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Will This House Last Forever?
- Narrated by: Xanthi Barker
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
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Will This House Last Forever?
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Summary
When Xanthi Barker's father died when she was in her mid 20s, she could make no sense of her grief for a man who had been absent for most of her life. Her father, poet Sebastian Barker, had left Xanthi, her mother and her brother to pursue writing and a new relationship, when Xanthi was a baby. Growing up, she had always struggled to reconcile his extravagant affection - a rocking horse crafted from scavenged wood, the endless stream of poems and drawings and letters, conversations that spiralled from the structure of starlight to philosophy to Bruce Springsteen - with the fact that he could not be depended upon for more everyday things. Though theirs was a relationship defined by departures, he always returned, so why should this farewell be any different, or more final?
Will This House Last Forever? is a heartfelt and wholly original memoir about the pain of having to come to terms with a parent's mortality, the way grief so utterly defies logic and about learning to see the flaws in those that we love and let them go.
Critic reviews
"It felt such a privilege to read this book. Raw, devastating, beautifully formed. Let's keep our eye on Barker." (Daisy Johnson)
What listeners say about Will This House Last Forever?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ChloeB
- 21-01-24
Beautiful
This book is a true masterpiece. Touching and fabulous. Truly something you need to read!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bee
- 27-06-21
Exquiste
I share some things with the writer in that I have been shaped by longing for a father who left. I'm one of millions I guess, so be warned this might be painful, but it's beautiful I think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-08-21
Simply beautiful. Raw and powerful.
I’ve just finished Xanthi’s eloquent reading and I’m now buying the hardback so that I can share this excellent example of how powerful memoir writing can be with my students.
Having been estranged from my own parents for many years now, this has given me such comfort and hope that we can learn so much from our past experiences. Wonderful.
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