Outlawed

By: Anna North

Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents Outlawed by Anna North, read by Cynthia Farrell.

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK * INDIE NEXT SELECTION * LIBRARY READS SELECTION * AMAZON EDITORS' CHOICE * WASHINGTON POST BEST OF THE YEAR

The "terrifying, wise, tender, and thrilling" (R.O. Kwon) adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.

In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

Featuring an irresistibly no-nonsense, courageous, and determined heroine, Outlawed dusts off the myth of the old West and reignites the glimmering promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. Anna North has crafted a pulse-racing, page-turning saga about the search for hope in the wake of death, and for truth in a climate of small-mindedness and fear.

©2021 Anna North (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Interesting idea

I listened to this book for a book club. I found the premise to be interesting, and I enjoyed the matter-of-fact portrayal of women and gender nonconforming people making a society for themselves. I found the characters hard to relate to, though, because of the violence they perpetrated and the oddness of some of the plot points, like the use of “baby Jesus” (why not just “Jesus?”) and the contrived-feeling idea of barren women being thrown out of towns en masse. It was enjoyable for what it was, and I appreciated the themes and setting, but I didn’t like it quite as much as I was expecting.

Bad Narration, Adequate Story

The idea was interesting enough, but the plot was just shy of being executed successfully. I never felt like the relationships between the characters were deep enough to elicit much care from the reader about what happened to anyone. The narration was also the worst I've ever heard from an audio book. The reader made very strange choices when it came to character voices. Many of the characters sported the same husky male voice, even many of the women. It took me several chapters to realize that the hole-in-the-wall gang were all FAAB for this reason. I may have enjoyed the book more if I had simply read it on my own, but I still don't think it was well-written enough to be a favorite.

Love it

Original and unique. Very entertaining. I didn't want it to end. The narration was good, too

Best book I’ve read/heard in years

The story, the characters, the reading, it all captivated me. I’m enthralled by this author and couldn’t stop listening to see what happened next. I would recommend this book to anyone with eyes or ears. You won’t regret it.

Great plot! Super interesting!

Loved the book in its entirety! The characters were unique as well as the plot.

completely unique, fun antics, likable characters

Outlawed by Anna North is completely unique, original and loads of fun! I listened to the audiobook in one day almost feeling frustration when I had to push the stop button to speak to my family. It is a bit strange, or bizarre, in the best way.

Th book is set in 1894, and we follow the story of Ada who married as a teen but found herself unable to conceive. Unfortunately for her this will result in her hanging as her society considers barren women to be witches. Ada runs away to a convent, where she learns to be a midwife and reads everything she can get her hands on, including a book by another midwife who promotes the idea that barrenness can be attributed to men as well as women and is often the result of underlying health issues. Ada sets off to find the author.

What she finds is a gang of female outlaws living in a protected area in the middle of nowhere. Dressed like men, loving whomever they want, stealing what they need, and protecting one another, the gang becomes Ada's found family. The LGBTQIA+ themes were woven into the story perfectly, creating a subtle and nuanced tale that made sense and didn't feel forced in anyway. It quietly exposes prejudices based on gender and sexuality. But allows the tale of the friendships between these women to be the focus. I loved that because it was natural and seamless.

For all of us who need to know more

I'm glad that I read this. It was very much like the labor of birthing itself; full of pain, ugliness, fear and joy.
Again and again, Ada chooses life, and that was just wonderful.

excellent reader

I also read the book in tandem, didnt have any struggles with it. The narration was lovely. The story was great. I could gush about it for days, but I will save that for an actual review and here I will just say. if you are interested in this one, just listen to it or read it, you won't regret it.

Loved it

Great storyline. Great narration. I’m hoping for a sequel. I didn’t want it to end.

Good story but bad narration

If you can get past the bad reading of making everyone but the main character have a low man voice (not a good one at that) the story is really good. This one might be better to read than listen to.