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Lady of Hay cover art

Lady of Hay

Written by: Barbara Erskine
Narrated by: Joan Walker
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Publisher's Summary

A story spanning centuries. A long awaited revenge.

In London, journalist Jo Clifford plans to debunk the belief in past lives in a hard-hitting magazine piece. But her scepticism is shaken when a hypnotist forces her to relive the experiences of Matilda, Lady of Hay, a noblewoman during the reign of King John.

She learns of Matilda's unhappy marriage, her love for the handsome Richard de Clare and the brutal death threats handed out by King John, before it becomes clear that Jo’s past and present are inevitably entwined. She realises that 800 years on, Matilda’s story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to repeat itself....

Barbara Erskine’s iconic debut novel still delights generations of readers and listeners 30 years after its first publication.

©2021 Barbara Erskine (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

What the critics say

"The author's storytelling talent is undeniable. Barbara Erskine can make us feel the cold, smell the filth and experience some of the fear of the power of evil men." (The Times)

"Unusual, intriguing, cleverly handled and gripping." (The Good Book Guide)

"Convincing and extremely colourful." (The Mail)

What listeners say about Lady of Hay

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  • 2021-08-16

Loved to book- not sure about the narrator

I read this book when I was younger and have spend a long time trying to find it again. I still loved the story, the narrator made all the women whinny and all the men sinister.

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A book that did not age well

I first read this book 30 or so years ago and remember being absolutely mesmerized by the story -- so much so that I'm pretty sure I read in a weekend. l am embarrassed to admit that now because this is a terrible book on many different levels. The entire premise is ludicrous and the telling so full of contradictions and untruths about hypnotism and past life regression that it is hard to follow the modern-day portion of the story. The relationships between the characters make no sense at all -- there is not one likable character amongst the main protagonists and it is hard to understand why they even associate with each other -- they all seem to hate each other. The absolute worst flaw is the sexual violence throughout and the attitude of the modern-day characters, including the victim, that it isn't particularly troublesome. The narration is absolutely dreadful. With a few minor exceptions, all of the male characters sound like sleazy male gigolos from a 1960s B movie. The narrator adopts a bizarre whining nasal tone that is grating to listen to. Terrible, terrible book on every level.

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