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  • Holding

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Graham Norton
  • Narrated by: Graham Norton
  • Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (67 ratings)

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Holding cover art

Holding

Written by: Graham Norton
Narrated by: Graham Norton
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Publisher's Summary

From Graham Norton, the BAFTA-award-winning Irish television host and author of the "sparkling and impish" (Daily Mail) memoirs The Life and Loves of a He Devil and So Me, comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, but when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be those of Tommy Burke - a former lover of two different inhabitants - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated sergeant PJ Collins struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

In this darkly comic, touching and, at times, heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

©2016 Graham Norton and Hodder & Stoughton (P)2017 Simon and Schuster Audio

What listeners say about Holding

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Love Graham Norton’s writing style. His descriptive narrative immerses you in his story and you feel you can pop in for tea with the characters and visit the village at any time! What a talent!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 2018-12-18

Surprisingly Good

One tends to be a bit cautious about buying books written by celebrities outside their realm. I know Graham Norton as a great talk-show host (rejuvenated my taste for the genre), but had not known of his other talents. I liked him enough to give it a chance.
I was pleasantly surprised by "Holding". The story was well-developed, and the characters interesting. I did feel the key character sergeant PJ Collins was a bit borrowed from John Michael McDonagh (movie: "The Guard", starring Brendan Gleeson), but that actually added to the visualization.
The best part is Norton's narration. I have found at times that authors are not the best narrator. Sort of the same situation as where songwriters are not always the best singers/performers of their songs. Sometimes it's better to leave performance to those with talent for it. Graham Norton, however, has talent (apparently) in both fields and does a good job of bringing his characters to life.
It is a bitter-sweet story, well worth the time to listen.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and unpredictable.

I enjoy Mr Norton as a TV host so I really wasn't sure what to expect from his novel. He is obviously the perfect choice of narrators, and brought his characters to life.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • cj
  • 2023-08-29

So reliably good

Just another enjoyable read (listen). I’m hoping this becomes a series I’d enjoy getting to know PJ a little more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

Great performance... Good story... Kept me engaged... Not sure why I need 15 words to leave a review

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!!

I enjoyed everything about this story. A great blend of comedy and drama. Having Graham Norton read it himself was the cherry on the top.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pleasantly surprised!

Not really sure what I was expecting with this novel but it was quite good. The storyline kept you guessing, the characters were interesting and I enjoy listening to Graham’s storytelling. A good listen! Highly recommend it

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

ok

Disappointed by the depiction of women throughout the book. They often appear to have nonsensical/over emotional reasoning.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable read.

loved it. surprised at how good sa writer Graham is. must be the Irish in him.
well done.

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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

The fat shaming in this novel is ridiculous

This novel was hard to get through. None of the characters were relatable or even likeable. PJ was the closest to being a character the reader cared about, but sadly most of his inner dialoge was him fat shaming himself. And if it wasn't him it was the other characters inner dialoge fat shaming him. Actually it felt like half the story was the mystery and the other half were residents or pj poking fun at how overweight he was. This was a huge turn off for me as the reader. If the author had spent his time developing characters this book could have been much more interesting.
If you want to read one of Graham Nortons novel's I suggest skipping this one and checking out A Keeper.

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