When Marnie Was There

By: Joan Robinson

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

An exciting audiobook download of a classic story. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal when first published in 1967, When Marnie Was There is now being made into a film by Japanese anime giant Studio Ghibli.

Anna lives with foster parents, a misfit with no friends, always on the outside of things. Then she is sent to Norfolk to stay with old Mr. and Mrs. Pegg, where she runs wild on the sand dunes and around the water. There is a house, the Marsh House, which she feels she recognizes - and she soon meets a strange little girl called Marnie, who becomes Anna's first ever friend. Then one day, Marnie vanishes. A new family, the Lindsays, move into the Marsh House. Having learnt so much from Marnie about friendship, Anna makes firm friends with the Lindsays and learns some strange truths about Marnie, who was not all she seemed.

©2015 Joan Robinson (P)2014 Listening Library

I’ve never related to a character so strongly.

Anna is my spirit animal. Amazing how such a simple story can resinate so steadfastly on an emotional level. I adore this book. And the narrator was excellent.

Was NOT disappointed, MUST READ

I had come across this book a while back and was really surprised at the high rating. It took me a while to finally get around to listening and I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

To be honest, the narration wasn’t my favorite because of the high pitched voices of the young girls, but I got used to it a few chapters in.

I really want to find a hard copy to keep in my library because I think this may be a new favorite. This story really hit my heart. Also I enjoyed it so much that I went to google the author to see other books and found they made this into a Studio Ghibli movie! Of course, I had to watch and although I still had that emotional lump in my throat the book pulled on my heartstrings more. I’m in love with this book.

Wow

When Marnie Was There, has become one of my all time favorite books and I'm not much of a reader.

Singular

I dearly love this book. It is a wonderful story about some of the things I have the strongest affection for. It is also singularly effective at describing how one often feels in those tough transition years of childhood.

It was a lovely time spent listening

Anna is really struggling with the loss of her mother and grandmother after they died. She needs to learn to trust others and allow herself to be loved. This is a cute story which is well developed and exciting. I wanted more uninterrupted time to spend listening.

Worthwhile and a good family listen because the story flows well and narration is exceptional.

A lovely little story!!

It was so heartwarming! The narrator’s voice took a little time to get used to, but by the end I didn’t mind at all!

Wonderful

Such a lovely book, it'll be in my heart forever. Read it now, you won't regret it.
I loved it

Great book

Good book! Great twists! Not what I expected ending! I enjoyed this book tremendously! Would suggest it for the whole family!

terrific

Although written in the 1960s the story feels very current. Wonderfully read. Great word pictures.

A magical story of loneliness and family

This is a wonderful children’s story, beautifully written and enchantingly imagined about a girl on the outside looking in, who finds not only herself but the love that’s been around her all along. Part mystery, part coming of age, this wistfully lovely story celebrates the friendships of youth. Anna and Marnie’s relationship is reminiscent of Anne Shirley and Diana, while the story itself constantly put me in mind of the bewitching books Fog Magic (Julia Sauer) and Can I Get There By Candlelight (Jean Slaughter Doty) that I loved so much as a child. I highly recommend this book as well as those.
The only ding I’d give the audio production is that the reader who has a lovely voice and accent has kind of a repetitive rhythm that can grow a little grating and tedious. But even so I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.