The House We Grew Up In

By: Lisa Jewell

Narrated by: Karina Fernandez

Meet the picture-perfect Bird family: pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and towheaded twins Rory and Rhys, one an adventurous troublemaker, the other his slighter, more sensitive counterpart. Their father is a sweet, gangly man, but it’s their beautiful, free-spirited mother Lorelei who spins at the center. In those early years, Lorelei tries to freeze time by filling their simple brick house with precious mementos. Easter egg foils are her favorite. Craft supplies, too. She hangs all of the children’s art, to her husband’s chagrin.

Then one Easter weekend, a tragedy so devastating occurs that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, while Lorelei has become the county’s worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband and children and has been living as a recluse. But then something happens that beckons the Bird family back to the house they grew up in - to finally understand the events of that long-ago Easter weekend and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

©2013 Lisa Jewell (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Not sure why this was recommended to me

I typically listen to murder mystery, procedural, detective series books, and some psychological thrillers (but not many)... This book was none of those, and I'm not sure how it got in my algorithm, but I'm okay with having read it. I would've also been okay not having read it. I'm neutral. I don't think I want to be neutral about a book. And probably neither do you. It was a long droning book about how someone's mental instability had manifested into physical and how that affected everyone around them. And ended in a 'happy ending'. So, long, slow, nothing really mysterious or exciting. If that's what you're looking for, then give it a try, but skip if no.

MS Jewell never lets me dow

This family is so loving yet disfunctunnal., as aremost! Each character makes you feel their. pain. Mom, the hoarder evokes sympathy revulsion and fatigue for for your sanity.

Great Story with Narration to Match

This is one of those, did the story make the narration, or did the narration make the story? Lisa Jewell’s character development is delicious, down to every last detail. Karina Fernandez’ convincing and flawless narration wraps it up nicely into a precious package I couldn’t wait to open every time I used the app. As the characters embarked on their various life journeys, I hoped the ending would not be a quick, lame wrap-up. It wasn’t. Wonderful!

Just okay

I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewel’s books, but this one just didn’t get me excited. I tried to return it after a couple hours, but I was unable to, so I forced myself to listen to it. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read; it did have great character development like all of her books, but it was just a sad story all the way through. There wasn’t anything that made me anxious to pick it back up. I was happy when it ended so I could start listening to something else.

Beautiful story and superb narration

Enjoyed this story so much! And the narration was the best I’ve heard so far.