Audiobooks by Jan Carson

The Last Resort & more: A BBC Radio Collection

"Dramatised readings from the award-winning Jan Carson, plus bonus interview with the author herself Northern Irish writer Jan Carson won the EU Prize for Literature 2019 for her novel The Fire Starters, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023. Her work has been translated into over 15 languages and appeared in numerous journals and on BBC Radio 3 and 4. Contained within this collection are a selection of Carson’s captivating monologues, performed by a wealth of accomplished TV and stage actors. In Moving Mountains, a group of Ballymena locals rally together to try and save Slemish mountain, said to be where Saint Patrick had his first vision of God. Can they prevent it from being sold to a Japanese theme park? Jo Donnelly, Andrew McCracken, Ignacy Rybarczykn, Aoibhéann McCann and Michael McCondron narrate this serialised story, told from five different perspectives. UnRaveling, read by Liam Neeson, sees a former world-class pianist, now beset by dementia, reaching for the rhythm of Ravel that his fingers have not forgotten. Disappearance is at the heart of The Last Resort, ten linked tales themed around an uncanny clifftop caravan park plagued by impossible thefts. The narrators include Patrick Buchanan, Roísín Gallagher, Christopher Grant, Jo Donnelly, Ignacy Rybarczyk, Beccy Henderson, Seamus O’Hara, Carol Moore, Ian McElhinney and Dearbháile McKinney. Specially commissioned for radio and read by Roísín Gallagher, Tara Lynne O’Neill, Lisa Dwyer Hogg and Seamus O’Hara, Egg and Beans revolve around mothers and children; In Loco Parentis features a woman determined to be the World’s Best Aunt; and Shadowing Gordon finds a writer discovering that exorcising ghosts isn’t nearly as easy as it looks. Rounding off our collection, we hear Jan Carson recalling her Presbyterian childhood in Another Northern Ireland: Traybakes, as she reveals what the ladies in the church kitchen taught her about community, creativity – and finding her own voice. Production credits Written by Jan Carson Moving Mountains Read by Jo Donnelly (The Lord Mayor), Andrew McCracken (Darren), Ignacy Rybarczyk (Tomasz), Aoibhéann McCann (Joss) and Michael Condron (Colin) Produced by Michael Shannon Edited by Andy Martin UnRaveling Bill – Liam Neeson Produced by Justine Potter Assistant Producer: Usman Mullan Sound Designer and Editor: John Scott Pianist: Lauryna Sableviciute The Last Resort Read by Patrick Buchanan (Pete), Roísín Gallagher (Lois), Christopher Grant (Richard), Jo Donnelly (Anna), Ignacy Rybarczyk (Vidas), Beccy Henderson (Alma), Seamus O’Hara (Malcolm), Carol Moore (Kathleen), Ian McElhinney (John), Dearbháile McKinney (Lynette) Produced by Michael Shannon Egg Read by Roísín Gallagher Produced by Michael Shannon Beans Read by Tara Lynne O’Neill Produced by Michael Shannon In Loco Parentis Read by Lisa Dwyer Hogg Produced by Michael Shannon Executive Editor: Andy Martin Shadowing Gordon Read by Seamus O’Hara Produced by Michael Shannon VAM: Another Northern Ireland With Jan Carson Produced by Ophelia Byrne and Conor Garrett ‘A born storyteller’ The Guardian © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Jan Carson (Author), Dearbháile McKinney, Full Cast, Ian McElhinney, Ignacy Rybarczyk, Liam Neeson, Lisa Dwyer Hogg, Michael Condron, Roísín Gallagher, Seamus O'Hara, Tara Lynne O'Neill (Narrator)

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The Raptures: ‘Original and exciting, terrifying and hilarious’ Sunday Times Ireland

"Brought to you by Penguin. When several children from the same village start succumbing to a mysterious illness, the quest to discover the cause has devastating and extraordinary consequences. It is late June in Ballylack. Hannah Adger anticipates eight long weeks' reprieve from school, but when her classmate Ross succumbs to a violent and mysterious illness, it marks the beginning of a summer like no other. As others fall ill, questions about what - or who - is responsible pitch the village into conflict and fearful disarray. Hannah is haunted by guilt as she remains healthy while her friends are struck down. Isolated and afraid, she prays for help. Elsewhere in the village, tempers simmer, panic escalates and long-buried secrets threaten to emerge. Bursting with Carson's trademark wit, profound empathy and soaring imagination, The Raptures explores how tragedy can unite a small community - and tear it apart. At its heart is the extraordinary resilience of one young girl. As the world crumbles around her, she must find the courage to be different in a place where conforming feels like the only option available. Darkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, The Raptures is an unmissable novel. 'Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it.' MARIAN KEYES 'Utterly absorbing' LISA MCINERNEY 'Heart-rending, hilarious . . . it's a belter' LOUISE KENNEDY 'Blistering...glorious...written from the guts and from the heart.' LUCY CALDWELL 'An original and exciting work that's equal parts terrifying, hilarious and memorable.' SUNDAY TIMES © Jan Carson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Jan Carson (Author), Jan Carson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Few and Far Between: The stunning new novel from the winner of the EU Prize for Literature

"Brought to you by Penguin. From the award-winning author of The Raptures and The Fire Starters, a magically surreal novel about history, identity and redemption It’s summer 2017 and the last few residents of the Lough Neagh Archipelago are facing imminent eviction. The flood planned to combat a devastating algae outbreak will submerge their homes, forcing them back to the Mainland for the first time in fifty years. Robert-John and Marion Connolly came to the islands as children in the 1970s, following their mercurial father, an anthropologist studying the unique society that had developed there. For many, the Neagh Archipelago represented a utopia, a chance to be free of the prejudices and history of Troubles era Northern Ireland. But perhaps this utopia wasn’t all that it seemed. Marion and Robert-John have grown accustomed to their haunted existence on the Ark, monitoring the mysterious Far Side, where ghostly figures linger and the land swallows secrets whole. How will they cope with a new life on the Mainland? Is it possible to leave the past behind? And will the Ark ever let them go... 'A stunningly original novel... one of the most imaginative and talented Irish writers at work today' Roisín O’Donnell, author of Nesting 'No writer captures the absurdity and beauty of life quite like [Jan Carson] does' Sara Baume, author of Seven Steeples ‘Warm, sharp and gloriously funny' Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness ‘Her best book yet’ Heather Parry, author of Carrion Crow © Jan Carson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Jan Carson (Author), Jan Carson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Fire Starters

"Brought to you by Penguin. **WINNER of the EU Prize for Literature** Dr Jonathan Murray fears his new-born daughter is not as harmless as she seems. Sammy Agnew is wrestling with his dark past, and fears the violence in his blood lurks in his son, too. The city is in flames and the authorities are losing control. As matters fall into frenzy, and as the lines between fantasy and truth, right and wrong, begin to blur, who will these two fathers choose to protect? Dark, propulsive and thrillingly original, this tale of fierce familial love and sacrifice fizzes with magic and wonder. 'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation' SUNDAY TIMES 'Gripping, affecting, surprising. I inhaled it' LISA MCINERNEY 'Captivating, intelligent and courageous' IRISH TIMES 'Spectacular. At once grittily real, wildly magical and insanely alluring - a siren-song of a novel.' DONAL RYAN 'Jan Carson seems to have invented a new Belfast in this gripping, surprising, exhilarating novel.' RODDY DOYLE 'Blew me away with its power, anger and wit.' JOSEPH O'CONNOR © Jan Carson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Jan Carson (Author), Mark Ryder (Narrator)

Audiobook

Quickly, While They Still Have Horses: Short Stories by the Winner of the EU Prize for Literature

"Brought to you by Penguin. In sixteen sparkling stories, Jan Carson introduces us to worlds and characters that feel real enough to touch. All of life is here: the thrill of growing up, the grief when youth is over; first love, mature love, parenthood and loss - all shot through with profound compassion, warm wit, and boundless imagination. In 'A Certain Degree of Ownership', a distracted couple on a beach fail to notice their baby crawl perilously towards the sea. In 'Troubling the Water', a rumour spreads at a public swimming pool and chaos ensues. In 'Fair Play' a dishevelled father loses his two sons in an adventure park. Every so often, an irresistible suggestion of the other world will surprise and delight, reaffirming Carson as a thrillingly original and audacious talent, and making Quickly, While They Still Have Horses the perfect introduction for readers new to her work. ‘Jan Carson is a born storyteller: her work is so imaginative, whimsical, mischievous and brave, but tender and curious too — you never know where she's going to take you next, so reading her is always an adventure. Exactly how it should be.’ LISA MCINERNEY, author of THE GLORIOUS HERESIES 'Pure magic, funny, sharp, heartbreaking, the short form at its absolute best. Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists. - DONAL RYAN author of HEART BE AT PEACE © Jan Carson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Jan Carson (Author), Maeve Smyth, Simon Slater (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Jan Carson

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