The Furies

A Novel

By: Natalie Haynes

Narrated by: Zara Ramm

The Furies is a psychologically complex, dark and twisting novel about loss, obsession and the deep tragedies that can connect us to each other even as they blind us to our fate, from the bestselling author of A Thousand Ships

After losing her fiancé in a shocking tragedy, Alex Morris moves from London to Edinburgh to make a break with the past. Formerly an actress, Alex accepts a job teaching drama therapy at a school commonly referred to as "The Unit," a last-chance learning community for teens expelled from other schools in the city.

Her students have troubled pasts and difficult personalities, and Alex is an inexperienced teacher, terrified of what she's taken on and drowning in grief. Her most challenging class is an intimidating group of teenagers who have been given up on by everyone before her. But Alex soon discovers that discussing the Greek tragedies opens them up in unexpected ways, and she gradually develops a rapport with them.

But are these tales of cruel fate and bloody revenge teaching more than Alex ever intended? And who becomes responsible when these students take the tragedies to heart, and begin interweaving their darker lessons into real life with terrible and irrevocable fury?

Published in the UK under the title The Amber Fury.

"Steady pacing paired with well-timed foreshadowing and fully realized characters make this one compelling from the beginning. Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History (1992), Erin Kelly's The Poison Tree (2011), and Tana French's The Likeness (2008) will likely enjoy the new perspective Haynes' conversational style offers to similar material." —Booklist

©2014 Natalie Haynes (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

“A stirring psychological thriller.” —People Magazine

“Cleverly plotted, cannily paced, and unafraid to pose questions that don't have easy answers, this accomplished psychological mystery demonstrates the way that sometimes it may take being lost in the darkness to enable us to glimpse the light.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An addictive, dark and suspenseful--yet sensitive--debut about death, obsession and fate.” —Bookpage

Amazing story and performance

I wasnt sure what to expect when i bought this as I bought it solely because Zara Ramm is the narrator. Ms Ramm did not disappoint- the accents were so well done.

but i got so caught up in the story- quite different in tone from the regency romances I've beem listening to. Dark, but I looked forward to listening to the story on my daily commute. Well done!

Characters felt real

I so love the other books by Natalie Haynes that I didn’t hesitate to try this. While this narrator was good and so was the story, I didn’t rate this higher because I guess I am used to her fabulous voice, meaty information and witty humor. This was worth listening to but I still love her others much more.

Worth the Wait

You may be a bit confused at the beginning, but I promise it is worth it. My oh my, how the Gods play with our lives.

Excellent listen!

I downloaded this book because I love Zara Ramm. I had no idea how wonderful a listen this book would be. It was excellent!

The story is told in a bit of back and forth but it's easy enough to follow (thank you Natalie Haynes!) You know something happened. The build-up to who, how, and why is what makes this listen so incredible.

Through it all, Ramm's narration is a stand-up-and-take-notice performance. She is a sensational narrator (not an exaggeration) and when she has great material, there is nothing better!

Greek tragedies in the modern world

This novel will make you want to pick up the nearest Greek tragedy and project your own life onto it.

Meh

I usually love Natalie Haynes’ work, but this story was dull and extremely slow moving. It was her first novel though, so we should cut her some slack. Still, I think if you skip this book you won’t be missing out.

Suspenseful and smart

I love the combination of a theatre person teaching Greek tragedy to troubled youth, and them finding the correlations to their own lives. Plus the Edinburgh prepared me for my upcoming trip there for The Fringe. Very well performed.

Slow and never picks up

there’s a part of me that thinks Natalie Haynes loved her characters in this book too much to really villainize any of them too much. Obviously Natalie Haynes is a brilliant person and writer. I think I didn’t enjoy this book because it was too old time mystery back and forth for me. or maybe I’m in a time if my life where I need a stronger shock factor to keep me going and I look for certain things in books. Maybe I’ll read this story again in ten years and find it perfect. but this year this is how I feel. It was too slow. The character development missed depth.

Natalie Haynes is awesome

This is a wonderful adaptation of Greek tragedy to real life today, and even more wonderful is that it deals with difficult and troubled teenagers. Zara Ramm is awesome, too.

Loved this

I first discovered Natalie Haynes through a random recommendation from Audible for Pandora’s Jar. I loved that book, and I was excited to try another from her. The Furies was great! Such an interesting read, and it was never boring. I loved how she intertwined the Greek myths with a more modern story. I really liked the narrator, too. Can’t wait to read more from her.