How It Was
- Author Janet Ellis
- Narrator Janet Ellis
- Publisher John Murray Press
- Publish Date 8 August 2019
- Run Time 10 hours and 48 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Modern and contemporary fiction, Relationships and families: advice and issues.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only {book.integrated.discount}.
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $13.95
- $12.95
- $11.95
- $10.95
- $9.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
'JANET ELLIS WRITES WITH TENDERNESS AND WISDOM' ERIN KELLY
'AN ATMOSPHERIC, CLEVER NOVEL THAT WILL GET UNDER YOUR SKIN' RED
Marion Deacon sits by the hospital bed of her dying husband, Michael. Outwardly she is, as she says, an unremarkable old woman. She has long concealed her history - and her feelings - from the casual observer. But as she sits by Michael's bed, she's haunted by memories from almost forty years ago . . .
Marion Deacon is a wife and mother, and not particularly good at being either. It's the 1970s and in her small village the Swinging 60s, the wave of feminism, the prospect of an exciting life, have all swerved past her. Reading her teenage daughter's diary, it seems that Sarah is on the threshold of getting everything her mother Marion was denied, and Marion cannot bear it - what she does next has terrible and heart-breaking consequences for the whole family.
Janet Ellis writes of the exquisite pain of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the complexity of family and a mother-daughter relationship that is as memorable as it is utterly believable.
'ELLIS WRITES BEAUTIFULLY' DAILY MAIL
'AN EMOTIONAL EPIC' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'AFFECTING, ENGAGING AND READABLE' OBSERVER
'A TALE OF SILENCES, SECRETS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS' MAIL ON SUNDAY
(p) 2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Critics Review
You will love this – immersive, amazing, remarkable, I could barely breathe. I cried – and I never cry.
Ellis has a knack for depicting the way in which families struggle to communicate . . . engaging and readable
Ellis writes beautifully, with a great eye for detail. She has a wry comic touch and all the emotions are spot on.
An atmospheric, clever novel, which will get under your skin
A tale of silences, secrets and misunderstandings, of marital infidelities and of paths not taken . . . A fluent, convincing depiction of the poignant intricacies of family life
An emotional epic. The former TV presenter’s debut novel, The Butcher’s Hook, was great, and this second one is also terrific, particularly in the way she writes about mother-daughter relationships.
An engrossing read . . . a story of family secrets and twisted relationships
An emotional read with humour and heartbreak in equal measure
Gripping . . . an engrossing read from a talented writer
Cataclysmic
Poignant, cleverly nuanced and funny
It’s wonderful. A brutal tale of a fraught mother-daughter relationship. The writing fizzes along. Loved it.
Janet Ellis writes with tenderness and wisdom about how you can lose a child while they are still under your roof – and how a child long-lost will never leave you. I veered between laughter and a lump in the throat, often on the same page. This book will sneak up behind you and break your heart.
Explores the human condition with pin-sharp precision, so accurate it hurts. It’s a raw read, complex and compelling in its structure, with emotions laid bare. Written with empathy and integrity.
A brilliantly written, dark domestic noir
Heartbreaking – I would definitely recommend. It’s going to be a very popular summer read.
Wonderfully evocative, immersive and beautifully written
I absolutely loved it. The careful evocation of an era is incredibly seductive . . . These are real, believable, fragile people whose lives the reader becomes totally immersed in and gripped by.
I ate this up in one day . . . it has such great characters and very realistic, imperfect relationships. A thoroughly immersive story that I would heartily recommend.
Lolita meets Madame Bovary . . . Ellis writes fantastically
It’s equally as compelling as her first. I can’t put it down!
More from the same
Author
Narrator
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.