Pine
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Pine
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Narrated by:
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Cathleen McCarron
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By:
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Francine Toon
About this listen
They are driving home from the search party when they see her. The trees are coarse and tall in the winter light, standing like men.
Lauren and her father, Niall, live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she’s gone.
In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren’s mother a decade ago.
Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father’s turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it’s no longer clear whom she can trust.
In the shadow of the Highland forest, Francine Toon captures the wildness of rural childhood and the intensity of small-town claustrophobia. In a place that can feel like the edge of the word, she unites the chill of the modern Gothic with the pulse of a thriller. It is the perfect novel for our haunted times.
©2019 Francine Toon (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"It's both eerie and thrilling at once, and had me under its spell until the end." (Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure)
What listeners say about Pine
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian
- 31-03-21
A world of thick trees and small town folklore
The world Francine Toon creates in this novel is one that easily surrounds you and draws you back in for more. I finished this, probably the quickest I've finished any audiobook I've listened to so far.
The first half of the novel is set up so meticulously, the details of the forest and of Lauren and Niall's decrepit house, the girls at school who pull her hair for being different and the strange sightings of a woman who went missing nearly 10 years ago, Lauren's mum.
The last portion of the novel felt a little rushed as a result of how thoroughly the first half was formed and written. It doesn't take away from the overall effect of the story however, and I have no doubt that the eerie images of derelict houses in the deep of the forest, women walking out into the road from the treeline, caught in headlights, will be with me for weeks to come.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Guilherme Rodrigues
- 24-06-24
Almost like a movie
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book, and how some scary scenes where so well described it almost felt like watching a movie. At the end things are not so scary, but still a very good book
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-03-23
Alright, I guess
Was okay.
Wasn’t sure where the book was going until the last couple chapters. Very boring in the beginning. Loveable characters? Overall was nice
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-02-20
An engaging story
I loved the story and the way Toon tells it, it is not unfamiliar by that familiarity is part of it’s appeal. Engrossing and engaging, I listened to it quickly, desperate to hear more.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sararara
- 10-04-20
Quietly bewitching
A slow burning eerie tale that deserves more of a fanfare. Everything about this story is understated: from dreamy, supernatural encounters and petty school bullying, to death, grief and daily life in the Highlands.
Where other books would have ramped up the drama, here there are measured responses and a quiet acceptance.
At times this is quite frustrating until you sink into the meandering story with its beautifully poetic turns of phrase.
The narration is faultless and helps lull you into a dreamlike state.
It’s quietly bewitching but if I have any criticism is that I would’ve liked more emphasis on Lauren coming of age, more focus on the ramshackle house, and clarity about the recurring smells. But it’s a great read.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Rachael
- 17-09-21
A little bit too slow
Beautifully read, and an enjoyable listen, but a bit too slow and drawn out in the middle
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jotter
- 16-05-24
The narration - really lovely characterisation
Excellent, thoughtful thriller with a hint of the paranormal. Rooted in place and voice and very evocative. Great voice performance and tight writing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Busy bee
- 27-02-20
Poetic prose and beautifully narrated
The prose is rhythmical. The quality of the writing is excellent but the story appears quite slow at the beginning, however, it's for a reason and sets up what does happen and is worth the wait. Creepy and moving in places. Highly recommended.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cat
- 15-11-20
Eerie and intriguing
This was perfect for Halloween/November as the story is set then and is spooky and captivating. Loved it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- leave alone
- 15-11-20
vivid imagery
I felt I was there - in my favourite part of the Northern Highlands. loved it.
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