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  • The Very Marrow of Our Bones

  • Written by: Christine Higdon
  • Narrated by: Allison Riley
  • Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)

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The Very Marrow of Our Bones

Written by: Christine Higdon
Narrated by: Allison Riley
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Publisher's Summary

Defiance, faith, and triumph in a heartrending novel about daughters and mothers

On a miserable November day in 1967, two women disappear from a working-class town on the Fraser River. The community is thrown into panic, with talk of drifters and murderous husbands. But no one can find a trace of Bette Parsons or Alice McFee. Even the egg seller, Doris Tenpenny, a woman to whom everyone tells their secrets, hears nothing.

Ten-year-old Lulu Parsons discovers something, though: a milk-stained note her mother, Bette, left for her father on the kitchen table. "Wally," it says, "I will not live in a tarpaper shack for the rest of my life."

Lulu tells no one, and months later, she buries the note in the woods. At the age of 10, she starts running - and forgetting - lurching through her unraveled life, using the safety of solitude and detachment until, at 50, she learns that she is not the only one who carries a secret.

Hopeful, lyrical, comedic, and intriguingly and lovingly told, The Very Marrow of Our Bones explores the isolated landscapes and thorny attachments bred by childhood loss and buried secrets.

©2018 Christine Higdon (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ2S+

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What listeners say about The Very Marrow of Our Bones

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distressing

great story bound in its complexity. Characters well developed I have known a Lulu what a great portrayal. then there was Better and her scary life, how could she?; we can understand as we get to know who she is

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

Wonderful story

What a wonderful story and I loved the narrator. I would recommend it to anyone.

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

Amazing Book

This book carries you through the lives of its characters, not on a wild adventure, but on an honest and introspective look at their lives. An extraordinary read!

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5 people found this helpful

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

A Good Read

I liked this book. I thought it was well written and an interesting story. I was a little worried that the story was going to get too intense for me to enjoy but there wasn't any overly graphic scenes and the ending was happy.

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

The Narration Put Me Off

The narration is way too fast which does not allow characters to develop or scenes to breath. It sounded flat, like someone was just reading it rather than expressing it. I've given it my best effort but cannot finish it. There may be a good story there but I just can't get past the narration.

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9 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • JBR
  • 2020-01-10

A long listen

I so badly wanted to like this book. In the end I couldn't relate to the characters and the story took too long to unfold.

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