Audiobooks by Charlotte Mendelson

When We Were Bad: the dazzling, Women’s Prize-shortlisted novel from the author of The Exhibitionist

"When We Were Bad is a spellbinding, witty and poignant portrayal of a family in crisis, in love, and in denial. 'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed literary comedy as well as a painfully accurate description of one big old family mess. A joy' - The Observer In North London, Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi - and sometimes moral voice of the nation - everyone wants to be with her at her son Leo's glorious wedding. That is, until Leo jilts his bride, and the gleaming bubble surrounding the Rubins threatens to burst. Frances - Claudia's calm, mature, married daughter - tries to hold the nucleus of the family together, but the stress forces her to re-examine her own life, leading her to make a decision as shocking as Leo's choice to bolt. And Claudia's husband, Norman, has an uncharacteristic secret. And, whether he likes it or not, he is powerless to stop it coming out . . . 'A comedy with the warmest of hearts and the most deliciously subversive of agendas' - Marie Claire 'Fast-paced and engaging. Brilliant, touching and true' - Naomi Alderman, bestselling author of The Power"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Anna Cordell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Almost English

"'The multi award-winning Charlotte Mendelson is famous for whipping up the hottest, messiest family dramas a writer of literary fiction can . . . This is late Shakespeare meets Modern Family and it's irresistible' - The Times In a tiny flat in West London, sixteen-year-old Marina lives with her emotionally delicate mother and three ancient Hungarian relatives. Imprisoned by her family's crushing expectations and their traditions, she knows she must escape. At Combe Abbey, a traditional English private boarding school in the Dorset countryside, Marina realizes she's made a terrible mistake. Here, among the boathouses, chapel services and unspoken social hierarchy, she is the awkward half-foreign girl who doesn't know how to fit in, flirt, or even exist. Meanwhile, her mother has her own painful secrets to deal with - especially the surprising return of the very last man she'd expect to see. And Marina's disastrous spiral at Combe Abbey is going unnoticed . . . 'A deliciously funny tale of dysfunctional families. . . Reading Mendelson's easy, assured prose is like sinking into something soft and velvety' - Telegraph 'I read and adored Almost English . . . and now I will read everything she's ever written. Charlotte Mendelson is a fiendishly gifted writer' - Marian Keyes"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Elinor Coleman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Daughters of Jerusalem

"Beautifully written and bitingly funny, Charlotte Mendelson's prize-winning Daughters of Jerusalem is a gripping novel of hidden love and hate, of the desire to belong, and the need for escape. Amidst the crumbling yellow stone of Oxford and its prestigious university, secrets are stirring within the Lux family home . . . Jean, the constrained and guilt-ridden wife of an academic, is waiting for excitement - and it will come from an unexpected source. Eve, Jean's intelligent eldest daughter, luxuriates in wounded murderous jealousy of her younger sister and is on the brink of snapping. Raymond, the loathed rival of Jean's husband, begins to show interest in Eve. And Helena, Jean's best friend, has a confession, the revelation of which may just alter everyone's lives forever. 'Brilliant and witty . . . Mendelson's second bewitchingly erotic and darkly dramatic novel confirms her as a stylish, perceptive chronicler of the heart's hidden desires' - Daily Mail 'Superb . . . funny, exciting, lyrical, poignant, redemptive' - Guardian"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Fleur de Wit (Narrator)

Audiobook

Rhapsody in Green

"Gardening is not a hobby but a passion: a mess of excitement and compulsion and urgency and desire. Those who practise it are botanists, evangelists, freedom fighters, midwives and saboteurs; we kill; we bleed. No, I can't drop everything to come in for dinner; it's a matter of life and death out here. Rhapsody in Green is a glorious celebration of the life of an urban gardener, told with the trademark wit and warmth of prize-winning novelist Charlotte Mendelson. This is not your typical guide to gardening. While listening, you will find no advice on topiary, or strimming, or tending to your greenhouse. But if you are attuned to the subtlety of difference between chicories and radicchios; if you cannot pass a packet of seeds without the desire to empty your bank account; or if you, too, long to one day, someday, own a small but emphatic apple orchard in your not-quite-rectangle, suburban garden . . . this is the audiobook for you. Related in a series of uproarious vignettes, and narrated by the author herself, Rhapsody in Green is a love song to the joys, and pitfalls, of gardening in all its surprising forms. 'Charming, inspiring, uplifting . . . pure lovely' - Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake 'Glorious . . . for anyone who loves fruit, vegetables, herbs and language. It makes you see them with new eyes' - Diana Henry, food writer and author From the Oven to the Table 'A witty account of 'extreme allotmenteering' for all obsessive gardeners' - Mail on Sunday"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Charlotte Mendelson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wife

"'Mendelson is a master of the literary monster' - The Sunday Times When Zoe moves in with Penny, their relationship looks perfect; after all, everyone wants a wife. But this is the story of how love can become a disaster . . . Zoe Stamper, junior researcher in Ancient Greek Tragedy, meets fellow academic Dr Penny Cartwright at a faculty flute recital. Dr Cartwright seems impossibly glamorous to Zoe, who is, after all, several rungs down the academic pecking order - and a nervous ingénue as far as Penny's sophisticated circle is concerned. But Penny leaves Zoe a cryptic note, and a passionate affair ensues. Once Penny confesses all to her live-in lover, Justine, their happiness seems assured. But there is something else Penny needs as badly in her life as Zoe's adoration, and thus the beginning of their affair might also have signalled its end . . . Wife by Charlotte Mendelson is a beautifully observed and coruscating novel about the joys of passionate love and motherhood, and those left behind in its wake when passion curdles. It is heartbreaking and funny, profound and gripping, as it takes the reader from the end of a relationship to its beginning, and back again. 'A bravura portrait of a marriage in meltdown' - The Guardian 'A clever, lacerating account of coercive control . . . a finely executed novel' - Financial Times"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Kristin Atherton (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Exhibitionist

"THE TIMES NOVEL OF THE YEAR A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2022 A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR 'It takes the most ferocious intelligence, skill, and a deep reservoir of sadness to write a novel as funny as this. I adored it' - Meg Mason, author of Sorrow & Bliss 'A devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, author of Fingersmith Meet the Hanrahan family, gathering for a momentous weekend as famous artist and notorious egoist Ray Hanrahan prepares for a new exhibition of his art - the first in many decades - and one he is sure will burnish his reputation for good. His three children will be there: beautiful Leah, always her father's biggest champion; sensitive Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and insecure Jess, the youngest, who has her own momentous decision to make . . . And what of Lucia, Ray's steadfast and selfless wife? She is an artist, too, but has always had to put her roles as wife and mother first. What will happen if she decides to change? For Lucia is hiding secrets of her own, and as the weekend unfolds and the exhibition approaches, she must finally make a choice. The longer the marriage, the harder truth becomes . . . The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire, and personal freedom. 'Delicious, heartbreaking . . . Fabulously written and utterly compelling' - Marian Keyes, author of Grown-Ups"

Charlotte Mendelson (Author), Juliet Stevenson (Narrator)

Audiobook