Jeanie Masterson has a gift: She can hear the recently dead and give voice to their final wishes and revelations. Inherited from her father, this gift has enabled the family undertakers to flourish in their small Irish town. Yet she has always been uneasy about censoring some of the dead's last messages to the living. Listening Still is a heartachingly honest look at what we give up and what we gain when we choose to follow our heart.

This book had a very Irish feel which I loved. Jeanie, struggled with her gift at times and when her parents announce they are preparing to retire she is thrust into making a difficult decision. A lovely story about love and loss and so much in between

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio from @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

This is easily one of my favorite books I've read this year. I really enjoyed everything about it. The story was witty, emotional, and original. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the narrator (I listened to the audiobook). It was all just so fantastic.

Listening Still by Anne Griffin

Audiobook
Length: 10 hours and 4 minutes
Narrator: Nicola Coughlan
Release Date: March 01, 2022
Publisher: Macmillian Audio

Fiction, Irish, Talking to the Dead, Relationships

Jeannie Masterson can talk to the dead. This is a skill she has had since she was a small child growing up in her family’s funeral home. While her Aunt Harry was washing the bodies, Jeannie was talking to the dead. This is one reason her family’s busines is doing well. The dead can pass on messages to their families.

Jeannie never planned on staying in the family business and when her parents announce their retirement, she is devastated. The plans she had as a teenager were put on hold and now seem beyond her grasp. With the death of someone close to Jeannie, her world collapses around her and her future is now uncertain. She has decisions to make – should she stay or should she go?

This book is beautifully written, and the narrator really makes the story come alive. The characters are fully developed, the story flows nicely and it is written in the first-person point of view. There are flashbacks of Jeannie’s childhood and first love. I have not read any other books by this author, but I plan to look for them in the future. If you like fiction with family drama, you would enjoy this book.

This was an engaging audiobook. The pull of relationships and the tension created by expectations of small towns kept the story flowing.

I read Anne Griffin’s first book When All is Said and Done early this year and enjoyed it so when I got an opportunity to review her new book before it releases, I jumped on it. Many thanks for the ARC provided by Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Press. The audio is so well done and really brings the story alive.

This story follows a family, though mainly focuses on the daughter, who run a funeral home in their town. But they aren’t just any normal family, some of them have special abilities allowing them to speak to the dead, helping souls tie up any loose ends before it’s impossible. As you can imagine, this is quite the heavy load to carry at times. Add to that being part of a small town, they often had people they knew on the table, sharing secrets they wished they didn’t know. Will they walk away from the business and try to live as normal people or continue to do this trying work?

For me this story connected with my past because growing up my Uncle and Aunt lived above the funeral home my Uncle ran. We had regular holiday and gatherings in the upstairs space, but once in a while if there was no client currently in their care, we’d play around in the viewing rooms. It was totally normal to me, as I knew no different, so hearing Jeanie share her childhood stories in the funeral home brought me right back to those memories.

Jeanie has always been able to hear dead people right after they died. This is something her father was able to do and as the local funeral home operator they were able to bring comfort to those who recently passed but her father would sometimes not tell not so true utterings. When her parents tell her of their plan to retire she is then left with figuring out what her life will be. Her marriage, which has been plodding along, is now falling apart, and she is floundering. I was intrigued with this book and this my first book with this author but will not be the last. After several life changes Jeanie finally finds a way to make it all work.

**Received this ARC for review in audio from the publisher via NetGalley**

Children often inherit traits from their parents, but Jeanie Masterson has a unique gift passed from her father: she can hear the recently dead. In their position as undertakers in their small Irish town, the family has the power to give voice to the final wishes and revelations of their deceased friends and neighbors. When her parents abruptly announce a decision to retire and leave the business to Jeanie and her husband, will the anxiety over taking on such an important role lead the young woman down a different path? Will the past and the present collide in a way that Jeanie just does not expect?

Narrated by Nicola Coughlan, who expertly gives voice to Jeanie, Listening Still is a well written and narrated book about choices and second chances. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and was truly sad when it ended. Anne Griffin gives the character of Jeanie such depth and has crafted a well thought out story to give her life. Although the idea of listening to the dead may not be realistic to some, the message that this book presents transcends the idea. Overall, I would recommend the audio version of Listening Still to other readers and I look forward to more by this author in the future.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Copy of Listening Still by NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio. The decision to listen to and review this audio version was entirely my own.

A double tissue with a third ready tear-jerker, beautiful story. I was truly captured by the power in the words. It felt real.

The author, thankfully, wrote a thought-provoking story. Death is not mocked.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator took the writing up a notch.

I could see myself revisiting the book on snowy cold day.

There is the filthy (not French) profanity, and that really is disgraceful. It keeps the book from being played out loud.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to read and review this book.

#NetGalley
#MacmillanAudio
#AnneGriffin
#NarratorNicolaCoughlan
#StMartinsPress
#GeneralFiction

This is a great book that balances believing, non-believing, family and community dynamics. I enjoyed it so much I listened twice!

Book was more of an exploration of the path not taken of the main character's romantic life than her occupation. Put me in a weird headspace. Wish the focus of the book was either her romantic relationships or her family obligations and occupation as I think trying to do both diluted the strength of either life choice.

Narration was good.

Listening Still by Anne Griffin tells the story of Jeanie Masterson’s family owns a funeral home but only Jeanie and her dad have a special gift….they can hear the dead. This is both a gift and a curse as they try to navigate their own lives while trying to help those who passed on relay messages to loved ones. But, when her father decides to retire and leave the funeral home business, Jeanie is left wondering what she wants with her own life. With flashbacks into her teenage/young adult years, we see the character of Jeanie Masterson form into a complex individual with many layers. When family secrets are finally spilled, which road will Jeanie choose as her destiny?

What I loved about this book:
-Not my normal genre book topic, but I loved the audiobook so much it did not make a difference.
-Loved the speaking to and for the dead aspect of the book.
-Loved watching Jeanie navigate her life and watch her start making her own decisions for herself.

The audiobook was delightful and I loved Nicola Coughlan‘s way of expressing the voices of each character.

Pub Date: March 1, 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was not at all what I thought it would be about. I was really hoping more for something like the "Ghost Whisperer" where Jeanie would interact more with those that have passed and end up with her. Instead, it's bits and pieces of people dying, a few declarations, and a whole lot of hemming and hawing about what she should do. Jeanie is so wishy washy that she becomes unlikeable. Her obsession with the retirement of her parents is annoying and doesn't seem like it should take up more of her life than it does. It was well written but very slow and not at all what it says it will be about. Ultimately, this book just wasn't for me.

The narration was very well done and I love the narrator's accent!

Magical realism is my absolute favorite genre to read and it was a perfect background to Jeanie's story. Jeanie inherited the family trait of being able to speak to the dead for a limited time after they die. I love that the book isn't centered around this though; it's really about Jeanie figuring out what she wants her life to look like, despite seeming to have it all. She has a husband who loves her and is set to have the family business passed to her when her father retires, but she might want something completely different. She can't stop thinking about traveling or her high school boyfriend, whose love story is revealed throughout the book. I enjoyed the feel of Ireland throughout the book as well. I really loved reading this figuring-life-out story.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for access to an advance copy of this audiobook!
The premise of this book is strong and enthralling: an Irish family, who run a funeral home in Kilcross, also happen to be especially suited to the job due to their ability to speak to the freshly dead. Over the course of the book, we are following Jeanie, a lifelong listener of the dead, who is about to be handed the reins to the business when her parents retire, but she does not necessarily feel ready for this shift.
Upon learning what the setup of the book was, I imagined something like the show "Tru Calling", except played by an Irish cast and less focused on crime, and more on the general intensity of death of all kinds.
This is... Not quite what I got.
This was much more about romance and relationship complications than the actual business of listening to dead people. And at every opportunity in the plot for an interesting scandal, there was just a seemingly simple and boring explanation. On top of this, I often found the writing to be cheesy, cliché and written in order to posture more than actually affect the reader emotionally. In short, disappointing.
I am rounding a 2.5 to a 3 star, because I Iove Nicola Coughlan and she did a great job narrating this book! Give her more audiobook work!

3 stars

This story is well written, but ultimately I was disappointed with it. The writer didn’t do much with the interesting premise of talking to the dead. This book is also a bit depressing, about the slow breakdown of a marriage between two people who can’t be honest with each other.

[What I liked:]

•I liked several of the side characters, who were in a way better developed than the main ones, particularly Arthur, Mikey, & Lucien.

•I enjoyed the part of the story covering Jeanie’s high school years, the friendship & love & future dreams shared with Niall, Fionn, Ruth, & Peanut.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The central conflict is Jeanie & Niall’s marital problems, which all stem from a lack of honesty & refusal to communicate in healthy ways. Which is probably realistic, but was frustrating & didn’t help me to respect or sympathize with the MC’s. It was painful to watch them fall apart, page by page, & not do much about it, though they both claimed to want to fix things.

•Ugh, love triangles are just depressing, especially when they never get resolved.

•Jeanie runs off, ignoring her family & husband, to try finding out what life is like somewhere else, even though her original reason for wanting to do that is totally gone. Then she comes back to basically the same situation as before for unclear reasons, & I won’t spoil the ending but I found it pretty disappointing.

CW: death, infidelity, gambling addiction, murder, suicide, child abuse, ableism, terminal illness

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Listening Still reminded me of the reason that I love Netgalley. I have never read any Anne Griffin books, and since I enjoy Irish literature and the story intrigued me, I requested this title. The audiobook was amazing, read by Nicola Coughlan who did such a good job that I just wanted to keep listening all day. Anne is 32 years old when this book takes place, and she is working for the family's undertaking business. She and her father have the gift of talking to the recently deceased for a short period, thus allowing them to pass on things to their relatives and friends that they may not have said during their lifetime. I found this to be a fascinating premise and the author presented it in a tasteful way that not only added to the story, but defined most of the characters and their relationships in the book. Anne does flash back through her past and describes her difficulty in school as a child when the other children taunted her about her ability. Due to this, she developed a very strong group of friends that remain involved throughout the book. This is the second book that Anne Griffin has written, and I am eager to read her other book. Thank you, again, Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing, for the opportunity to preview this book for an unbiased review.

This book was beautifully written and Nicola Coughlan's narration added so much to the experience of listening to this audiobook. There are a lot of characters and each has a distinctive voice both in the text and in the audio. The main character Jeannie has the ability to hear the dead for a brief period of time after their passing. The town, Jeannie's friends and family, and the dead and their families all shape the plot and each others' growth as characters. I loved the exploration of the idea of truthfulness vs cliche or what people want to hear (both after a death and in general). This was a very enjoyable read/listen, highly recommended!

Listening Still by Anne Griffin is set in a small town in Ireland where the main character is not your ordinary young woman trying to figure her life out. Jeanie Masterson lives in the family home she grew up in, and is continuing the family legacy of caring for the dead through their funeral home. Their family offers a unique option for the clients though, because Jeanie can talk with the dead.

The story unfolds in a way that makes Jeanie's ability to converse with the recently departed for a limited time after they pass, seem almost like a real story. However, the story is about much more than her gift, as it focuses more on her life and the decisions that have led to where she is now. Married to Niall, and struggling to make decisions for herself about what she really wants in life. The story alternates back and forth to when Jeanie was growing up, and fell madly in love with a different boy.

The narrator had a delightful accent and was easy to listen to. The story was entertaining, though at times very frustrating. I sometimes struggle with stories that are about wasted opportunities, regrets and focusing on past choices made that can't be unmade. This probably says more about me as a reader than about the book, but with that being said I'd give this one 3 stars. Will Jeanie figure out what it will take for her to feel happy in life? You'll have to check this one out to find out!

Thank you #NetGalley, and MacMillian audio for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish. This book was painfully boring. I listened to 30% and decided I could not keep listening.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my opinion.

First off, I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to experience listening to the book. It had a mixture of peculiarity and engaging concept. Who knows, maybe dead people do talk. Jeanie is portrayed as a strong main character. I liked her gumption.
From reading other reviews I am very interested in reading the author's first book "When All is Said and Done."