Vacant Possession cover art

Vacant Possession

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.

Vacant Possession

By: Hilary Mantel
Narrated by: Sandra Duncan
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

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

From the double Man Booker Prize-winner, a savagely funny tale that revisits the characters from the much-loved Every Day is Mother’s Day.

Muriel Axon is about to re-enter the lives of Colin Sidney and Isabel Field. It is 10 years since her last tangle with them, but for Muriel this is not time enough. There are still scores to be settled, truths to be faced and vengeance to be wreaked.

©1986 Hilary Mantel (P)2013 W F Howes Ltd
Fiction Literary Fiction Satire Comedy

Critic Reviews

"The macabre and wonderfully funny plot has as many twists and turns as a well-made thriller" ( Standard)
"Hilary Mantel's wit is wonderful and startlingly nasty" ( Sunday Times)

What listeners say about Vacant Possession

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

Fantastically macabre

This isn’t black comedy; it’s the unsettling silliness of deeply dark human experiences. Mandel somehow taps into what soulless human existence really looks and feels like, and it’s uncomfortable, with moments of levity. Completely unique.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not that funny, really

It was a fairly well told story and I got an occasional giggle, but I was left feeling sad and disconcerted at the end. Would not describe it as black humour. Nothing funny about the situation, particularly at the end. I'm still tossing up whether I liked it or I hated it ...

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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.