Annabel

By: Kathleen Winter

Narrated by: Tandy Cronyn

Kathleen Winter’s poignant debut novel was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. In it, Winter explores society’s views of gender identity through the eyes of a child born with male and female sex organs. At their doctor’s urging, the Blakes decide to raise their child as a boy, Wayne, giving him hormones to suppress his feminine physical traits. But after discovering the secret about his body, Wayne decides to stop taking his medication and lets his body develop naturally.

©2010 Kathleen Winter (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“A compelling, gracefully written novel.…” ( Kirkus Reviews)

Thoughtful, relevant.

A realistic accounting of a uniquely challenging life, as experienced by them self and those around them.

Great Read

What made the experience of listening to Annabel the most enjoyable?

Read the book thought the listen would be more exciting.

What did you like best about this story?

That it could be a true story based on the lifestyles of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was not in character and I believe readers should at least have the accent of Newfoundlanders and learn to pronounce the names correctly, especially the "Newfoundland" name which by the way rhymes with "understand".

If you could take any character from Annabel out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would have to take out Tredway and convince him to be honest with his feelings and consider others feelings too. Tell him to talk more to his family honestly.

Any additional comments?

Having listened to many books I really enjoy catching the accents of the readers and love the local twist of hearing how people sound during their escapades.

A Very Well-Written Story That Sticks With You

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book spoke about the main characters and their personalities & preferences in a way that you felt that you could relate to each of them. Even the most serious adults were painted with an almost child-like appreciation for the things that they found beauty in. Also, I love the idea of masculinity and femininity complementing one another (rather than compete against one another), which (I feel) the book presents as one of the most beautiful things of all.

Any additional comments?

There is an a serious case of assault within the book, so it may be triggering to those who have been attacked.

Lovely

Really enjoyed the story and the narration. Interesting topic, excellent character development. I would highly recommend this book. Two thumbs up.

A Search for True Identity

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

There are some books that I would recommend to absolutely everyone. This is not one of those books. However, I would not hesitate to recommend it to certain friends who I know would enjoy this particular story.

If you’ve listened to books by Kathleen Winter before, how does this one compare?

I have not listened to other books by Kathleen Winter. But, I did enjoy this one enough that I will certainly explore her other works.

What about Tandy Cronyn’s performance did you like?

I thought Tandy Cronyn performance was wonderful. She was very easy to listen to and did a good job of differentiate the characters without "trying too hard". I would most definitely listen to other books narrated by her.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this story of a child born a hermaphrodite in a remote area of Canada in 1968 and raised as a boy. While it was interesting to see how this young boy slowly learned the truth about his birth and the nature of his body, I felt that at times the reactions of his parents, those around him and even he himself were not all that realistic. At least they didn't ring true to me. I still enjoyed the story about how Wayne chose to deal with the truth about himself. For me, it was a 3.5 star read - "I liked it", but it didn't quite make it to "I really liked status".

Very Good!!

A very good story, intriguing and unique. Well written with sensitivity, depth, wisdom, and insight. So sad at times, dark and depressing, but triumph prevails in the end.

Tender and moving story

This captured my heart early on. There are so many heartbreaking scenes, and I felt deeply the way Wayne would disassociate in traumatic moments. So well written.

potential to be great

Taking on topics that are not main stream is something I think Canadians do well in literature. However, as much as I enjoyed this novel, I wished the author had delved deeper into the subject material. This novel had a great opportunity and platform to emphasize how this incredibly complicated this topic is and the impact it has on a persons life and the world around them.

Although the author did touch on 'elements,' of this complicated topic, I felt that there was a 'holding-back,' which left me disappointed. This is a topic that so desperately needs to be spoken about without any 'holding-back.'

I felt the author was building up a great story... I was excited to keep going with it... but then, in the last act, she dropped the ball on the entire topic and the protagonist‼ I was 'gob-smacked'... She turned ALL of the stories attention to something easier and completely 'off-topic.' This was disheartening.

★★ SPOILER ALERT BELOW ★★
I was very disappointed by how the author handled and didn't handle the protagonist being 'gang raped.' For such a BIG trauma to occur and then... 'NOTHING'???....

great

excellent book, great historical and feminist lens used in the book. Very interesting, makes one want to keep on reading to see what will happen next.