimes, credible, other times, unreliable or inaccurate. I found Matild, the girl who suffers from Asperger or some other related disorder, compelling as she blindly blunders right into danger. There was also, drama and pathos in her quest to reunite the letter and make some connection of her own. Ultimmately Chloe is the most informed and clear sighted. It all comes together, in jigsaw pieces to it's final and surprising revelations.

I can not recommend this book highly enough to mystery and contemporary fiction readers alike. It is superbly written, fraught with tension and a finely wrought portrait of fully realized characters.

I look forward to seeing more from this writer!

OK plot, very poor narration

The plot was rambling and the narration horrible, all characters sounded the same; don't waste the credit

couldn't get through the second chapter

I believe the main character (narrator) was supposed to be autistic/ have aspergers but instead of using this to add depth to this character it became a huge distraction from what may have been a good story. All of the character's thoughts centered on sensory issues and fixations- as if people on the autism spectrum have no personality beyond this. It made it a very difficult listen especially when the other narrator was given depth and personality emphasizing the shallowness of the first narrator. Giving a character Aspergers instead of a personality is insulting to the reader and to the autistic community, one does not rule out the other!

Profanity

To much profanity lost track of story seems to meander around too much uses profanity where not needed

Spoiler alert

I got 7 hrs into it and I was actually yelling at the characters. They made me so mad. I kept hoping that Matild (what a frickin stupid name) would be killed off. She served absolutely NO role in the story as far as I could tell. I chose this without reading the reviews. Stupid of me. I was so glad when Matild was pushed in front of a speeding train. I wanted to dance. She was boring, truculent, and a bitch. I wanted to shove those damned letters down her throat.

The narration…OMG! Could it have been any worse. The male detective sounded like he was trying to disguise his voice with that of a loud, deaf, grumpy old man. The females all sounded like 3 year olds and the lisp…the lisp.

Idk if this author has penned any other books but someone needs to find her and put a stop to her nonsense. Truly the worst book I have ever had the displeasure to read/listen to. So glad I didn’t waste a credit on it.

Go sit in the corner for a month whoever included this truly awful book.

I don’t know if it was the writing or the narration

I enjoyed the perspective of the autistic/OCD girl. But it almost felt like that bled into several of the characters in a way that wasn’t natural and made them appear dense. So part of this could be in the inflection of the narration, and part of it could’ve just been the writing. For instants the assumptions of characters that others were out to get them was odd. Both the Main police characters and the main character George.

So I guess the storyline was fairly good with some odd character issues and maybe that was the author trying to have too many different sub plots?
It was okay…

Struggled with narrators

Narrators voices were not very pleasant , and cringe worthy , just ruined the book, to bad.

Most annoying narrator ever!

I tried to stick it out but I only lasted 1 hour and 3 minutes. I couldn't take it anymore.

I'm glad that this title was free!

I struggled to finish this. The characters were flat and mentally unstable. They all seemed like petulant children and no character was enduring.

horrible

I will usually read anything. This book was an exception. I am glad I did not waste a credit on it.

Please end it now!

I have never written a review before but felt that I had to review this. The story is quite good, interesting etc BUT I am sorry to say the readers leave a lot to be desired. A man and a woman, cannot tell one character from another. So glad I have not bought this at full price, they are awful. Avoid.