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The Girl Who Stopped Swimming Audiobook
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(3.00) - 5,669 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Laurel Gray Hawthorne needs to make things pretty, whether she's helping her mother make sure the literal family skeleton stays in the closet or turning scraps of fabric into nationally acclaimed art quilts. Her estranged sister Thalia, an impoverished Actress with a capital A, is her polar opposite, priding herself on exposing the lurid truth lurking behind middle class niceties. While Laurel's life seems neatly on track--a passionate marriage, a treasured daughter, and a lovely home in suburban Victorianna--everything she holds dear is suddenly thrown into question the night she is visited by the ghost of a her 13-year old neighbor Molly Dufresne.
The ghost leads Laurel to the real Molly floating lifelessly in the Hawthorne's backyard pool. Molly's death is inexplicable--an unseemly mystery Laurel knows no one in her whitewashed neighborhood is up to solving. Only her wayward, unpredictable sister is right for the task, but calling in a favor from Thalia is like walking straight into a frying pan protected only by Crisco. Enlisting Thalia's help, Laurel sets out on a life-altering journey that triggers startling revelations about her family's guarded past, the true state of her marriage, and the girl who stopped swimming.
Richer and more rewarding than any story Joshilyn Jackson has yet written, yet still packed with Jackson's trademarked outrageous characters, sparkling dialogue, and defiantly twisting plotting, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is destined both to delight Jackson's loyal fans and capture a whole new audience.
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"I enjoyed reading this quite a bit. There were some incredibly great aspects and wonderful writing, but for me it was toned down by the more tedious bits of explanation and false reasoning where you have to wonder how dumb the characters really are. I'm leaning between 3 and 4 stars, and hell, I'll give it four, if nothing else then for some of the incredibly vivid scenes, use of landscape, artistry, and rather entertaining dialogue. It's definitely worth reading - possibly not the best book you'll ever read, but still charming. I do wish the book was more even, more developed - it seems rushed at times - but I had a great deal of difficulty putting it down, which I usually think is a good sign."
— A.-C. (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Joshilyn Jackson has done it again...her skillful unraveling of family secrets and betrayal left me breathless. You must read this book!”
— Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants -
“A great tale [that] builds to an exciting and violent ending, one that surprises and yet seems to fit.”
— USA Today -
“Buoyant and moving…beautifully balanced between magical and realist fiction…closer in tone and voice to Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones or Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe trilogy.”
— Atlanta Journal Constitution -
“A veritable southern gothic, Jackson’s fluid, masterful novel builds to an exciting, if somewhat over-the-top finish that at last weaves together Laurel’s past and her present.”
— Booklist -
“What makes this novel shine are its revelations about the dark side of Southern society and Thalia and Laurel’s finely honed relationship, which shows just how much thicker blood is than water.”
— Publishers Weekly
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming Listener Reviews
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" Good and creepy! Perfect book on tape. "
— Stephanie, 2/19/2014 -
" It was ok. Not great, not horrible. "
— Katie, 2/13/2014 -
" started out slow but ended up being a pretty decent story "
— Kristin, 2/12/2014 -
" I got this from my grandma for Christmas and just got around to it now. I really liked it; it's different from what I'm used to but has familiar elements (I love ghost stories). But this was more than a ghost story because the "real" ghost weren't the focus but rather the living and remnants of old ghosts. Loved the ending, it brought about a since of closure but wasn't the happy Disney ending I originally thought it was heading towards. "
— Mel, 2/1/2014 -
" I love books by Joshilyn Jackson. She draws you in...gets you involved...makes you part of the family, whether you want to be or not. "
— Tamela, 1/17/2014 -
" Quick entertaining read with a surprise twist ending. "
— Kara, 1/16/2014 -
" I never finished this book. It just did not capture my attention and there are soooo many books to read, I gave up on it. "
— Jo, 1/16/2014 -
" mildly entertaining chick lit. at least it had ghosts and deliverance-style hillbillies. "
— Tamarasoo, 1/8/2014 -
" I was surprised at the very mixed reviews this book received. I adore Joshilyn Jackson's books, and this one is no exception. Her characters, plots, and backdrops are all fabulous. She's more than just a novelist, she's a storyteller-- a teller of tales, a singer of songs, a spinner of yarns. "
— Sheryl, 12/2/2013 -
" Up until the last 1/8th of the book, I was content. Didn't like the ending, didn't think it really worked out what I had built up in my mind. "
— Christine, 11/14/2013 -
" This book was a little slow getting into, but once you're in, you're kinda hooked. I never would have guessed the ending, it was surprising. I enjoyed reading it, but it took me a little longer than normal to read it because it was slow going for the 1st half. "
— Mickolus, 11/4/2013 -
" This was the first book of this author that didn't really grab me. I hope she's not just going to try to write from here on out just to keep publishing. I'll try another because I think she is talented but this wasn't my favorite. "
— Vicky, 10/26/2013 -
" One of the best books I've ever read and I've read A LOT of books. "
— Pearl23, 5/13/2013 -
" It was interesting. Characterization was really good. Plot was okay. "
— Chris, 2/19/2013 -
" Such a great summer read -not meant derogatory at all- lived the characters and the Florida setting and I'd course ghosts "
— Leslie, 2/15/2013 -
" I cared about most of the characters... and i love stories with ghosts in them. "
— Liza, 2/1/2013 -
" Decent "whodunnit" with some interesting characters. "
— Geri, 12/2/2012 -
" I like this author, and liked this the best of anything she's written. There is a wonderful ghostly mystery as well as an ending that caught me by surprise. "
— Janice, 10/1/2012 -
" This is the first book I've read by Joshilyn Jackson, and I liked it enough to want to read more -- kept me completely engaged during my flight to Vegas and finished it on the way back. My favorite part of the story was her portrayal of Laurel and David's marriage. "
— Molly, 1/19/2012 -
" Mystery with family history and random twists (Desperate Housewives type neighborhood) "
— Kate, 7/25/2011 -
" Three days later, the characters are still swimming in my head. What a delight! "
— Courtney, 5/16/2011 -
" I think I would go 3 1/2 stars if I could - kind of slow at start but a good read nonetheless, just took a while. I would love to see a follow up 10 years later - characters could use more details! A good first book for me to read, will have to try another of this writer's books. "
— Linda, 5/3/2011 -
" Not bad, a bit slow though. "
— Janell, 5/1/2011 -
" The writing was fine, the intrigue was there. My problem was that I didn't like any of the characters. "
— Nancy, 4/30/2011 -
" Yes, yes, yes. Joshilyn Jackson continues to please me. Loved. "
— Rebecca, 4/26/2011 -
" I'm listening to this one on my commute and will try to make it through just to find out if the toxic, narcissistic character ever gets her come-uppance and if her floundering sister ever figures out how to behave like a mature parent. "
— Rosemary, 4/3/2011 -
" I kept putting this aside to read something else but when I finally stuck with it, I really enjoyed it. Great story, interesting characters and an unexpected ending. "
— Janelle, 3/28/2011 -
" I enjoyed the story and feel in love with the older sister. "
— Anne, 3/27/2011 -
" I'm still not sure if I liked this book or not. It was slow moving and I felt like the characters were horribly underdeveloped. Besides - it was weird. "
— Lauren, 3/26/2011 -
" This book was a little slow getting into, but once you're in, you're kinda hooked. I never would have guessed the ending, it was surprising. I enjoyed reading it, but it took me a little longer than normal to read it because it was slow going for the 1st half. "
— Mickolus, 3/25/2011
About Joshilyn Jackson
Joshilyn Jackson is the bestselling author of Backseat Saints, Gods in Alabama, Between, Georgia, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages and short-listed for the Townsend Prize. She won the SIBA Book Award for Fiction in 2005, and, as a former actor, was nominated for an Audie Award and received a Listen Up Award from Publishers Weekly.