Format :
Library CD (In Stock)
-
2 Formats: CD
-
2 Formats: Library CD
-
ISBN: 9781478903215
-
ISBN: 9781478903185
| Runtime: | 13.53 Hours |
| Category: | Fiction/Mystery & Detective |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
Summary
Summary
A family is hunted by a centuries-old monster: a man with a relentless obsession who can take on any identity.The String Diaries opens with Hannah frantically driving through the night -- her daughter asleep in the back, her husband bleeding out in the seat beside her. In the trunk of the car rests a cache of diaries dating back 200 years, tied and retied with strings through generations. The diaries carry the rules for survival that have been handed down from mother to daughter since the 19th century. But how can Hannah escape an enemy with the ability to look and sound like the people she loves?
Stephen Lloyd Jones's debut novel is a sweeping thriller that extends from the present day, to Oxford in the 1970s, to Hungary at the turn of the 19th century, all tracing back to a man from an ancient royal family with a consuming passion -- a boy who can change his shape, insert himself into the intimate lives of his victims, and destroy them.
If Hannah fails to end the chase now, her daughter is next in line. Only Hannah can decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to finally put a centuries-old curse to rest.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“At once chilling and soulful, this hauntingly powerful tale
weaves together the best elements of the psychological thriller, fantasy
horror, and historical fiction. Stephen Lloyd Jones has penned a deeply
inventive, dazzling debut novel.” —Eliot Pattison, Edgar Award–winning author of The Skull Mantra
“The String Diaries
is an engrossing, mind-bending supernatural tale, and Stephen Lloyd Jones is as
exciting a new voice as I’ve come across in some time, a writer who understands
what makes the pulse race.” —Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author
“With The String
Diaries, Stephen Lloyd Jones has created a new mythology of the monstrous
to rival Stoker’s or Shelley’s. Grounded in the real world and populated by characters
we believe in, this is a book of magic for the doubtful, a fantastic tale for
skeptics, at once transporting and convincing.” —Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist
“Jones doles out his narrative revelations with patience, turning over
his cards deliberately like a well-trained casino dealer.” —Entertainment Weekly
“The String Diaries is terrifying,
and deliciously so…A sophisticated horror story that induces elemental terror.
It’s perfect for the beach, particularly since you don’t want to be alone with
it in the dark.” —New York Daily News
“This is a book of authorial wizardry, as Jones hopscotches among three
time periods and locales (late 1800s Hungary, 1970s France and England, and
present-day Snowdonia in northern Wales) with grace, wit, and dexterity.” —Dallas Morning News
"[A] globe-trotting, time-traveling
page-turner…An elegant and exotic neo-Gothic horror story…may bring to mind
Elizabeth Kostova’s [book] The Historian….Jones’
descriptions [are] fabulous…Like the best Gothic storytellers, Jones’
characters feel things deeply and dramatically…An exciting ride.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A scary and exciting horror novel that keeps us off-kilter, as we try to figure out what’s going on until we’re so
involved in the story that we couldn’t look away even if we tried…This is Jones’ first novel, and you don’t see many debuts more ambitious and memorable than this one.” —Booklist (starred review)
“If there’s anything the frightened
characters in Jones’ first novel learn, it’s not to trust anyone unless they
can tell you what you got for your last birthday or what size shoes you wear…Give credit to Jones
for coming up with a supernatural tale that’s so ambitious and off the beaten
path and for portraying Hannah and her brood so affectingly.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Reading The String
Diaries made me feel, in the best sense, like a child again. Nothing was
more important than the fate of Stephen Lloyd Jones’ courageous and very human
heroine Hannah Wilde. Meals went uncooked, bills went unpaid, as I waited to
find out if she would win freedom for herself and her daughter against the
forces of darkness. I was scared, enthralled, and amazed by this stunning debut.” —Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy
“I have never read a book with such frenzied impatience. The String Diaries is unputdownable.
Stephen Lloyd Jones has written a debut novel as frightening and layered as
Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and
as clever and riveting as Dan Brown’s The
Da Vinci Code.” —Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon
I loved this book. —Marcus Sakey, author of Brilliance
Reading The String Diaries made me feel, in the best sense, like a child again. Nothing was more important than the fate of Stephen Lloyd Jones's courageous and very human heroine Hannah Wilde. Meals went uncooked, bills went unpaid, as I waited to find out if she would win freedom for herself and her daughter against the forces of darkness. I was scared, enthralled and amazed by this stunning debut. —Margot Livesey, author of the New York Times bestselling The Flight of Gemma Hardy and Eva Moves the Furniture
This novel is a breakneck chase down a long and winding road with the devil sitting beside you in the car. —Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
With The String Diaries, Stephen Lloyd Jones has created a new mythology of the monstrous to rival Stoker's or Shelley's. Grounded in the real world and populated by characters we believe in, this is a book of magic for the doubtful, a fantastic tale for skeptics, at once transporting and convincing. —Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist
I have never read a book with such frenzied impatience. The String Diaries is unputdownable. Stephen Lloyd Jones has written a debut novel as frightening and layered as Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian and as clever and riveting as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. —Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon, The Wilding and Refresh, Refresh
Author
Author Bio: Stephen Lloyd Jones
Stephen Lloyd Jones studied at Royal Holloway College, University of London, and is the director of a major London media agency.
Titles by Author
Details
Details
| Available Formats : | CD, Library CD |
| Category: | Fiction/Mystery & Detective |
| Runtime: | 13.53 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
To listen to this title you will need our latest app
Due to publishing rights this title requires DRM and can only be listened to in the Blackstone Library app