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  • Beware the Cuckoo

  • Written by: Julie Newman
  • Narrated by: Joan Walker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

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Beware the Cuckoo cover art

Beware the Cuckoo

Written by: Julie Newman
Narrated by: Joan Walker
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Publisher's Summary

They were reunited at his funeral, school friends with a shared past. A past that is anything but straightforward. A past that harbours secrets and untruths.

Karen has a seemingly perfect life. An adoring husband, two wonderful children and a beautiful home. She has all she has ever wanted, living the dream. She also has a secret.

Sandra's once perfect life is rapidly unravelling. The man who meant everything to her had a dark side, and her business is failing. To get her life back on track, she needs to reclaim what is rightfully hers. She knows the secret.

As the past meets the present, truths are revealed - and both women understand the true cost of betrayal.

©2017 Julie Newman (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

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What listeners say about Beware the Cuckoo

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I enjoyed this story

For me, it was a “just one chapter“ audible book. Excellent narration. I will definitely explore more books by this author.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Passable At Best

Julie Newman pens a reasonably well-conceived and well-executed story involving secrets, duplicity, and conflicts among a cast of interesting but strikingly unlikable characters. The vocabulary/prose is capable, the dialogue is lifelike, and drip-drip-drip revelations are used effectively to promote tension in two timelines.
Unfortunately, it's hard to develop any investment in the protagonist(s) [Newman's characters are very realistic but utterly unworthy of empathy] and the overall scenario - involving secrets, betrayed friendship, blackmail, revenge, and silly financial motives & legal wranglings - is difficult to swallow.

The narration by Joan Walker doesn't help, either. True, her diction/enunciation is professional (aided by exemplary technical support from Audible Studios Inc sound engineers), her timbre/cadence is comfortable for hours of listening, and her tone matches the text beautifully - but Walker reads much too slowly (setting playback speed at 1.20X yields the best results), her child voices are cringeworthy, and her South African accents are pretty weak.

Altogether, 'Beware The Cuckoo' isn't a crazy investment of time (I appreciate the inclusion as a 'Plus' selection - it was an enjoyable distraction for a couple of snowy afternoons).. but with so many options in the genre available, paying a Credit for this 4/10-star offering would be almost indefensible.

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