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Fayne cover art

Fayne

Written by: Ann-Marie MacDonald
Narrated by: Ann-Marie MacDonald
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Publisher's Summary

THE INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A
GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF CBC’S BEST CANADIAN FICTION BOOKS OF 2022

A beloved writer returns with a tale of science, magic, love and identity.


In the late nineteenth century, Charlotte Bell is growing up at Fayne, a vast and lonely estate straddling the border between England and Scotland, where she has been kept from the world by her adoring father, Lord Henry Bell, owing to a mysterious condition. Charlotte, strong and insatiably curious, revels in the moorlands, and has learned the treacherous and healing ways of the bog from the old hired man, Byrn, whose own origins are shrouded in mystery.  Her idyllic existence is shadowed by the magnificent portrait on the landing in Fayne House which depicts her mother, a beautiful Irish-American heiress, holding Charlotte’s brother, Charles Bell. Charlotte has grown up with the knowledge that her mother died in giving birth to her, and that her older brother, Charles, the long-awaited heir, died soon afterwards at the age of two. When Charlotte’s appetite for learning threatens to exceed the bounds of the estate, her father breaks with tradition and hires a tutor to teach his daughter “as you would my son, had I one.” But when Charlotte and her tutor’s explorations of the bog turn up an unexpected artefact, her father announces he has arranged for her to be cured of her condition, and her world is upended. Charlotte’s passion for knowledge and adventure will take her to the bottom of family secrets and to the heart of her own identity.

©2022 Ann-Marie MacDonald (P)2022 Knopf Canada

What the critics say

“A reinvention for the bestselling author. . . . MacDonald is wildly successful in creating a rich Victorian world as seen through a young person’s eyes. . . . With its tenderness and twists that recall Charles Dicken’s Bleak House and the upstairs-downstairs dynamics of shows like Downton Abbey, MacDonald’s fourth novel is a paean to the act of storytelling and a triumph that challenges the constructs of gender.” Quill and Quire (starred review)

"Engrossing, gorgeous, funny. . . . Fayne illuminates the experience of being queer before such things were discussed openly." The Globe and Mail

“Richly and minutely detailed . . . Fayne is . . . a subtle meditation on gender identity and environmental degradation that feels precisely attuned to the present. MacDonald’s work has always featured outcasts, and Fayne is her celebration of every marvelous living thing that flourishes on the margins, refusing to be categorized or controlled.” The Walrus

What listeners say about Fayne

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    5 out of 5 stars

So rich in detail!

Where to begin?! I had not read one thing about the book prior to listening so everything that unfolded was so surprising!
A few reviewers mentioned it’s length, at over 960 pages and 40 hours listening, it IS long but I did not once drift, I did not once think, ‘Oh this is too much.’
If anything, I craved the details Anne-Marie MacDonald laid out before us.
It’s been 12 years since her last book and the wait was more than worth it.
High praise for Canadian author, playwright, actor, AMM.
Can’t wait for her next tale.

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7 people found this helpful

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Too long

This book was nothing i expected. Most of the book dealt with gender and sexuality issues (LGBTQ,Non binary, etc.) Nothing in the audible description indicated this. I would not have chosen to read, as I was looking for strictly period Scottish genre.

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5 people found this helpful

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Incredible book!

What a performance by Ann-Marie MacDonald! This book was delightful, emotional, and gripping. The characters are engaging and the landscape is painted with vibrent life. I was already a huge fan of the author and this reading showcases just how talented she is. Such an entertaining and expressive book.

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4 people found this helpful

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The twist!

Having read The Way The Crow Flies and Fall on Your Knees, I was already pretty certain I'd like this novel as well. The slow yet captivating first act with subtle hints into the later reveal were well placed. The overall plot (and plot twist) was great and seemed like something plausible of the 1800s. As the whole story sounded credible, it then made it very difficult to stay with it near the end since it goes off on a tangent of incredulity just to finish the novel. MacDonald's narration was amazing. All the voices, accents, delivery and different intonations were all perfect.

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3 people found this helpful

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Superb!

What a delicious treat to be read this exquisite novel in the author’s own voice!

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3 people found this helpful

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Great story!

I loved this book as I do all of the author’s books. Don’t miss a second of the story. If your mind wanders for just a beat, go back and listen. It’s a long one. It’s worth it! Wonderfully written and narrated.

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1 person found this helpful

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Captivating

I thought this would be a labour to listen to. Just the opposite. Wonderful book with so many twist & turns.

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1 person found this helpful

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Makes my list of favourite books

The character development, the way she weaves the plot together to keep the reader captivated, the way she broaches topics of queerness, women’s rights, and the patriarchy is just FABULOUS!

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1 person found this helpful

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Heartbreaking and heartwarming epic story

I could not stop listening to this story. I loved it all, the imagery of the Scottish landscape, the mystery, the plot, intrigue, deception and the characters. Ann-Marie bravely wove in a complicated and timely topic in such a powerful and thought provoking way. I doff my hat to you, dear author.

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Breathtakingly Beautiful

This is a vast, heartbreaking uplifting, and beautiful book. These characters will stay with me for a long time.

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