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Wavewalker
- Breaking Free
- Narrated by: Suzanne Heywood
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
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Wavewalker
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Summary
A TIMES BEST MEMOIR OF 2023
‘Grippingly vivid and pacey’ THE TIMES
‘A seven-year old girl on a seventy-foot yacht, for ten years, over fifty thousand miles of sailing’ SIMON WINCHESTER
'An astonishing almost day-by-day account of [a] hazardous journey and its legacy’ TELEGRAPH
‘This is a story of an epic childhood journey, so exciting and so shocking it is hard to know whether you’re reading about a dream or a nightmare… Wavewalker is thrilling, horrifying, beautifully written – I couldn’t put it down’ ED BALLS
Aged just seven, Suzanne Heywood set sail with her parents and brother on a three-year voyage around the world. What followed turned instead into a decade-long way of life, through storms, shipwrecks, reefs and isolation, with little formal schooling. No one else knew where they were most of the time and no state showed any interest in what was happening to the children.
Suzanne fought her parents, longing to return to England and to education and stability. This memoir covers her astonishing upbringing, a survival story of a child deprived of safety, friendships, schooling and occasionally drinking water… At seventeen Suzanne earned an interview at Oxford University and returned to the UK.
From the bestselling author of What Does Jeremy Think?, Wavewalker is the incredible true story of how the adventure of a lifetime became one child’s worst nightmare – and how her determination to educate herself enabled her to escape
‘A classic memoir of childhood. This is a book that every parent should read to consider the consequences of their midlife crises, and every child should read to learn how to deal with impossible mums and dads, as well as boils and barnacles’ Mail on Sunday 5*
‘An electrifying story about an extraordinary childhood, and Heywood tells it with remarkable clarity and assurance . . . an engrossing book that pitches the reader into the highs and lows of a young life spent in the “Wavewalker School of the Sea”’TLS
What listeners say about Wavewalker
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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
- Runsalot
- 31-05-23
Hard to stop listening
This is an extraordinary story,
told through the eyes of the child, the teenager and the young woman she became. It’s hard to hear in places. The author does not seek sympathy, just to tell the story. A good book makes you think about more than the story though, and it’s hard not to be inspired to be a bit tougher, try a bit harder, when thinking about the obstacles that Suzanne overcame.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-05-23
Unbelievable true story
Although this story has a underlying theme of a childhood without real love there is such an amazing narrative by the author herself you can’t stop listening.
Her personal journey of the places seen and life experiences whilst growing up on a boat is unimaginable until you hear it from her.
It was a gentle and relaxing story but your heart goes out to the little girl who just wants to be loved unconditionally by her parents.
I enjoyed the story very much.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 04-12-23
Heart warming
Absolutely brilliant book it takes you on a real journey, An amazing, interesting and inspiring life story, well written and superbly read by the author.
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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
- 18-06-24
Incredible true story
I absolutely love this story. I love the narration. I’ve listened to it 3 times.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Francisco
- 19-06-23
heartfelt and inspiring
it's hard to listen to Sue's telling of her story and not feel inspired. it's beautifully written and perfectly communicated how helpless you feel as a child with no power over your own life. I'm very thankful to Sue for sharing this
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Mike
- 18-04-23
Brilliant
I’ve inhaled this in a day. An amazing, traumatic, and emotional story, brilliantly told by the author.
I bought it expecting an adventure story, but this is more of an allegory around the impact on children caught up in a storm of selfish parental ambition.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kate
- 17-04-23
Absolutely awe-inspiring
I couldn’t stop listening to this utterly incredible story of a childhood no child should have experienced. So inspiring and frustrating at the same time.
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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
- Suzanne
- 17-11-23
Inspiring beyond belief
This book is an incredible listen, I am full of admiration for Suzanne whose intelligence and perseverance has enabled her to create her own path in this world despite parental neglect. I cannot recommend enough
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 26-11-23
Deja vu
My charismatic father also considered being trapped on a boat looking at beaches and not going to school a privilege and never understood any ‘boring’ yearnings for normality. Perhaps history’s relentless explorers have had to be powered by a complete incomprehension of fellow crew members needs - somewhere on the spectrum….?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- sheridan holmes
- 14-01-24
A completely different childhood
A thoroughly enjoyable listen to a very different type of childhood. I certainly wouldn’t want to live on a boat at sea but it was wonderful to visit faraway islands and see island and sea life through Suzanne’s eyes. She was given a raw deal but has managed to turn that experience into a great story. Very well done.
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