Annabel Audiobook

" I really wanted to like this story. Wayne/Annabel is an intersex child whose parents choose to raise as a boy. Wayne occasionally expresses desires for feminine things, desires that are quashed by a dad who wants a very masculine son. All of that is well and good, but this story is told in third person, so we never get inside Wayne's head. Added to that are all the numerous passages describing the landscape or some history of the town where he lives, and this book lost my attention. I wanted to learn about Wayne, not about Canada. "

" i wasn't really sure why the principal was able to just get his medical forms that easily (isn't that a breach of patient confidentiality?) and I am just chalking up the fact that the doctors who performed Wayne's initial surgery as an infant were doing so because they thought it was medically the safest thing to do (and possibly a result of lack of information in the region in which they were living/lack of information about the condition overall), since all of the stuff about the trapped menstrual fluid and the fetus struck me as something that could have been easily avoided. However, it was quite a pageturner. I would give it a 3.5. "

" Again, another book with a really great premise, but not executed exactly the way I'd hoped. It's not a bad book by any means; parts are very well written and struck a chord with me, but I was really disappointed with the ending because I felt it was incomplete. The story just kind of strayed off... "

" Review coming soon -- my friend borrowed my book! "

" Stark and sensitive, this is a story of a journey within and without, a beautifully told tale of growing up different in Labrador. I loved the details of people and place, and the openness to possibility. "

" Mesmerizing. Beautifully written , touched me deeply how someone deals with their fate. Summer Olympics 2012 gave us a hemephrodite runner from South Africa. It is a reality, wow. "

" 2.5 Very dry. I could not not get into this book at all. "

" I loved this book. A beautiful coming-of-age story; of finding one's self identity and the ever-evolving family relationship. Wouldn't it be great if we were all free to be who we really are inside?! A must read. "

" Beautifully written and nuanced book about a hermaphrodite born in a small back woods town in Canada. Superb and seductive descriptions of the wild. Explores all characters emotions and decisions. Very good. "

" A beautifully expressed story of sorrow and hope that has the solidity and intricacy of a wrought iron gate. "

" o m g can be a tough read "

" Wow! Blew me away. Amazing book. Loved the setting and the characters. "

" Wow. I don't know whether it was the writing or the story that had me hooked. Either way, it was fantastic. The story of a hermaphrodite born in Canada in the 80's. A haunting and sensitive story. "

" This author had me in the palm of her hand, until the very end and I went, "what just happened?" "

" Book Club book - I liked the supporting cast and though they were more interesting than the main character. I would have like to know more about them and less about the main character. "

" A beautiful novel about a beautiful person. Its about what its like to be different and human wanting what we all want love. "

" This book was very interesting and thought provoking however I was left wanting more, too much more. I felt that there were a lot of missed opportunities for the author to tie up loose ends. "

" Certainly beautifully written, but I was never really able to give myself over to this book. Interesting subject matter, artfully told... I just wish it had "grabbed" me, but for whatever reason, it did not, and I found myself having to push through. "

" A new look at gender. "

" Really beautiful coming of age story. Written with a stark simplicity in keeping with the setting. Loved the complexity of the main characters challenge, and the contrast with the bleak directness of his environment "

" I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy this, because I did. But holy cow, why is every book set in Newfoundland the most depressing book of all time? So desperately bleak. "

" I'm about 130 pages into this book but am loving it and can already tell it's going to fall into the category of novels that I finish and then start again from the beginning! "

" Wow! Blew me away. Amazing book. Loved the setting and the characters. "

" The story line was interesting. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish the book. It moves very slow until 2/3's of the way through. Winter is as wordy as Wallace. "

" Highly Highly Recommend! Loved this book. "

" Poignant, tender, disturbing - educated me as to some of the facts(?) surrounding hermaphroditism and the unwitting harm we can do as parents. Beautifully written. "

" A great book with a very thought-provoking theme. It was the first novel to make me cry in quite a while and the story was moving and believable. I hope it inspires more tolerance and acceptance of the unfixed nature of gender. "

" It was a great read--sad?--not a great ending. "

" Interesting novel about growing up as a hermaphrodite in a small Labrador village. "

" Hmmm not quite what I expected. 2nd half was a little dull - the issues I was most interested in were skimmed over. Lacked the depth and insight into the condition, and the protagonist's character. "