The Woman Who Walked into Doors

A Novel

By: Roddy Doyle

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

From the Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, the heartrending story of a brave and tenacious housewife

Paula Spencer is a thirty-nine-year-old working-class woman struggling to reclaim her dignity after marriage to an abusive husband and a worsening drinking problem. Paula recalls her contented childhood, the audacity she learned as a teenager, the exhilaration of her romance with Charlo, and the marriage to him that left her feeling powerless. Capturing both her vulnerability and her strength, Roddy Doyle gives Paula a voice that is real and unforgettable.

Critic reviews

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Boston Globe, Newsday, Publishers Weekly

"This unflinching novel chronicles a woman's relationship with a violent man in a way that brings fresh insight to the subject . . . engaging and uplifting." —O, The Oprah Magazine

"It is the triumph of this novel that Doyle - entirely without condescension - shows the inner life of this battered housewife to be the same stuff as that of the heroes of the great novels of Europe."- Mary Gordon, New York Times Book Review

"In feeling the pulse of a raw Dublin suburb, Doyle is recording a beat that can be recognised all over the world." ― The Times (London)

"This new novel is Roddy Doyle's best to date. I cannot recall any writer who has better captured the vulnerability and courage of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage." ― Cork Examiner (Ireland)

"Even more mesmerizing than his prize-winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha." ― Daily Mail (London)

"Impassioned, dignified and richly humane." ― Independent (London)


"Compulsively readable" ― Financial Times


"Roddy Doyle's unsparing examination of a brutal marriage transcends the boundaries of class and nationhood." -- The Times (London)

Excellent Narration and Engaging Story

I feel compelled to write a review in defense of this book, essentially because I strongly disagree with the one very bad review that showed up on Audible when I did a search. The narrator does not mispronounce words, she is just speaking with an Irish accent and using words authentic to the Irish vernacular. This made the story seem all that much more realistic to me.

The novel starts off seeming to be disjointed at first, but as you continue to listen you will hear a sobering and sad story of one woman’s struggle with alcoholism, domestic abuse and extreme guilt. I found it very interesting and view into a very complicated and sometimes funny life.

Terrible audio narration

Unfortunately, the narrator mispronounced many words that she should have known and which was a major distraction for me.