The Lie Tree

By: Frances Hardinge

Narrated by: Charlotte Wright

Listen to this thought-provoking, critically acclaimed novel from Frances Hardinge, winner of the Costa Book of the Year and Costa Children's Book Awards.

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is reliable, dull, trustworthy - a proper young lady who knows her place as inferior to men. But inside, Faith is full of questions and curiosity, and she cannot resist mysteries: an unattended envelope, an unlocked door. She knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing. She knows that her family moved to the close-knit island of Vane because her famous scientist father was fleeing a reputation-destroying scandal. And she knows, when her father is discovered dead shortly thereafter, that he was murdered.

In pursuit of justice and revenge, Faith hunts through her father's possessions and discovers a strange tree. The tree bears fruit only when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father's murder - or it may lure the murderer directly to Faith herself. Frances Hardinge is the author of many acclaimed novels, including Cuckoo Song, which earned five starred reviews.

©2016 Frances Hardinge (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"As narrator, [Charlotte] Wright dazzles with her character portrayals and propels listeners through this gripping story." ( AudioFile magazine)

Clever & Intriguing!

Very creative & original!! The kind of book that gets your imagination flowing. Great read & listening.

so well written, what a great book

This 55-year-old man who is a fan of anything that is captivating and well written so enjoyed this story and audiobook. Frances Hardinge is officially one of my new favorite authors and I will seek out reader Charlotte Wright.

this story is exciting and imaginative, with beautifully written language, a clever plot, and a clever and brave lead protagonist. The female empowerment rheme is not heavy-handed but is nonetheless front and center in a way that is completely interwoven into the story and the plot. As with Hardinge's other work, the other great strength of this novel is, relatedly, deep, meticulous, and surprising character development.

I can't praise this story enough. it is vastly underrated on Goodreads and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fiction written for younger people, but which does not talk down to them and is also written so well that anyone who enjoys good writing and a good story will thoroughly enjoy it.

What a fantastic story! And great reader!

This Victorian fantasy/Mystery kept me thoroughly engrossed . The prose is gorgeous, the plot fantastic, and the setting vividly imagined and described. I would recommend it to any teen or adult with the patience to let the plot unfold gradually, while the characters grow and change. Caveat: there are disturbing elements, and some violence, but nothing too graphic.

Kudos to the narrator, who does a beautiful job! I will look for more books she reads.

A must-read

It is like a lost play by an anonymous writer

Best read by people who love mysteries,drama, and liked to be surprised

Great Gothic Victorian!

I really enjoyed this. I write Gothic Victorian historical fiction and it's not easy to find great books in the genre that aren't cliche or romance-centric. It did not feel like I was reading young adult so it wasn't pandering. I particularly enjoyed the author's word choices, visuals, and metaphors/similes. I'm definitely going to try another one of her books next.

Not bad, but much too dark.

Don't read this if you are easily depressed. It is dark, so give yourself ample time in between readings if you can.

The readers intensity while describing the scenes really stood out to me, and it made the book much more enjoyable

Simple and surprising

The simplicity disguises a multi-faceted and surprising story complete with social commentary, mysticism and triumph.

Narrator

The narrator rendered this book much less enjoyable than the words of the author might otherwise have done. I completed the book to hear the story but the narrator's voice was a disincentive every step of the way. A pity.

Magical Book

The audiobook really brought the story to life. The narrator read so clearly and differentiated between the character voices in a way that helped me visualize the piece altogether. I enjoyed the audio slightly more than the story itself, but it was time well-spent listening! Highly recommend!