Linda lives a small life. But she wonders if there could be more to see, do and experience instead of a routine of cooking, cleaning and heading down to the pub on Friday nights with her husband Terry. When some catalogues addressed to the previous owner of their house, Linda devours them. And wonders if she could find this Rebecca and become her friend. Oh, and there's a murderer in their village....
A Tidy Ending is told in a stream of consciousness from Linda's point of view. Linda is a complex character that that had me delightfully flummoxed! I'd be listening away and then 'hello!' There are a number of statements that Linda makes that had me continuously changing what I thought and believed about her. There's also an event in her past that is referenced but not explained fully until later on.
Cannon is a clever, clever writer - her plotting is deviously delicious. But there are some poignant moments as well. All we all need is a friend - right?
I chose to listen to A Tidy Ending and for me, this was the perfect way to experience and appreciate this wonderful book. The reader was Lissa Berry and she gave a fabulous performance. She has a wonderfully smoky, gravelly tone to her voice that conjured up a clear mental image of Linda for me. Her voice is clear and easy on the ear. She enunciates well and her timing is just right. She brings both plot and character to life with her emphasizing, rise and fall and tone of speaking. Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of A Tidy Ending.
A Tidy Ending is a clever title as well, but I'll leave it to you to find out why.
Wrote in my review for my library that I was annoyed at Ms Cannon for nearly making me cry at the "dinner-party"sequence.Otherwise..wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYour comments make me want to read about this interesting book character.
ReplyDeleteUnknown - that scene was so poignant! I totally agree - wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteHarvee - it's different from the mysteries I usually read! I loved it.