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Unfinished Woman

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Unfinished Woman

By: Robyn Davidson
Narrated by: Kerry Fox
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson, read by Kerry Fox.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA 2024
SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

'The zigzagging life of an adventurer' THE TIMES
'An astonishing, wonderful memoir of an extraordinary life' HENRY MARSH, author of Do No Harm
'Exciting and complex, full of insight and humour' SPECTATOR
‘Enthralling, miraculous, clear as the brilliant constellations of the night sky’ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

An unforgettable memoir from the author of the sensational international bestseller Tracks: the story of a mother and daughter, of love, loss and the pursuit of freedom

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In 1977, twenty-seven-year-old Robyn Davidson set off with a dog and four camels to cross 1,700 miles of Australian desert to the sea.

A life of almost constant travelling followed. From the deserts of Australia, to Sydney’s underworld; from Sixties street life, to the London literary scene; from migrating with nomads in Tibet, to ‘marrying’ an Indian prince, Davidson’s quest was motivated by an unquenchable curiosity about other ways of seeing and understanding the world.

Davidson threw bombs over her shoulder and seeds into her future on the assumption that something would be growing when she got there. The only terrain she had no interest in exploring was the past.

In Unfinished Woman Davidson turns at last to explore that long avoided country. Through this brave and revealing memoir, she delves into her childhood and youth to uncover the forces that set her on her path, and confront the cataclysm of her early loss.

Unfinished Woman is an unforgettable investigation of time and memory, and a powerful interrogation of how we can live with and find beauty in the uncertainty and strangeness of being.

'In her twenties, Davidson trekked 1,700 miles through the Australian wilderness. This led to the bestselling book Tracks and global fame. Half a century later she has written about what motivated her – including the tragic early death of her mother' Simon Hattenstone, GUARDIAN©2023 Robyn Davidson (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Travel Writing & Commentary Inspiring
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I loved Tracks now I feel I am closer to knowing why. Where does the desire for adventure come from why do some journey and others stay put. Understanding Robyn’s history gives us the opportunity to understand ourselves. I truly enjoyed this book a glimpse into a unique life.

I loved Tracks

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One of the most honest books I've read or listened to lately. Unfinished Woman is an account of travels among nomads, entering different cultures along with many great insights about the unreliabilty of memory and the way we fill in gaps to either please or deceive ourselves. It's a book with real heart: Kafkaesque with a touch of Marcel Proust. The performance by Kerry Fox is excellent.
I generally avoid memoirs as they can be self-indulgent (too much I) but Robyn Davidson does not do the conventional memoir.
It may not be a book for everyone, however. Her story resonated with me as I grew up in the same region of Queensland, Australia, at about the same time (1950s-70s), and led a similar peripatetic lifestyle. Like the author, I had complicated feelings about the world and my place in it. Davidson uses the term facsimile of a person, unformed, a self presentation that is incomplete. Unfinished Woman is essentially a highly intelligent woman's story about living in a world made by men, for men. I love the use of the vernacular of the day. (We carried ports to school as kids). This was Queensland, a time of suffocating social conservatism. Times have changed, thank God.

A multi-layered story of a complicated life

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Robyn Davidson has led a very unique life. Which is interesting in & of itself. But what I like the most is the insights into her inner worlds. I enjoy everything she has written. I particularly liked Kerry Fox’s narration.

Very absorbing & fascinating

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I am stunned by this book. It is such beautiful writing; so honest. It is a treasure I will return to .

Superb writing

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The person who read this book has way too much interest in how interesting everything is. Every sentence is read like an exclamation, and it’s too distracting from the story and the written word of Robyn Davidson’s beautifully real, historical, ordinary and poetic writing. it has been ruined by the way it has been read. Sadly, I’ll have to give this book a miss and buy the hard copy.

The story is fascinating. The reader annoying.

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