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  • We Need to Talk About Kevin

  • By: Lionel Shriver
  • Narrated by: Lorelei King
  • Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (306 ratings)

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We Need to Talk About Kevin

By: Lionel Shriver
Narrated by: Lorelei King
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, 2005.

Kevin Khatchadourian killed several of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a teacher, shortly before his 16th birthday. He is visited in prison by his mother, Eva, who narrates in a series of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin, the story of Kevin's upbringing. A successsful career woman, Eva is reluctant to forgo her independence and the life she shares with Franklin to become a mother. Once Kevin is born, she experiences extreme alienation and dislike of Kevin as he grows up to become a spiteful and cruel child. When Kevin commits his murderous act, Eva fears that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become. But how much is she to blame?

©2003 Lionel Shriver (P)2006 Orion Publishing Group Ltd

What listeners say about We Need to Talk About Kevin

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The audiobook is so much easier to take in...

Any additional comments?

I have the paperback at home and have picked it up numerous times over the last couple of years but have never been able to get past the first chapter. Thank goodness for the Audio-book and the wonderful narration, this had me hooked and I couldn't stop listening. Such a dark tale and so many emotions came up when listening, kind of made me frightened to have children! This book is such a difficult read in written form as it's all letters, and I really dislike reading that style of writing... The audio-book made it such a breeze to listen to. The narrator reading the letters as the main character seemed so much easier than reading them myself and feeling like an outsider reading someone elses personal letters.. Not sure if that makes sense? Anyway, well worth a listen, especially if you've attempted to read this in the past - you won't be disappointed.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intense and Thought-Provoking

Raises a lot of interesting questions and thoughts in regards to parenting. I also found that, for me as a high school teacher, it really had me making connections to my own life and having some interesting discussions with colleagues. Due to the format of the novel, being written as a series of letters, its translates seamlessly as an audiobook and was an enjoyable experience. Highly reccommend.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

What did you like most about We Need to Talk About Kevin?

I loved this book. I was intrigued by how Shriver captured the nuanced personality of the mother Eva, and I think she captured the personality of Kevin really well. King's reading was excellent, with subtle undertones of sorrow that made the complexity of the characters so vivid. My only criticism is that I found the marriage between Eva and Franklin a bit implausible - it was hard to identify any of his redeeming qualities.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book

Have tried reading this book, but thanks to audible made it easier. Paperback on table.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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horrific but thoughtful

Very well told and thought provoking. The narrative was well put together and the readers performance was excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Easier to follow the storyline

Easy to follow than the book- the audiobook cuts out many of the writer's tangents

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best reads - A must

This book was excellent. The story, the narrator and the emotional roller coaster ride was superb.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Addictive!

This is an absolutely addictive read. The book itself is well written and the audio performance is incredibly engaging. Highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Tugs at all the Emotions

This book was recommended to me several years ago and with a long haul flight ahead of me I took the opportunity to see if We need to Talk About Kevin lived up to expectations. I was not disappointed. An emotionally hard read as a mother, exposing the universality of the experience of mothers - no matter what kind of a child you have the bond is always there.

The choice of point of view was instrumental in evoking emotion and shock in the reader at every turn with the final chapters leaving such an impact that I could not stop thinking about the tragic tale for days. The characters are well-developed and relatable and the narrative unfolds through the correspondence from Kevin's mother to his father which is unique in itself.

If we want to build tolerance and understanding in our world and appreciate that the victims of horrific events are not always the most obvious then everyone should read We need to Talk about Kevin.

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I never usually do this but...

I never write reviews on here for audiobooks but this book has changed that! I watched the movie for this book a couple years back but the book is SO much better

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1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.