Whale Fall

A Novel

De: Elizabeth O'Connor

Narrado por: Dyfrig Morris, Gabrielle Glaister, Gwyneth Keyworth, Jot Davies, Nick Griffiths

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK • A stunning debut from an award-winning writer, about loss, isolation, folklore, and the joy and dissonance of finding oneself by exploring life outside one’s community

“Both blunt and exquisite . . . O’Connor’s excellent debut . . . is an example of precisely observed writing that makes a character’s specific existence glimmer with verisimilitude.”—Maggie Shipstead, New York Times Book Review

"Whale Fall is a powerful novel, written with a calm, luminous precision, each feeling rendered with chiseled care, the drama of island life unfolding with piercing emotional accuracy." —Colm Toibin, New York Times bestselling author of Long Island

In 1938, a dead whale washes up on the shores of remote Welsh island. For Manod, who has spent her whole life on the island, it feels like both a portent of doom and a symbol of what may lie beyond the island's shores. A young woman living with her father and her sister (to whom she has reluctantly but devotedly become a mother following the death of their own mother years prior), Manod can't shake her welling desire to explore life beyond the beautiful yet blisteringly harsh islands that her hardscrabble family has called home for generations.

The arrival of two English ethnographers who hope to study the island culture, then, feels like a boon to her—both a glimpse of life outside her community and a means of escape. The longer the ethnographers stay, the more she feels herself pulled towards them, reckoning with a sensual awakening inside herself, despite her misgivings that her community is being misconstrued and exoticized.

With shimmering prose tempered by sharp wit, Whale Fall tells the story of what happens when one person's ambitions threaten the fabric of a community, and what can happen when they are realized. O'Connor paints a portrait of a community and a woman on the precipice, forced to confront an outside world that seems to be closing in on them.

Loss of innocence and disillusionment beautifully told

I wouldn’t recommend any other format for this story because the narration brings the Welsh names and songs to life. Beautifully done. Though we could see what the future held for Manod before she did, the way the author wove her loss of innocence and the disillusionment she ultimately experienced from meeting and trusting outsiders with the practices and principles of the islanders was very engaging.

beautiful

Lyrical. Enchanting. Beautiful writing. Narration: Amazing to hear Welsh spoken. This was a rare treat. I enjoyed hearing the tale of ethnographic field work from the perspective of the “other”

The rhythm of the language matched the storytelling.

The presumption of the mainland researcher telling the main character who she (island dweller) was, what she should do, what she believed, wanted and needed all the while being angry for her need for attention and affection was pretty galling-but unfortunately not unusual when an « elevated » culture meets another they consider less so.
The writing was beautiful, the characters richly described, a very good listrn.

Beautiful, Dreary, and Real

I think this was a wonderful novella to listen to, if a bummer. Having an VA who seems to have known Welsh was certainly a benefit!

Unusual, powerful story

The setting of this story, on a small island off Wales in 1938, is fascinating. There are only about 35 or 40 inhabitants, and they lead a spare life, out of date with the mainland. The main character, Manod, is so beautifully and elegantly presented to us. I read this on paper first, but I was enchanted by the Audible version. Hearing all the different voices in Welsh was wonderful, and the narrator’s voice is exactly right. It’s not often that I read a book and then want to reread it (in this case, listen to it) immediately. But this book is extraordinary.

A Beautiful Little Gem

Really quick listen, but so beautifully written and really well narrated. Just a lovely story that sticks with you.

Outstanding-- lyrical and evocative

I had planned to read this even before it was identified in the New York Times Book Review as one of the best audiobooks of 2024. I found it striking and original in every regard: the unique and evocative setting; the compelling central figure of Manod, the young woman born and bred on the island, yet imagining a life beyond its shores; the lyrical prose; and the outstanding vocal performances. Highly recommended.

Fabulous narration!

Wonderful, atmospheric short novel brought to life by perfect narration! I particularly enjoyed the pronunciation of Welsh and also the singing.

Hard to follow

Story jumped all over the place and wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. Not my style wouldn’t personally recommend

Excellent book for audible

I usually prefer to read actual literature in a hard copy. In the case of Whalefell, I believe the experience was tremendously enhanced by the narration. The accents, the Welsh spoken aloud, the singing voices and so on. All this added a fabulous additional dimension to this poetic book, as others have described. Like all good poetry, it’s better when heard aloud. Bravo