Set against the turbulence of the early Anglo/Irish conflict where food, and shelter can be scarce, and hunger commonplace.
'The Listener' is a beautifully written tale of love, and magic: the love and companionship between, man and wife, horse and rider, mother and child, and above all a girl and her acolyte.
All of which are bonds that cannot be broken.
The tale twists and turns, giving little away and holding the reader's interest from beginning to end.
A masterpiece in every sense of the word.
The Listener
The story was easy to get involved with and utterly believable a really good story.
Tony Chiverton
The story grabs you straight away, a page-turner from beginning to end.
Julie Parsons
I am loving and savouring this book as I don’t want to finish it too quickly. It is encouraging me to try and communicate with my own dog now. Such wonderful, fascinating characters. I am learning a lot of new words too! The vocabulary translations are so useful. I am enjoying a peek into another world.
CINDERS
A terrific story about life, love, and animals. It takes you on a remarkable journey of highs and lows, through history and fantasy, all wrapped up in a dog blanket. Loved it!
Mark YogaAnimal lovers will love this book. I got very attached to the characters. I want more. Hope there will be a sequel.
C.M.
I ended up being very attached to the characters and am hoping there will be a sequel. I love books set in Ireland. I love books where animals are included.
CAROL
How do you classify this novel? Magical Realism? Romantic Historical Fiction? So much is going on in such a beautiful setting as Ireland. "The Listeners" are women who are gifted with the ability to communicate with animals...If only we all could. I couldn't put it down as I was wishing that I could have the same gift. I cheered when the bad guys got their just desserts. I cried when the innocents suffered. I rejoiced when things finally went well for Fiona, the lead. A really good read and tells the truth about the mistreatment of the Irish at the hands of the British. So you get a bit of a history lesson too.
My dog informs me that there will be a sequel to this book. I hope he is right because I'm ready to read more.
MOLLIETotally novel concept of the bond between man and beast. Beautifully and compellingly written. Set against a background of old-fashioned prejudice and suspicion in a troubled rural Ireland. Not to be missed.
MVI live in sunny Southern California - where a November day is never anything but sunny! When I picked up The Listener and started reading from the very first page, I was immediately transported to another time, another place, and and left modern day life in L.A. far, far behind...
What can I write? Fiona - what a lovely magical being... and her canine cohort? Sublime.
Gaudiano crafts every word, turns every whisper to the delight of this reader.Thank DOG - there is a glossary of Irish /Gaelic slang at the beginning! May I suggest to other gentle readers - to give it more than a cursory glance before starting to read? Don't disrupt the magick! So put the kettle on, place a few more logs on the fire, and be prepared to be enraptured with this captivating tale - The Listener is delicious enough to read in one sitting, but do savour it over several days...I do hope that there will many more of Fiona's adventures to follow. - Melanie Mamakos
This wonderful story takes us on a journey that enthralls and surprises. So much humanity and inhumanity mixed with the joys and strains of family life as well as lawlessness and injustice. The heroine is gifted with an unusual gift of communicating with animals that is at the heart of the story. - Ruth Cuadra
Great book that is easy to read. Great characters that you fall in love with keeping you on the edge of your seat. Would love to see a sequel to this book. - Noelle Maher Gallagher
