Birnam Wood

A Novel

By: Eleanor Catton

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

“Birnam Wood is terrific. As a multilayered, character-driven thriller, it’s as good as it gets. Ruth Rendell would have loved it. A beautifully textured work—what a treat.” (Stephen King)

“One of the finest writers of our time.” (Jonathan Ruppin, The Independent)

The Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries brings us Birnam Wood, a gripping thriller of high drama and kaleidoscopic insight into what drives us to survive.

Birnam Wood is on the move....

A landslide has closed the Korowai Pass on New Zealand’s South Island, cutting off the town of Thorndike and leaving a sizable farm abandoned. The disaster presents an opportunity for Birnam Wood, an undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective that plants crops wherever no one will notice. For years, the group has struggled to break even. To occupy the farm at Thorndike would mean a shot at solvency at last.

But the enigmatic American billionaire Robert Lemoine also has an interest in the place: He has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker, or so he tells Birnam’s founder, Mira, when he catches her on the property. He’s intrigued by Mira and by Birnam Wood; although they’re poles apart politically, it seems Lemoine and the group might have enemies in common. But can Birnam trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust one another?

A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its drama, Austenian in its wit, and, like both influences, fascinated by what makes us who we are. A brilliantly constructed study of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is a mesmerizing, unflinching consideration of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.

©2023 Eleanor Catton (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Captivating tale, masterfully told

I lost a week to this book and don’t regret a minute of it. It was exciting, thought-provoking, modern, and thoroughly entertaining. Fabulous narrator.

Catton’s narrative will leave you stunned!

Intricate character revelation joined with head-spinning plot twists and breakneck action. A heady brew to say the least. A foreboding overwhelms you as you read on (or listen). The connection to Shakespearean tragedy is clear. The Audible narrator is outstanding. Highly recommended!

Fantastic listen

Twists and turns I never saw coming…Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen…it didn’t.

Exquisite storytelling.

The author handles levels of story without confusing me. She clearly develops each character’s motivation so all of their vulnerabilities and choices make perfect sense. I am stunned by her story and writing ability. Thank you, Eleanor.

Shallow. Unbelievable, characters.

I was drawn to the up-to-date background of this book. I was so disappointed in the ending. Some of the behavior of the characters seemed incongruent. I was literally depressed at the end of the story.

Interesting but sorry if anguished plot

the mystery part of this book kept me listening, but the plot wasn't very pleasurable and the end of the books in gratuitous to me.

On the Fence

There were aspects of this that were fascinating. I found both girls to be complex and real and credible. The male characters were either buffoons, monomaniacal egomaniacs or straight up psychopaths. Tons of detail about some aspects then pull a ripcord and out? Ultimately the whole thing feels unfinished. But I am still thinking about it.

Engaging story cut a bit short

The narrator and story were engaging. I was even rooting for the flawed characters. I enjoyed it immensely until it ended rather too abruptly for my taste.

Good Until It Wasn't

Really good writing in the beginning, characters were well developed and a plot nicely woven. However, as time was winding down in the final hour, I kept thinking there should be a lot left, much the characters have yet to do. However, it was like the author got tired and quit.

The performance was everything

The incredible narrator made this, Mixed feelings about the story itself. I am become more fond of the book as time goes by.