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The Crocodile Bird cover art

The Crocodile Bird

By: Ruth Rendell
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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Summary

Eve and Liza, Mother and Daughter, live a quiet life in their remote home; a rustic gatehouse of a country mansion. At first glance their lives appear quite ordinary, except that Liza has almost no knowledge of the outside world, has never played with a child her own age and has witnessed her mother commit murder, on multiple occasions.

Eve and Liza, Mother and Daughter, live a quiet life in their remote home; a rustic gatehouse of a country mansion. At first glance their lives appear quite ordinary, except that Liza has almost no knowledge of the outside world, has never played with a child her own age and has witnessed her mother commit murder, on multiple occasions. Now, as the police come searching for a missing man, they must vacate their secluded home, shattering Liza’s sheltered world. With 100 pounds and her secret lover, Liza gradually learns about the world, her mother’s tale of betrayal, desire and obsession and just how like mother, like daughter she really is.

©1993 Ruth Rendell (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Crocodile Bird

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    4 out of 5 stars

Unexpected

I suppose now in the days of CSI and crime dramas like it the crimes perpetrated in this book are relatively tame. But as a new reader to Rendell and the Whydunnits I'm really finding these stories addictive. They are well told and structured. This one particularly has a girl called Liza recounting her strange upbringing to her boyfriend, whom she has run to as her mother sends her away.

A thing to note is that when I say strange upbringing, I don't mean weird in the awful sense that she lives with a murderer and every weekend they go on butchering escapades of the local tourists. The book is many times more subtle than that and is brilliant for it. You can identify with the why - and that I am finding is what makes Ruth Rendell surpass being a crime writer. She tells stories so well. I am so excited that I now have her entire collection to read!

Set in the late 80s but not at all dated as classics never are. Juliet Stevenson is my favourite narrator, her characters subtle but her range is wide.

A really enjoyable book. Strove will stay with me the same way that Manderley does.

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20 people found this helpful

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Brilliant

Wonderful atmospheric story, beautifully read. One of the best audiobooks I have listened to. Ruth Rendell at her best. The first class narration by Juliet Stevenson makes it a winner in my eyes.

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12 people found this helpful

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Juliet Stevenson reigns supreme

I only bought this book because Juliet Stevenson was the reader, and what a wonderful listen it turned out to be. I am new to Ruth Rendell and thoroughly enjoyed how she revealed Eliza's story alternating between the narrator and Eliza's telling of it.
Stevenson excels in male as well as female voices and her rendering of the characters' voices and accents is impeccable.
More of both Rendell and Stevenson please!

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8 people found this helpful

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The Crocodile Bird

I read this book years ago, but it was great to be able to rediscover it via an audiobook. The themes are murder, isolation and obsession, so it's more akin to a Barbara Vine novel than a non-Wexford Rendell. The characters were well-crafted and believable.

Juliet Stevenson's narration was clear and perfectly suited for the story. Her performance of the working class Sean was also commendable.

A great listen, recommended.

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7 people found this helpful

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Impeccable Storytelling.

Beautifully written, completely evocative I was lost in it, flowing and mellifluous, beautifully plotted it really is fantastic book and the writing is matched by the narration, Juliet Stevenson, never less than perfect.......

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4 people found this helpful

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K ruined it for me

Started reading having read some reviews and I really like the narrator. I was just browsing others when I came across a review that gave away part of the story that meant I couldn’t carry on listening! Why would you do that and why was it allowed!

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2 people found this helpful

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Excellent, brilliant storytelling

Great book. Beautifully narrated by Juliet Stevenson. A compelling story that kept me interested from the start.

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  • 12-01-21

Fabulous

Wonderful narration as usual from Juliet Stevenson and an interesting story I shall definitely read more Ruth Rendell now

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Good alternative

I enjoyed this way of upbringing, the nice feeling of mum doing anything for her children.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Underwhelming

It may have been a better audible book if they had chosen a different person to perform it, perhaps someone closer in age to Liza or at least with a less soporific voice. It felt like a marathon and I was strangely unaffected by a revelation toward the end of the book. I'm not entirely sure why I stuck with it.

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1 person found this helpful