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Nightcrawling

By: Leila Mottley
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
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Summary

Bloomsbury presents Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt.

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022 – THE YOUNGEST EVER BOOKER NOMINEE
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
_______________

‘Mottley attempts to do for Oakland something of what The Wire did for Baltimore' THE TIMES
'A soul-searching portrait of survival and hope' OPRAH WINFREY
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When there is no choice, all you have left to do is walk.

Kiara Johnson does not know what it is to live as a normal seventeen-year-old. With her mother in a halfway house and an older brother who devotes his time and money to a recording studio, she fends for herself – and for nine-year-old Trevor, whose own mother is prone to disappearing for days at a time. As the landlord of their apartment block threatens to raise their rent, Kiara finds herself walking the streets after dark, determined to survive in a world that refuses to protect her.

Then one night Kiara is picked up by two police officers, and the gruesome deal she is offered in exchange for her freedom lands her at the centre of a media storm. If she agrees to testify in a grand jury trial, she could help expose the sickening corruption of a police department. But honesty comes at a price – one that could leave her family vulnerable to their retaliation, and endanger everyone she loves.

Nightcrawling is an unforgettable novel about young people navigating the darkest corners of an adult world, told with a humanity that is at once agonising and utterly mesmerising.
_______________

'UNFORGETTABLE' GUARDIAN
'A MAGNIFICENT DEBUT' RUTH OZEKI, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022
_______________

©2022 Leila Mottley (P)2022 Penguin Random House USA Audio
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What listeners say about Nightcrawling

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book

I can’t believe this wasn’t shortlisted for the booker prize.
Thought provoking, well written and extremely well performed

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A tragic but beautifully written story



The writing is lyrical in places and the story so achingly sad but you get so involved with the characters. A superb listen

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful narration but too long

The characters were brought alive by very realistic narration but the story did lose its way about half way through (I agree with another review and could have been much shorter)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Strong messages.

A great book for discussion at a book club. It really brings about key messages of our time, especially those in America.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Totally absorbing listen

Living through the downwards spiral of what seems like unavoidable choices, the writing and narration kept me engrossed all the way through. Painful, enlightening and sometimes joyful but always authentic.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Gritty and Powerful

A gritty and powerful read that uncovers the disadvantaged communities of Oakland and how they face oppression with fortitude and pride. Extolling the virtues that they are often labelled as lacking in.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding

This book is heartbreaking.

The prose is exquisite, the subject matter almost too awful to contemplate. The lightness and joy which is skilfully inserted, break up the awful truth of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors.

Despite the subject matter, the book is worth reading for so many reasons. That it was written by a 19-year-old young woman is beyond extraordinary.

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Heartbreakingly beautiful

This is one of those stories that’s going to stay with you for a long time. Leila Motley’s Kiara is such a beautifully sensitive character, left behind by the world she is trying desperately to survive in. You root for her every step of the way, and feel every ounce of her pain, sublimely translated off the page by the narrator.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Good writing, sad story

The writing was poetic and informal at the same time. Interesting story development, very touching and important subject. I didn't connect with the performance.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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All round excellent

Beautifully written - poetic storytelling.
Loved the narration - such appropriate casting. I found it totally enthralling.

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