Owls Do Cry cover art

Owls Do Cry

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Owls Do Cry

By: Janet Frame
Narrated by: Heather Bolton
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $24.99

Buy Now for $24.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Owls Do Cry is Janet Frame's first novel. She describes her idea behind it in the second volume of her autobiography: 'Pictures of great treasure in the midst of sadness and waste haunted me and I began to think, in fiction, of a childhood, home life, hospital life, using people known to me as a base for main characters, and inventing minor characters.'

Regarded by many as one of the best New Zealand novels published, Owls Do Cry forms a loose trilogy with her two subsequent novels, Faces in the Water and The Edge of the Alphabet.

©1961 Janet Frame Literary Trust. All rights reserved (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing
Family Life Fiction Literary Fiction

Editorial reviews

This poignant and semi-autobiographical debut novel from New Zealand author Janet Frame created a sensation when it was first published, in 1957. With gorgeous but often experimental writing and a plot featuring death, mental illness, and institutionalization, Owls Do Cry was frequently seen as too grim at the time it appeared. Here, performer Heather Bolton's warm, sensitive narration counterbalances the difficult subject matter and provides a compelling listen for a classic that’s full of original images and intense, poetic prose.

Critic Reviews

"Janet Frame is one of New Zealand's literary treasures, and her first novel, Owls Do Cry, published in 1957, is considered a masterpiece. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the novel chronicles the harrowing experiences of 14-year-old Daphne, diagnosed schizophrenic and confined to a mental institution. Much of Daphne's story unfolds in stream-of-consciousness ramblings, the hallucinatory, lyrical poetry that marks the music of madness. Heather Bolton's voice is soft and intriguing, a voice clearly from another world. When Daphne sings her poetry, Bolton's wispy, compelling school-girl soprano confirms that this book is a perfect fit for audio. Voices from the outside world come mainly from Daphne's sister, Teresa's, detailed diaries. Bolton handles the more grounded prose with ease, while making Daphne's surreal interior monologues strange, beautiful, and haunting" (AudioFile Magazine)

What listeners say about Owls Do Cry

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

almost too real

great narration of a great book. a tragic but worthwhile piece of writing. I will be listening to this again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.