Listen to a sample
Wrecker
- Author
- Noel O’Reilly
- Narrator
- Imogen Church
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 12 July 2018
- Run Time
- 10 hours 15 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Rating
- 4.0 (2 reviews)
What to expect
A powerful debut exploring the dark side of Cornwall – the wrecking and the drowned sailors – where poverty drove villagers to dark deeds…
Shipwrecks are part of life in the remote village of Porthmorvoren, Cornwall. And as the sea washes the bodies of the drowned onto the beach, it also brings treasures: barrels of liquor, exotic fruit, the chance to lift a fine pair of boots from a corpse, maybe even a jewel or two.
When, after a fierce storm, Mary Blight rescues a man half-dead from the sea, she ignores the whispers of her neighbours and carries him home to nurse better. Gideon Stone is a Methodist minister from Newlyn, a married man. Touched by Mary’s sacrifice and horrified by the superstitions and pagan beliefs the villagers cling to, Gideon sets out to bring light and salvation to Porthmorvoren by building a chapel on the hill.
But the village has many secrets and not everyone wants to be saved. As Mary and Gideon find themselves increasingly drawn together, jealousy, rumour and suspicion is rife. Gideon has demons of his own to face, and soon Mary’s enemies are plotting against her…
Gripping, beautifully written and utterly beguiling, Noel O’Reilly’s debut WRECKER is a story of love, injustice, superstition and salvation, set against Cornwall’s dark past.
Critics Review
-
‘Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge, this portrait of 19th-century Cornwall is a cracker.’ Daily Mail
‘Noel O’Reilly’s lyrical writing brilliantly evokes the struggles of life in such a dramatic setting, as well as the hypocrisy and jealousy of society and Church.’ Sunday Express
‘Compelling’ Sunday Times
‘full of secrets, suspicions and rumour’ Woman & Home
‘With perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot, and Mary, this is fiction of a literary standard that can’t fail to please the reader.’ MyWeekly
‘With echoes of Du Maurier, this compelling Cornish drama weaves a tangled web of fallen faiths, of sins, seductions and deceits.’ Essie Fox
‘A gripping historical tale. Laced with Cornwall and menace in equal measure. I loved it.’ Liz Fenwick
‘Intense and immersive. It totally swept me away.’ Nicola Cornick
‘Noel O’Reilly conjures the spectacle of disintegrating ships and the gruesome business of scavengers picking as corpses washed ashore in this story about smugglers and wreckers in a Cornish fishing village.’ MAIL ONLINE
User Reviews
Book 4.0
Narration 4.0
-
3.0 3.0
I listened to this without knowing anything about it before and overall I would say I enjoyed it. The main arc of the story is about the politics of living in a small community and being different. It definitely conjured an image of life in a small Cornish village but the story itself isn't overwhelmingly interesting.
Imogen Church is a great narrator, but I wish she hadn't tried to do a Cornish accent as it's so noticeable when it slips! But perhaps I'm too picky being from Cornwall...
Overall and enjoyable listen which explores the every day life and politics of small communities.elleninelle 2022-05-24
Details
- Author
- Noel O’Reilly
- Narrator
- Imogen Church
- Duration
- 10 hours 15 minutes
- Release Date
- 12 July 2018
- ISBN
- 9780008274559
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Traditional or cultural fiction and true stories, tales and retellings, Historical fiction
- Rating
- 4.0(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.0(2 reviews)
Synopsis
‘Compelling’ Sunday Times A powerful debut exploring the dark side of Cornwall – the wrecking and the drowned sailors – where poverty drove villagers to dark deeds… Shipwrecks are part of life in the remote village of Porthmorvoren, Cornwall. And as the sea washes the bodies of the drowned onto the beach, it also brings treasures: barrels of liquor, exotic fruit, the chance to lift a fine pair of boots from a corpse, maybe even a jewel or two. When, after a fierce storm, Mary Blight rescues a man half-dead from the sea, she ignores the whispers of her neighbours and carries him home to nurse better. Gideon Stone is a Methodist minister from Newlyn, a married man. Touched by Mary’s sacrifice and horrified by the superstitions and pagan beliefs the villagers cling to, Gideon sets out to bring light and salvation to Porthmorvoren by building a chapel on the hill. But the village has many secrets and not everyone wants to be saved. As Mary and Gideon find themselves increasingly drawn together, jealousy, rumour and suspicion is rife. Gideon has demons of his own to face, and soon Mary’s enemies are plotting against her… Gripping, beautifully written and utterly beguiling, Noel O’Reilly’s debut WRECKER is a story of love, injustice, superstition and salvation, set against Cornwall’s dark past.
About xigxag and the x-book®
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by "x-book" to find them.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.