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The Confession cover art

The Confession

By: Jessie Burton
Narrated by: Hayley Atwell
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Summary

A Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick, The Confession is an absorbing tale of secrets and self-discovery from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse.

When Elise Morceau meets the writer Constance Holden, she quickly falls under her spell. Connie is sophisticated, bold and alluring – everything Elise feels she is not. She follows Connie to LA, but in this city of strange dreams and 1980s razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever.

Three decades later in London, Rose Simmons is trying to uncover the story of her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was a now reclusive novelist, Rose finds herself at the door of Constance Holden’s house in search of a confession . . .

'Dazzlingly good . . . Without doubt one of the best novels of recent years' - Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie

©2019 Jessie Burton (P)2019 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

Critic reviews

A bold, intelligent, wonderful novel (Sarah Winman, author of Tin Man)
A beautiful novel and one that will stay with me for a very long time (Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours)
Her best yet, I’m dazzled by it . . . I am deeply jealous of every reader who has it all ahead of them (Daisy Buchanan, author of The Sisterhood)
An irresistible tale of families, deception and the consequences of our choices (Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars)
In The Confession, Jessie Burton hasn’t just captured a myriad of women’s experiences but also the intrinsic ambivalence of living in a female body: the advantages, the oppressions. She’s built a world of women that is so vivid and absorbing that at one point I paused in my reading to google Connie – and only then remembered that she was a fictional character (Jean Hannah Edelstein, author of This Really Isn’t About You)
I loved Burton's debut, The Miniaturist, but this is even better! Rose's mother disappeared when she was a baby, and the last person to see her was Constance, a reclusive novelist based in Hampstead. When Rose tracks her down, will she get the answers she needs? I was completely engrossed (Nina Pottell, Prima)

What listeners say about The Confession

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Dull and depressing

My first book by this author and I had high hopes, I was certain I would enjoy it, I wanted to love it. I didn`t. It`s well written and the characters well developed if unlikeable. I appreciated the plot but I found it very hard going, it dragged on terribly and to be honest I was glad when it was finished, the ending, for me anyway, was underwhelming.

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Enchanting

A lovely book. A good story, beautifully written and well performed. I can recommend it.

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Impressive writing & narration.

A very interesting, captivating and well spun story. I was absolutely hooked with heart strings tugged along of the way.

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Loved it!

What a great story. Well read (although at times a bit monotonous). Took me a while to get into it but I connected with the characters and could see the book in glorious technicolour all the way through.

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So good!!

Omg this book is so good! Loved every second of it, you won’t be disappointed.

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  • LC
  • 02-06-21

A great story told over several years

I loved the narrator who did not try to “be” any of the characters. It was beautifully read and the story unfolded and kept me gripped throughout. It moved along well and I was keen to find out what happened to the Elise, listening for long periods to finish the book
Very enjoyable and I recommend it.

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Fabulous narrator

I thoroughly enjoyed this book beautifully written and I loved the characters, made even better by the fabulous narrator,

Thank you
Joanna

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Beautiful book, beautifully read

Such a moving story of self-discovery. Jessie Burton’s words aren’t beautifully written and Hayley Atwell narrates perfectly

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Not convinced

It is an absorbing story but the characters are really not convincing and incredibly selfish , very disappointing and immature ending

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Amazing book

I loved this book, didn’t want it to end. It’s beautifully written and I could listen to the narrator’s voice all day long.

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