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Title details for The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell - Available

The House We Grew Up In

by Lisa Jewell
Karina Fernandez
Audiobook
3 of 3 copies available
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3 of 3 copies available
Meet the picture-perfect Bird family: pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and towheaded twins Rory and Rhys, one an adventurous troublemaker, the other his slighter, more sensitive counterpart. Their father is a sweet, gangly man, but it's their beautiful, free-spirited mother Lorelei who spins at the center. In those early years, Lorelei tries to freeze time by filling their simple brick house with precious mementos. Easter egg foils are her favorite—craft supplies too. She hangs all of the children's art, to her husband's chagrin. Then one Easter weekend, a tragedy so devastating occurs that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, while Lorelei has become the county's worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband and children and has been living as a recluse. But then something happens that beckons the Bird family back to the house they grew up in—to finally understand the events of that long-ago Easter weekend and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    September 17, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666579680
      • File size: 386685 KB
      • Duration: 13:25:35

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listeners will discover a most endearing and disturbing character in Lorelei Bird, whom Karina Fernandez captures to a tee. The mother of four is a hoarder whose addiction eventually causes most of her family to leave her. Fernandez captures each distinctive Bird family member, particularly Lorelei, who's at once childlike in her enthusiasms and fiercely determined to give her children model childhoods. The story centers around years of Easter Sunday celebrations, with the Birds seeming like the ideal family until tragedy strikes when 16-year-old Rhys commits suicide, leaving Lorelei's belief system shattered. The story's many characters are well served as the author illuminates the drive to hoard. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 23, 2014
      Jewell’s most recent novel (after Before I Met You) is a melodrama starring the Bird clan: happy-go-lucky mother Lorelai, patient father Colin, headstrong eldest child Meg, meek Beth, and dissimilar twins Rory and Rhys. “They lived in a honey-colored house that sat hard up against the pavement of a picture-perfect Cotswolds village and stretched out beyond into three-quarters of an acre of rambling half-kempt gardens.” The narrative alternates between 2011 and flashbacks to the kids’ childhoods, and the reader sees Lorelai’s eccentricities (including her propensity for hoarding) gradually begin to weigh her family down. Easter is Lorelai’s favorite holiday, replete with massive egg hunts and festivities, but when a catastrophe occurs, it forever alters the course of the Birds’ lives. Each member of the family begins to drift away from the others, and the subsequent years find them dealing with affairs, abandonment, and death. Years later, following another loss, the family once again gathers and is forced to confront its troubled past. Jewell keeps the reader engrossed with her characters’ winding, divergent paths.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This audiobook combines an extraordinary story with narrator Karina Fernandez's captivating performance, creating an unforgettable experience for listeners. The seemingly perfect Bird family, led by mother Lorelei, is at the center of Jewell's novel. One Easter their storybook existence is torn apart, and what follows is a series of conflicts and tragedies that transform their existence from idyllic to dysfunctional. As the family sees the realities of their past emerge, they must cope with the accompanying revelations and the changes they produce. Fernandez flawlessly captures every emotion, modifying her tone and pace to enhance each moment. In emotional scenes, Fernandez's delivery of Jewell's dialogue is perfect. Listeners will recall her outstanding performance for years. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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