Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Soldier Sailor cover art

Soldier Sailor

By: Claire Kilroy
Narrated by: Simone Collins
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

So Late in the Day cover art
The Rachel Incident cover art
The Border of Paradise cover art
Becoming Liz Taylor cover art
Below the Big Blue Sky cover art
The Daughter in Law cover art
The Hidden Girls cover art
Something Quite Beautiful cover art
New Zealand Ever After cover art

Summary

AS HEARD ON FRONT ROW - a resonant and provocative novel.
'Astonishing' Stephanie Merritt, Observer
'Very, very funny' PAUL MURRAY
'My favourite book I've read this year' PANDORA SYKES
'Intense, furious, moving and often extremely funny' DAVID NICHOLS

In her wildly acclaimed new novel Claire Kilroy creates an unforgettable heroine, whose fierce love for her young son clashes with the seismic change to her own identity.
As her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy, creativity and the passing of time, an old friend makes a welcome return - but can he really offer a lifeline to the woman she used to be?

©2023 Claire Kilroy (P)2023 Faber & Faber

What listeners say about Soldier Sailor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    81
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Another account of a mother struggling alone

Great writing, minute detail of the mind numbing work of parenting a young child. Frustratingly slow in the descriptiveness of this work, which I can relate to. Cleverly weaves in feminist concepts but ultimately reiterates the well worn narrative of a woman living out the blatant unfairness of being fully burdened with household work. Why this woman never actually says exactly what she needs, exactly how she wants it to be to her partner is unimaginable. It seems the writer wants to show that women can’t articulate their needs logically, instead relying almost exclusively on bitter jabs at their partner. What a sad reiteration of a cliche. When are we going to hear stories of parents (men and women) parenting together, so we can learn how to do it? Instead, we have modern (modern!) stories of these woes, beautifully written but, ultimately, uninspiring.
This book is a great contraceptive.
I wonder how many young people will find it hard to believe this parenting reality (in the West) still exists, realising too late how true it can be, but with no alternative narrative to turn to for help. Are books like this normalising that which we need to get away from?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A moving read

A thought provoking and emotional read with parts I could really identify with. I very much enjoyed this book and would wholly recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Emotionally raw


Not sure what to make of this, the sample gives a tiny snippet, but the raw emotion of the whole book is so palpable.

Any woman who has had or has young kids will fully understand everything written here.

The narration is perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An almost too real story of motherhood

This is a beautiful story that explores the writers relationship with her son "sailor" and her husband. There were so many moments when I thought "yes, that's exactly it!"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What an amazing read.

This is such a beautiful book. Every bit of it relevant and poignant. The mundane detail is lyricised so beautifully and skillfully throughout and brings the emotions and events of early motherhood so vividly to life. The last chapter brought tears to my eyes. This is not just another book about motherhood, for me this is the book about it. Beautiful beautiful book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Hf
  • 25-05-24

Beautifully written

I couldn't stop listening! So beautifully written. A raw account of motherhood and her love for her son. A lot of what she said was a perfect description of some of my own feelings/experiences as a mother but have never managed to articulate with such accuracy. As soon as I was finished reading, I wanted to go back to the start and read it all over again! Absolutely loved this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A beautiful evocation of new motherhood

Poetic and lyrical yet down in the trenches of motherhood. I loved this - took me back to my first little boy and he’s 35 now!
Very well read, immersive listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional

Listening over a period of only 24 hours, I found Soldier Sailor arresting, brutal and moving. I cannot recommend highly enough to any parent, at any stage of their journey.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A difficult but utterly beautiful read.

Staggeringly beautiful writing, full of emotion, capturing the highs and lows of motherhood. Narration was perfect

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular

I loved every sentence and sentiment in this book. The perfect reading of what it is to be a new mother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!