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When We Lost Our Heads

A Novel

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When We Lost Our Heads

Written by: Heather O'Neill
Narrated by: Jeanna Phillips
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About this listen

The #1 national bestseller

“Marvelous . . . viciously funny and acutely intelligent” (Maclean’s), When We Lost Our Heads is the spellbinding story of two young women whose friendship is so intense it not only threatens to destroy them, it changes the course of history

Marie Antoine is the charismatic, spoiled daughter of a sugar baron. At age twelve, with her pile of blond curls and unparalleled sense of whimsy, she’s the leader of all the children in the Golden Mile, the affluent strip of nineteenth-century Montreal where powerful families live. Until one day in 1873, when Sadie Arnett, dark-haired, sly and brilliant, moves to the neighbourhood.

Marie and Sadie are immediately inseparable. United by their passion and intensity, they attract and repel each other in ways that set them both on fire. Marie, with her bubbly charm, sees all the pleasure of the world, whereas Sadie’s obsession with darkness is all-consuming. Soon, their childlike games take on the thrill of danger and then become deadly.

Forced to separate, the girls spend their teenage years engaging in acts of alternating innocence and depravity, until a singular event unites them once more, with devastating effects. After Marie inherits her father’s sugar empire and Sadie disappears into the city’s gritty underworld, the working class begins to foment a revolution. Each woman will play an unexpected role in the events that upend their city—the only question is whether they will find each other once more.

From the beloved Giller Prize-shortlisted author who writes “like a sort of demented angel with an uncanny knack for metaphor” (Toronto Star), When We Lost Our Heads is a page-turning novel that explores gender and power, sex and desire, class and status, and the terrifying strength of the human heart when it can’t let someone go.

©2022 Heather O'Neill (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant  
As with all Heather O’Neill books - there is magic and unusual relationships, centred on class warfare. What you believe is a tale of two neurodiverse people is really just a commentary on capitalism. The plot is lost near the end.

Starts strong but gets a little weird near the end

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What an interesting and entertaining story. A very enjoyable listen. The narrator is amazing.
Highly recommended.

Excellent Listen

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I loved this book. As a huge fan of 'Lullabies for Little Criminals', I was excited for this. The narrator was a perfect choice for the telling of this book. I couldn't wait to listen to it any chance I got. I fell in love with the characters and vivid imagery. I loved the story from start to finish. I'll buy the book copy to own as well because I enjoyed this book so much.

Amazing

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I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It’s highly nuanced snd ever-twisting story kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!

Riveting novel

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Loved it. Narration was appropriate
and clear.I truly enjoyed it thoroughly. Very Well donei in deed.

enjoyed each and every minute.

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This novel, a satire, requires a deadpan narration. Instead we are read to with childish over inflection, rendering anything that might have been cleverness into cutesy clumsy pronouncements. I really expected and wanted to like this book, but I can’t carry on reading it. It’s painful.

Distractingly bad narration

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Found it very long in detail and storyline. Sometimes Sadie had an English accent and sometimes she didn’t. Not sorry I listened to it but would not recommend it to a friend.

Good book, a little drawn out

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I enjoyed mostly, characters multidimensional, liked the wording at the end re: women's stories being buried. a bit drawn out.

Interesting story line and characters

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