The Other Side of Beautiful
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The Other Side of Beautiful
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Narrated by:
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Raechyl French
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By:
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Kim Lock
About this listen
Lost & Found meets The Rosie Project in a stunning break-out novel where a vulnerable misfit is forced to re-engage with the world, despite her best efforts.
Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn't been outside that house for two years now.
Flung out into the world she's been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can. Her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene's house. But it turns out she can't stay there, either.
And so begins Mercy's unwilling journey. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin.
On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy's carefully constructed walls start crumbling. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can't run forever...
Exquisite, tender and wry, this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent.
PRAISE:
"Tender, funny and quietly profound, The Other Side of Beautiful is a breath of fresh air." (The Sunday Times)
"A colourful, engaging story of escape and road-trip adventure...also compellingly cinematic and features an endearing narrator-heroine with plenty of meaty real-world troubles." (Sydney Morning Herald)
"An engaging story about second chances and a life changing road trip...a heart-warming story." (Canberra Weekly magazine)
"Mercy Blain is a character you find yourself cheering on. Kim Lock mixes the transformative journey of Alice Hart with the quirkiness of Eleanor Oliphant in this story about embracing life, even when it threatens to overwhelm you." (Tricia Stringer, best-selling author of The Family Inheritance)
"Mercy Blain is an unforgettable character who will capture your heart from the first pages and hold it through until the end. Her madcap journey towards forgiveness - of herself and others - is moving and funny and all other good things that will make you want to keep reading and make you sad when your time with Mercy comes to an end." (Sophie Green, best-selling author of The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle)
©2021 Kim Lock (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersWhat listeners say about The Other Side of Beautiful
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-08-2021
Escapism?
Enjoyed how the journey unfolded! Could taste the red dirt! Now to find my own van….
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bree
- 28-07-2022
Enjoyable yet predictable
I really enjoyed this audiobook, the story is somewhat predictable but it still takes you on an adventure and you get to know a variety of different characters and places around Australia. It was just the kind of escapism I needed and I enjoyed the descriptive language. The narrator did a fantastic job, interested to find what else she has narrated.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J Mitchell
- 10-08-2022
Brilliant!
Anyone who has made the trek up the track through Central Australia will find themselves nodding along in agreement with the amazingly accurate description. Beautifully written, this is a highly humorous, yet poignant story that we can all learn something from.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katherine Cherry
- 14-11-2021
Makes me want to drive up the red centre.
I loved the journey, the writer teases out Mercys past slowly and reveals how she ended up in an ancient van slowly exploring the outback and learning to cope with her tragic past. A great listen.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kay
- 19-02-2022
Story was eerily similar to my own life.
The protagonist's journey reminded me of many 3000km trips on my own in WA, hiding deep in the bush to doze at night, or park in front of a truckie hoping he'd hear my screams - still not sleeping anyway. And the many trips towing my caravan with 3 cats - sometimes convoying with my partner to job sites - and all the lovely grey nomads along the way, spending their kids' inheritances.
But the kicker was the protagonist's relationship with her mother. It was an exact match with my Psychopathic mother, except I had siblings, nieces and nephews for her to lie to about me and they still don't speak to me.
So I cried a lot, but thoroughly enjoyed the author's fictional story for what it was. The narrator was amazing.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cassandra Walker
- 08-11-2021
Loved it!!!
Such a great read, engaging, entertaining and moving! Plus it had a Scot! Thank you so much Kim Lock!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-11-2021
Memories
Loved this story, have done that caravan trip & others around Australia only have the memories left now.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gill
- 13-02-2022
Enjoyable!
I listened to this on a long car trip, really enjoyed the characters, the descriptions of the Aussie outback, the storyline. Scottish accent was a bit iffy at times (I'm a Scot), but that didn't spoil it at all. I'm now a lot more aware of the inner struggles that many people live with - thank you.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- rose
- 10-10-2022
Nice story
This is a nice story with relatable human struggles. I found the progression a wee bit slow. But that’s more of a reflection of my ADHD than a reflection of the story for example Mercy pulling over to make a cuppa and I expect they are telling me this because some event is going to occur but then she continues on so others will enjoy the context it provides while I’m like where’s the action or purpose in this passage….. but over all I recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-10-2022
I didn’t want it to end!
This audiobook got me feeling all the feels and questioning my life choices! Highly recommend! A truly great listen!
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