Jeanie can hear and speak to the dead, a gift she inherited from her father. Both work at the family funeral home where she often encounters the dead. While her father sees a lot of humor with the gift, Jeanie struggles with ethical quandaries frequently. Is it ok to lie to the dead if it will make them feel better?

Jeanie has always been treated differently because of her gift, and it has made her emotionally cold and distant, which is a major issue for her in this book. I really enjoyed the side characters and the charming Irish setting.

I actually dnfed when all is said, so I'm glad to say I liked this one much more.

Overall I gave this 3.5 stars.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Anne Griffin - 4.5 stars!

Jeanie Masterson can hear the last words of the dead, a trait passed down to her by her father who runs the family funeral home in their small Ireland hometown. But her father doesn't always pass down the true words spoken by the dead, instead giving the grieving family platitudes. Jeanie struggles with her gift, alternately feeling that it is a curse, holding her to stay stuck in her life. When her parents let her know that they are retiring and moving away, leaving Jeanie and her husband, embalmer Niall, to run the business, Jeanie starts reflecting on her life, her choices and her future.

I started out reading the digital copy but totally got sucked into the beautiful narration by Nicola Coughlan on the audiobook. I loved imagining Jeanie's gift - that the dead had but a brief time to impart any last wishes to someone left behind. This really is a book that lets you think about dying, grief, but also living your best life. Jeanie felt stuck in her life and into her family style of not really communicating truthfully, so much so that she was paralyzed in moving forward or knowing what she wanted. Lots of life lessons here with a touch of magical realism.

A moving Irish family drama featuring Jeanie, who can listen to the recently deceased (an inherited trait) and the life of regrets and loss she reflects back on when forced to figure out what she truly wants out of life. A little slow moving in places but beautifully narrated by Nicola Coughlan. This book sounded really interesting but I honestly found myself losing interest which was disappointing. Much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to listen to an advance review copy! All opinions are my own.

LISTENING STILL by Anne Griffin is a beautiful story of family, love, loss, forgiveness, and finding oneself. The writing is wonderful and touching. I love the emotionally complex characters and the ending was perfect. I was worried that the supernatural aspect of the novel was going to be disturbing, but it was not at all. It felt natural. This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be the last.

The narration is good. I love the slight Irish accent of the narrator.

This one was a bit slow going for me and I considered not finishing it. But I like to fulfill my commitments, so I pushed through.
2.75 ⭐ rounded up
How fun would it be to be able to hear dead people? For Jeanie it’s both a gift and a curse.
There were some sad parts. I did find my mind wandering at times and I wasn’t sure if she was talking to the living or the dead. This narration was really good though.

This is my first time with this author and I’m not sure yet if I’ll read her again. I guess it depends on the premise of her next book.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Anne Griffin for the advance audiobook copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Unfortunately this book went in another direction than what I thought it would be. In Listening Still by Anne Griffin, Jeanie hears and talks to dead people. She also has family and relationships and drama, but not the good kind. The audiobook narration by Nicola Coughlan, whom I love as an actress, was hard for me to understand without subtitles which totally negates the audiobook. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook copy.

Melancholy with sadness and regret, yet such a compelling story. Listening Still winds the tale of love lost through the tale of a life misunderstood. Deftly read with much feeling by Nicola Coughlan, I highly recommend listening to this gem by Anne Griffin.

Thank you for the ARC of this book in audio. I give it 3 stars…I had high hopes for this book. The description made it seem like there would be more interaction between the main character, Jeanie, and the deceased she takes care of. Sadly it was more about Jeanie and all her relationships and failures in expressing herself to others on what she wants out of her life. I found this aspect of the book to really drag and skipped ahead often.

I did enjoy the voice of the narrator, Nicola Coughlan, she did well portraying the characters and giving each of them their own voice. If not for the narrator I would have completely given up on the book.

Listening Still
By Anne Griffin

I love it when I read a book with special characters in special situations. In Listening Still by Anne Griffin, we are introduced to a woman Jeanie Masterson, who works in their family's funeral home and like her father possess a gift that allows her to communicate with the dead. This is a story about following your heart or your destiny and yet also tied to family obligations and the possession of a certain gift that could also be a curse or a burden. I enjoyed the slow pace of the novel, with the build up of the character development.

I also listened to the audio and I thought that the narrator Nicola Coughlan really did a great job with capturing the essence of the story and the character. I certainly was immersed and lost in the story. This was fantastic and I highly recommend.

Listening Still is a beautiful story about life, death, family, and relationships. The love and loss represented in this book were stunning. I really appreciated the way this was written, although it did take several chapters for me to get used to the different timelines. The narration by Nicola Coughlan was really beautifully done. It was truly a pleasure to listen to. The emotion behind some scenes was so tastefully done and really held me into the story. I am so thankful to have experienced the book like this.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.

Jeanie Masterson is thirty-two (32), she is married to her lifelong friend, Niall & they work alongside Jeanie’s parents as Undertakers in Kilcross, Ireland. This book follows Jeanie as she wades her way through adult situations without ever investing any ounce of truth, honesty or bits of herself; seeking to avoid investing anything of her person, least it be the wrong decision. Though the main character is surrounded by family & friends who have doted on her for the entirety of her life, Jeanie continues to evade sincerity in all her actions & reactions; choosing instead to lean on the words ‘duty’ & ‘obligation’ in hopes to validate her inability to be the person that she is.

At face value you might approach my review feeling a bit confused as to why I rated this book so highly if I spent the entirety of my reading experience riddled with annoyance towards the main character. I myself wondered how I might be able to express my reasoning; finding myself working through the pages curious as to why I was enjoying a book that featured a character so polar opposite to myself & truly, a person whom I felt very frustrated towards. I suppose I found my way to this rating as I asked myself what it was that I was enjoying; what aspect of a book renders us to fully invest? Does it matter to us if the characters are unlikeetale if a story is realistic? In this instance, I found myself invested in the story because I felt that Griffin has successfully created a plot, characters & an environment that made me feel like a fly on the wall. I was peeking in at the lives of a family who held secrets close to their heart, closer still than the people they loved more than anything in life.

I found myself enjoying the aspects which sprinkled the sentiment of reality in this story. Though the plot highlights Jeanie as having a supernatural ability to communicate with those who are deceased, this was not a huge part of the plot & I felt as though it was utilized in an appropriate fashion. By this I mean, it didn’t really matter if I believed that Jeanie could communicate with dead people. It didn’t change the fact that the conversations that were shared held more value that the request of me to believe in something outside of my immediate understanding of reality. The feelings & emotions that Jeanie explored when sitting beside a deceased evoked more motion in the advancement of the plot than the simple act of her sitting in a mortuary. Therefore, it didn’t matter whether I believed that a dead person would choose to wait before transitioning into the ether. What mattered was that I read about sentiments we often feel, evoked in a time of high stress & turmoil, from the lips of an imaginary character, into my very real conscious state.

Before delving further into other topics of the plot, I want to acknowledge the representation of neurodivergency in Mikey, Jeanie's older brother. I am not someone who is personally or professionally in a position to make remarks on the authentic representation of Autism (regarding it wholeheartedly as the spectrum that it is) & therefore, my comments should be recognized as coming from someone who read through this book without personal or educational weight to back my impressions & opinions. I wish we had explored this character a little further, I wish there had been more to him than his deep adoration for all things 'war history'. However, when I regard any other character, I cannot say for certain that they had thoroughly been developed either. Everyone was second fiddle to Jeanie & her antics. Though, I didn't feel any longing for any further details of any of the other characters, I was left feeling rather sad about Mikey & his circumstances. Having a younger sibling like Jeanie could not have been easy. For the entirety of their lives she put herself at the forefront of his well-being without ever being able to take care of herself. Are we meant to believe that everyone who is on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) requires a member of their families to abandon all their hopes & dreams to take care of them? I think I felt so poorly about Mikey because his character was constantly utilized as an excuse; a reason to stay behind, someone to hold others back. I can't imagine that being him; based on the little we know of this person, he didn't seem to ever want anyone to not be who they were. Therefore reading about Jeanie, vapid underachieving Jeanie, constantly placing the blame of her ineptitude on her older brother felt like a huge cop-out; though, maybe that was the point

My most favoured line of the book is spoken in passing, after the horribly lost main character evades responsibilities & lives in the rural countryside of France in the hopes of learning who she really is. When Marianne tells Jeanie that (in different terms), places do not matter, the people in them do; I found myself at the core of the story. This was the moment when I began to question what it was the made me enjoy this book.

Though I admit that Jeanie as a main character was hugely flawed I couldn’t help but accept that so many, many, people are indeed wandering through life. I couldn’t shame Jeanie for not knowing who she was when I very clearly read about her having always been evasive when it mattered to be straight-forward. One might even argue that her parents & the lies that they fostered, encouraged her to be less than honest, even with herself. However, I think it was more than that. Jeanie never had to question anything, she never had to wonder ‘what if’ because there were always ample people around her protecting her from a failure which might scare her into making a solid decision. While she was a child on the playground, Peanut defended her honour. All throughout their lives, Jeanie had someone defending her, helping her chose, leading her by the hand through any confusing moment in time. I suppose one might say that she was luckier than some of us who have had to do it on our own. However, on the other hand, Jeanie was never so alone as she was when it came time to speak on her desires; who was she but the flimsy leaf grasping for dear life on the bark of a self-sufficient tree.

I found it difficult to find it in myself to think kindly or empathetically towards Jeanie. Every time someone in her life asked of her to be honest, to be present, to be invested; she was elusive & asked for time to think. This time to think was always granted & I couldn’t help but feel envious. How many times, I cannot count, might it have been warmly welcomed for me to have been granted time to reflect; time to organize my thoughts & feelings. Jeanie was granted the freedom of independence & she abused of it at every turn. How can you be so willfully ignorant as to take advantage of the people who are trusting & loving towards you? How do you take their kindness & understanding at your needing time before broaching a subject, only for you to leave them hanging for days, sometimes years? You have no right to turn around & feel betrayed when on their death bed, they speak of the people in their lives they loved; people with whom they were able to foster an actual healthy relationship.

Should I leave a low rating because I thought Jeanie was a spoilt privileged vapid individual who never learnt any lessons in all of her life? Or, should I rate this book highly as it made me truly feel as though this person were real, & as though all the turmoil experienced was in fact truly transpiring?

I chose the later because, though many aspects of this book were annoying, something frustrating to read about, I appreciated their earnest presentation. It made sense that Niall moved away to finally find himself living sea-side; this was honest & genuine to the complexities of his character. Of course he loved Jeanie, of course he adored everything he hoped to build. But, he was also a person who had complex emotions & a deep understanding that though Jeanie had many aspects of her person to love, she was hollow & this does not leave much room for him & his characteristics, to be loved in return. I wished for better for all the secondary characters. Even after the final twist is revealed, that didn’t alter my opinion of anyone involved. Life is not always straightforward, sometimes very simple matters snowball into complicated situations. Regardless of what is right & wrong, I wanted everyone in this story to feel validated & comforted. I cannot imagine what Jeanie’s parents must have been feeling when their daughter ran-off to Norway because she had never learnt to communicate how she feels. They spent all of her life giving her the opportunity to say no. Though I appreciate that she felt inclined to stay to support her aging parents (as many children feel), she was not in a situation wherein she was not granted the liberty of being her own person with her own path.

All this to say that I very much enjoyed this book. It was frustrating & aggravating & sometimes very noisome but, it was honest. It genuinely presented the complexities which lie in a single person’s life, however much they lack of substance, there is still very much a whole person inside trying to find their way. I think that this book should be read when one is in the frame of mind to appreciate the enormous flaws of the main character without allowing her tantrums to get in the way of the plot. There were so many other people to like, to root for, to enjoy. The paranormal aspect of the story plays such a small role in this story so, if you are seeking to have that at the forefront you might be severely disappointed.

Overall, I am glad that I read this book when I did. Irish novels always remind me of my grandparents & for that, I am left with warm sentiments of home & of love.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Anne Griffin for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

#StillListening #NetGalley

This is going to be a very heartachingly sad read. The whole mood of Listening Still is very melancholy. I was expecting more prominence with the interactions between Jeannie & the dead and more fantasy elements to the story. But it’s not like that. The book focuses mainly on Jeanie and how she’s falling apart – or she says her life is falling apart. The entire story is told through Jeanie’s point of view and moves from past relationships to present ones. She hears dead people after they’ve passed, but not very long after, and it varies from person to person. That’s pretty much all it is as far as her paranormal talent goes.

Jeanie lives most of her life with “what-ifs”, and the flashbacks show contemplation of her decisions especially the ones that involve Fion. She had to learn to be authentic to herself because the whole point is that she’s lived all her life doing what’s expected of her.

The story of Annalise was the saddest for me. My heart broke for the young girl. Of course, I couldn’t help but be mad in Nial’s stead, but I understand the honesty of it all. A man who’s loved her all his life and knows that she doesn’t feel the same. Love is like that. Even though the ending is left a bit open-ended, I thought the last few lines of the book were the sweetest part – partially because I'm rooting for Nial to find happiness. Overall, I’m pleased that Jeannie’s finally being true to herself and everyone else in the end.

While I am grateful for having been given the opportunity to listen to this book, I really can't heartily recommend it. When reading (or listening), I usually get an idea of what the author's purpose was in writing the book. Tell a heart-warming tale? mystify? intrigue? inform? I never got caught up in Ms. Griffin's story or felt any real affinity for the characters, and I'm still not sure what her goal was in writing the book. Yes, Jeanie Masterson has a unique and awe-inspiring gift, but nothing about its description, revelation, use, inspired awe in me, the listener. The whole thing left me indifferent, unfortunately.

Imagine being able to speak to the recently dead. Jeanie Masterson, who works in the family funeral parlor, has that gift and she uses it to give the recently departed one last chance to get a message to their families. As Jeanie grows up she never takes her gift for granted, but she does struggle with her place in life and love.

This book is much more than a story about communicating between the living and the dead. It is the story about the choices we make while we are growing up and how they shape the rest of our life experiences. Jeanie chose one man over another and then never knew if the choice was the right one.

I liked getting to know the people in Jeanie's life, the love they had for each other was evident through.the writing. The depiction of communicating with the dead and the effect that had on the families was interesting. The book was sad in parts and poignant in others. I was impressed both by the story and the narrator.

#NicolaCoughlin #MacmillanAudio #GeneralFiction #ListeningStill #AnneGriffin #NetGalley #ARC

#StillListening by #AnneGriffin is a very interesting listen. It starts with a female that can hear the dead as they are leaving this plain and going to the next. The story follows her on the ups and downs of her life. I found the characters fun to get to know. #NicolaCoughlan did a great job narrating this audiobook. I really loved her accent. Was a dream listening to her. A big thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #netgalley for giving me this opportunity.

Listening Still is a moving story about a woman, Jeanie, who finds herself living a life she's not sure she chose.

Jeanie has a gift, she is able to hear and talk to the dead making her an asset in the family's undertaker business. Tracing her path to the now through flashbacks from her childhood and young adulthood, Jeanie's life at times appears to be driven more by the needs of others than herself. She remains close with the few friends she had growing up, ostracized for her family's profession and her own gift, watching them go away to college as she remains to help her family. A woman comfortable with the status quo, Jeanie eventually realizes her complacency serves no one and it's time to evaluate her path. A sensitive and emotional story about knowing when it's time to evaluate one's life with a sharper lens.

The audio narration was perfect. She did a wonderful job with characterization and emotions.

I made it to 50% before I decided to give up on this audiobook. The narrator was excellent, but the characters and the story just felt like a chore.

***Thanks to Netgalley for the audio arc***

A utterly glorious book to listen to. The narrator was awesome and the story was just superb. I can’t recommend this book highly enough

Listening Still by Anne Griffin feautues the most interesting topic I've come
across in books/audiobooks this year!

Jeanie Masterson is a mortician working in a family owned funeral home. Jeanie has inherited the unique ability to communicate with those who have recently passed on. She tries to use her gift to console bereaved loved ones, but sometimes this plan backfires. The dead may or may not have very nice things to say about their living relatives, so Jeanie is put in a precarious moral position. Should she always tell the truth?

I was privileged to read the e-book by Anne Griffin while listening to the audiobook narrated by Nicole Couglan. I fully enjoyed the voices of each character while reading this extraordinary story! It's the best of both worlds!

Thank you to NetGally, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio. Listening Still book and audiobook will both be published March 1, 2022

Jeanie speaks to the dead. That's a hook that caught me right away. Jeanie works at her parents funeral home along with her husband, where she has a limited amount of time after a client's death to speak to them and find out of there is anything they want to share with their loved ones. Sometimes the messages are loving and easy but other times she finds herself fudging their words some, something her father has taught her to do because he also has the "gift".

We learn about Jeanie's past boyfriend and the love she had for him and the decisions she made when she was young to not only stay in her home town but to work in the funeral home. She spends some time on introspection after her parents announce their retirement, was she right to have stayed? Should she have left for London with her first love? Are she and Niall, her husband, going to stay together? She has a lot of decisions to make.

I don't want to give away any spoilers. Listening Still was beautifully written and listening to it was a treat because I love the Irish accent.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance audio copy in exchange for this honest review.