Lullaby Beach cover art

Lullaby Beach

'A PORTRAIT OF SISTERHOOD ... POWERFUL, WISE, CELEBRATORY' Daily Mail

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Lullaby Beach

By: Stella Duffy
Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
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'FAULTLESS STORYTELLING' Observer

'A PORTRAIT OF SISTERHOOD ... POWERFUL, WISE, CELEBRATORY' Daily Mail

A compelling novel about family secrets and the legacy of trauma, set against the changing fortunes of an English seaside town, from award-winning writer Stella Duffy.

When Lucy discovers the body of her great aunt Kitty, with a puzzling note and empty pill bottles by her bed, she can't believe that the formidable woman who held her family together is gone - or understand why she has taken her own life.

Lucy is determined to decipher Kitty's final message. What she finds will overturn everything she thought she knew about her family.

Lullaby Beach takes the reader on a journey through three generations of a complicated, close-knit family whose joys and misfortunes track many of the most pressing conflicts and concerns of post-war Britain, from the promise and hypocrisies of 1950s London to the political divides and risky freedoms of the present day.

'Whether it's down to the sure rhythm of Duffy's faultless storytelling or the faded backdrop of the south coast of England, her latest novel is a comforting tale despite some gritty subject matter ... Wise, generous and atmospheric' OBSERVER

'Duffy is a fearless writer ... A portrait of sisterhood in the wider sense - one that's as powerful and gritty as it is wise and celebratory' DAILY MAIL

'Lullaby Beach explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness' NEW STATESMAN

'A writer who never lets you down' ALI SMITH
©2020 Stella Duffy Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

Duffy is a fearless writer ... A portrait of sisterhood in the wider sense - one that's as powerful and gritty as it is wise and celebratory (Stephanie Cross)
Lullaby Beach explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness
Whether it's down to the sure rhythm of Duffy's faultless storytelling or the faded backdrop of the south coast of England, her latest novel is a comforting tale despite some gritty subject matter. It opens as eighty-something Kitty takes her own life, leaving behind not just a gaping hole in the world of her two great-nieces, but a mystery, too. Four dates contained in a note seem to hold the key, concealing secrets that bind three generations of Beth and Sara's family. Wise, generous and atmospheric (Hephzibah Anderson)
A suicide in a sleepy English seaside town exposes family secrets that have lain dormant for three generations in this
atmospheric novel . . . The action is set in the present day and the 1950s. We meet Kitty as an idealistic young girl keen to escape the monotony of her small-minded seaside existence. She elopes with an unsuitable man and starts a new life in London. But it doesn't quite match up to her expectations and she comes running back home, licking her wounds. The narrative masterfully interweaves her story with that of other women in her family, leading to a dramatic finale
A writer who never lets you down
First class
Sharp insights and sharper wit
A powerful talent
Nobody turns the screw of tension tighter than Stella Duffy
Duffy writes with a judicious combination of power and subtlety
A versatile and gifted novelist
All stars
Most relevant
I did get to the end but I'm not sure what convinced me to buy this book. Performance was good though.

I found it a rather dull story

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This book tells the story of a family whose three generations have been hurt by the cruelty of men. Each of the women goes along with the development of bad and then cruel behaviour to begin with, presumably because she has been conditioned by society to do so, or I assume that's what we're supposed to think because there is no actual explanation. None of the women turn to their support system for assistance even though they all have a loving family, and again there is no explanation offered.

The two sides are drawn: the baddies, who are the men who care about money and are property developers, personifications, it seems, of the political right. On the other side are the women, who are the 'goodies', who have little personal agency and whose lives are controlled by bad men, and the occasional rare but good man who is of course on a zero hour contract. It will come as no surprise that race issues are also briefly brought into the book. So are LGBT issues and it's a relief to find that the lesbian relationship is accepted by all and not presented as yet one more political struggle.

While it might be understandable that the central character was unable to assert herself due to the time when she was born, I can see no good reason why the younger generations couldn't show more gumption and there was altogether too much crying for me.

Although the story was well told, I found it dreary and depressing and it was an effort to keep going with the book. I did keep going to the end. I can't honestly say I learned anything.

Well told but rather dreary

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For those who like the smell of a book and say, “I started reading and I couldn’t put the book down!” That’s exactly what happened with my audible book. Loved the story! I can see this being a movie! Stella Duffys writing, the storyline, the characters is exemplary! Loved it and what made it easy to follow was narrator Antonia Beamish! Antonia was great using different voices, accents for different characters. Thank you Antonia. I recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I couldn’t stop listening!!

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