The Cuckoo’s Cry
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(as of Oct 25, 2024 01:13:19 UTC – Details)
On the eve of the global lockdown, Don Barlow opens the door of his old beachside cottage to find a pretty girl with pink-tipped hair, claiming to have nowhere to go.
He allows her entry, and so begins a mystery set in unprecedented times: with the virus raging outside their home, the girl cannot be asked to leave, but what does he risk by having her stay?
Caroline Overington is a bestselling Australian author and an award-winning journalist. She has written several bestselling audiobooks, including the Looking for Eden, Ghost Child and I Came to Say Goodbye. She has profiled many of the world’s most famous women, including Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton, and has twice won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism. She has also won the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature. Caroline is currently Associate Editor at The Australian and is based in Sydney.
7 reviews for The Cuckoo’s Cry
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Lonnie-The GreatNorthernTroll-Moore –
Man was I in the wrong audience!
I looked at the hastily scrawled out DNF that I initially wrote in my first attempt to write a review, and realized that I wasn’t gonna let this book defeat me… I also liked Aimee Horne’s narration. So I picked up the book and soldiered on through the last hour and a half. The book actually surprised me and had a pretty decent ending much better than I had anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, I still had no interest in the storyline. And not much interest in the characters only so much as to be happy that the nice old man survived the ordeal.Maybe if it had been about a zombie apocalypse instead of the coronavirus lock down, well then it might have held more interest for me.
David Haynes –
Ripped from the Headlines
I received this audiobook for free as part of my Audible membership.The Cuckoo’s Cry stars Don Barlow, an elderly man living alone in the midst of a global health emergency. A mysterious girl arrives at his door requesting help, and he reluctantly offers shelter. As the young ladies’ past is revealed, Don fights to separate truth from fiction. Caroline Overington writes an interesting but predictable narrative, and Aimee Horne elevates it with her solid narrative skill.Don lives in Bondi Beach, Australia. Everyday, the country enacts new lockdown procedures to quell the spread of the worldwide pandemic. Don takes steps to minimize contact with friends and neighbors. But when Morgan arrives at his home and shares her heartbreaking connection with Don, he quickly chooses her wellbeing over his safety. The two form a quick friendship, despite growing concerns from Don’s family. As Morgan’s past is slowly revealed, Don wrestles between his desire to help and his growing suspicions. The escalating tensions culminate in a dramatic and exciting conclusion.Overington’s tale is straightforward thriller that’s light on mystery. The plot moves at a moderate pace that does not stagnate, although this is primarily due to its short four hour and 43 minute duration. Each plot development is expected, as Overington includes clear foreshadowing in each chapter. Conversations are simple but believable, and the protagonist’s intentions and motivations are clearly conveyed. The side-characters are regrettably one-dimensional and fairly unlikeable. The overtly average narrative is bolstered by Horne’s soothing, persuasive narration. Each character has a unique voice that never grows tiresome, and every circumstance is presented in an emotionally effective manner.With The Cuckoo’s Cry, Overington delivers a unique narrative in an accessible fashion. The characters are simple, each conversation is plausible and the plot is formulaic. The protagonists would have benefited from deeper backstories, and the side-characters could have been conveyed in an agreeable way. Fortunately, Horne makes up for many shortcomings and keeps the plot progressing with her consistent, sincere narration. Fans of fiction will likely find a worthwhile distraction here, although thriller enthusiasts should look elsewhere.
Deedra –
The Cuckoo’s cry
What a book!I can see this happening! A man opens his door on the night Covid shuts down his country.A girl says she is his grandaughter. She could be,is she? This is the premise.Is it a scam? I could barely put it down! Narration by Aimee Horne was brilliant!
Olympia1010 –
Ending
Luckily it was short, and free on audible plus. Disappointing ending. The story had my interest for a while but the ending was a big disappointment.
Elisabeth Carey –
Family, strangers, & the coronavirus lockdown
Don Barlow is retired, widowed, and living alone in the home in Bondi, near Sydney, where he and wife Pam raised their daughter Danielle. With the global pandemic lockdown about to hit, he answers a knock on the door, and finds a young woman standing there. She says her name is Morgan, she’s in trouble, has no place to go, and finally, springs the news that she’s his granddaughter–the child of the son he had with a girl when they were in high school. That son was given up for adoption, and Don has never seen him, but he responds to this surprise granddaughter, and invites her in.Don enjoys having this previously unknown granddaughter in his home. He’s not alone in the lockdown; she does things to enliven his life and maker him laugh. Don’s daughter, Danielle, though, is very, very concerned. Danielle and her husband, Jackson, each show up separately, trying to find out more about this Morgan. Even if she’s on the outs with her father, why would she have nowhere else to go/Danielle is certain that Morgan is trouble, and although some of it is certainly jealously, she’s equally sure it’s not just jealousy. Jackson thinks her reaction is over the top and a bit paranoid–but he also acknowledges that she’s rarely wrong in her basic assessment of people.So, what’s going on?The listener knows before the other characters do that there really is something fishy going on with Morgan. The truth, though, is more complicated than even Morgan knows.It’s an interesting story about character and the coronavirus lockdown, and the complexities and stresses of family.Recommended.It seems likely that I got this free as part of the Audible Originals program, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
Candice S –
Scary, but Believable
I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did, but I often found myself thinking about various elements of the story during the following weeks. First of all, the characters and their actions were believable. Thank you to the author! I’ve read too many novels where the characters do something utterly stupid and out of character, just to make action scenes move along. But in The Cuckoo’s Cry, the action was well-paced with the characters acting in a logical manner. Loved the final twist. Did not see that coming.
JeNiYo –
Interesting Listen
This was my first time listening to a book though an audible service and I may have a new way to get books. It was nice to not have to sit with a book and have the ability to do chores, relax my eyes, or walk around outside. The book was a good recommendation for me and kept me wanting to listen more.