A Game for All the Family audiobook

A standalone novel from Sophie Hannah and as I just said on Twitter, unravelling her mysteries is akin to searching for a particular needle in a pile of identical needles. It just ain't happening.So we meet Justine then, moving to the country with her family, having left a high powered job behind, she is determined to do nothing. The only thing she wants to do is tell anyone that will listen that she does nothing. But a strange event on the way to their new home, coupled with some disturbing phone calls and adding in some rather odd behaviour from her daughter and Justine finds herself having to do quite a lot after all.There are two strands to the tale - Justine's side and a fictional story written by her daughter that is so gripping you may find yourself wanting to read that more than the other. But Sophie Hannah does nothing without good reason, so you sense that this "essay" is going to be important - but how, why and what the blinking nora is going on at that school you'll have no idea. I know. You'll just have to read it.Superbly crafted to keep you metaphorically chasing your own tail, whilst I was not reading this book I found myself constantly going back to it in my head, trying to come up with some reason why everything that was happening was happening. It drove me quietly insane.Ms Hannah writes with sharp witty dialogue and a dark ironic humour that is completely dastardly - you can't escape all you can do is keep going hoping that the fog will clear and daylight will be ahead. It is SO addictive, the characters spark with electrical energy, the plot thickens with every page but never goes too far, and of course the ultimate solution is typical of this author in that it makes both perfect sense yet still won't let go of you. (because you know, thats just the way it is) Definitively satisfying, I'd like to bet you'll keep returning to this story and the characters in the pages long after leaving them behind. I know I will.Simply brilliant. If I was wearing a hat right now I'd take it off to Sophie Hannah who writes the twistiest tales known to man yet manages to make it, in the end, seem oh so beautifully simple.Highly Recommended.Happy Reading Folks!

Sophie Hannah once again triumphs as the queen of quirkiness and off beat psychological crime in ‘A Game For All The Family’.It all starts with a family relocating from London to a posh huge house in Devon. Justine Merrison, her daughter Ellen and husband Alex find themselves in the perfect location. Strange things start happening, like abusive phone calls to Justine and Ellen becoming obsessed with a boy, who according to her school does not exist. What on earth is going on? Justine is determined to get to the bottom of all of this.At the same time, we have a story within a story. This is written by Ellen and we are slowly drip fed its contents. The Bascom family are an odd group of characters, who just grow in oddness over time. They define the word odd. Soon added to the mix is a touch of murder and intrigue.Sophie Hannah is just clever at storytelling. She spins such a tale, that you don’t know what is real and what is made up and bafflement ensues. However at the same time, you are joining the dots and playing the game. I really don’t know how she does it.This is one book you have to read at leisure, to appreciate the dark humour and the strange twists and turns. It all does come together beautifully at the end. So a little patience is needed, when the strangeness is cranked up to full volume.I will not forget this book. It seems to defy sense at one point and then it all ends in a pretty straight forward way. I love a book like that.Read this and lose yourself in the complexity and clever mind of Sophie Hannah. It is one I will have to read again!Highly recommended.

This is a Bernadette book. I loved it to pieces but I'm afraid that practically everyone else in my entire life will think it's insufferable pap. I fear that if I recommend it to anyone, I will have to read lukewarm to scalding reviews on this book that I've adopted forever into my own heart. I will therefore NOT recommend that you read this book, but I will say that I found it to be brilliant, unique, refreshing, hilarious (both in dry humor and the ridiculous laugh-out-loud type), creative, imaginative, extremely well-written and equally well-read (I had the audio book. I think this book is best in audio, and that's also how I feel about Bernadette). So I give it 5 stars, but I have also given 5 stars to likes of Bernadette, so don't blame me if you try it and hate it. 5 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a stand-alone book from Sophie Hannah, a woman who creates stories using the most unlikely but not, unbelievable, disturbances of the mind.On the way to their new home in Devon, the Merrison family; Justine, Alex and Ellen spot a house that resonates inside Justine for no apparent meaning. Justine has just left the world of TV drama and is determined to spend her days doing nothing. Ellen is enrolled into a quirky private school and Alex will continue to sing in Operas around the world.All goes well, the ugly house is more or less forgotten and for the first couple of months the move out of London to Devon proves to be a good one. But then Ellen becomes withdrawn and secretive. Ah but she’s fourteen, so nothing too out of the ordinary! Ellen is spending all of her time working on a story she’s writing for an English assignment and when Justine finds the first couple of pages she’s alarmed. It is very well-written, set in their new house and has more than one murder! Around the same time Ellen becomes distressed about her friend George Donbavand who has been expelled from school for a crime he hasn’t committed. Justine visits the school and is told that George never existed!This book had me totally confused but in an enthralled way. It is a puzzle where you have to decide who, and what to believe, and the author does a good job of making that path as murky as possible with each possible scenario being equally unlikely: if George doesn’t exist does that mean Ellen has invented him? Why? If he does exist why would the head-teacher deny his existence? And this is just the beginning!Ellen’s writing assignment forms a story within a story, featuring a peculiar family, the Bascom’s, with their oddly named children, is well-written and entertaining (it is rare for a psychological thriller that has me sniggering in places) and although the reason for its inclusion isn’t immediately apparent (or for quite some time) I promise it all eventually does become clear.I think it is essential that you read this book with the mind-set that you will go with the flow! I was slightly concerned when I got half-way through and was absolutely loving the ride but still had absolutely no idea what was going on, let alone where the solution to the puzzle was hiding. Fortunately Sophie Hannah weaves a wonderful tale, with interesting, if not likeable characters to stem my impatience. This is a book that raises more questions than it answers, has you believing, unbelievable events, and is populated by the most untrustworthy bunch of characters that you are ever likely to meet.I loved it! It is a clever book, but not too complex (it didn’t make my brain hurt too much), the clues are there and this little detective actually managed to provide at least part of the solution once I’d found the question!For readers who like their psychological mysteries to be something different, who don’t mind reading a story where you have to put your trust in the author that you will, once you’ve finished, be able to work out what all those entertaining words added up to, this is a fantastic read. This is a book of extreme psychological disorders, both in Ellen’s assignment and in Justine’s life. Justine’s life of doing nothing is punctuated with threatening phone calls, anonymous notes and graves being dug for her and her family causing distress and causing Justine to spend her days investigating who is out to get her, but much more importantly why?I’d like to say a huge thank you to Lovereading who provided me with a copy of this book to review prior to its publication on 13 August 2015, another definite entry into the best reads of 2015, quirky, inventive and original. I was already a fan of Sophie Hannah’s and this is definitely her best book to date.

I really don't know what to say about this book. It has to be one of the most strangest books I have ever read.To start with I have to say I did struggle to get into it. The story flicks between Justine and her family and the story of another family where some very strange murders have occurred. I was really struggling with the concept of the book and to be honest I really thought I wasn't going to like it.Then came a part where Justine finds herself under protest, becoming the owner of a new puppy called Figgy Pudding and from that moment I was hooked. I have no idea why it was this part in particular, for one I just loved the dogs name and was wanting to rush out and get myself a puppy to give the same name, but obviously that would not be a good idea at all. On reflection I can only say that this is when the story all started to fall into place for me and it started to make sense.A Game For All The Family is a great title for this book and it felt like the author was playing with my mind. At times I did not know whether I was coming or going there are many twists and surprises and it certainly keeps you on your toes.Towards the end I couldn't put the book down I had to know how it all ended and the author did not disappoint in messing with my head right up until the very end.There are quite a few complex characters in the story which just adds to the addictiveness of this book, it may have taken me awhile but once it had drawn me in it just chewed me up and then spat me out at the end. I am still in two minds as to whether it is just one of the most disturbed books I have ever read or one of pure genius but at the time of writing this review I am going with the latter.A seriously twisted book which will totally mess with your head and one that by the end I would highly recommend.Many thanks to Bookbridgr and Karen at Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Justine moves away from London and her lucrative career in TV. She strives to do Nothing (she's actually a newly SAHM, but her daughter is in high school), but instead she stumbles into a strange, dangerous game with someone who insists on calling her by a different name, and warns her to move back to London, or Justine and her family will regret it.In the meantime, Justine's daughter, Ellen, seems to be unraveling. There is doubt cast upon everyone, including Ellen's teachers, and even Justine herself. There's also a very elaborate story within a story. I've read reviews that you need to suspend your disbelief when you step into the world of this book, and that's true -- there were some scenes that made me want to shout, "Don't do that! Why are you doing that??" But all in all, it was an entertaining and compelling thriller, and I found it hard to put "A Game For All the Family" down.

"Un juego para toda la familia" (Roca editorial) es un thriller que nos presenta no una, si no dos tramas llenas de misterio por todas partes. Todo empieza cuando Justine, la protagonista desde cuyo punto de vista está contada la historia, Leer reseña completa

4.5 starsThis book is the ultimate mind game! Are you determined enough to filter through all the puzzling details and solve it before the reveal? I know I was up for that challenge!Balancing the books is a quick fire review where I list the assets and liabilities of a book (as I see them)and leave you decide if you think this book is worth investing in.The Assets of A Game For All The Family by Sophie Hannah•Interesting characters: Justine has moved her family to the countryside and is resolute in her new-found determination to do nothing! This once frazzled career woman now wants a schedule free day. I can empathise so much! I don’t know if I could actually do nothing all day, every day but I’d give it a good shot!•There is a story within the story: Justine’s daughter is writing her own murder mystery in the book and how this fits with the main story just gripped every ounce of my attention.•Perplexing mystery! I spent the whole book thinking “what, WHAT, why, WHAT!”•Clever foreshadowing: This put the wind right up me for what lay ahead.“There are some stories so unimaginably horrifying that no normal imagination could produce them.”•Pure Entertainment: I really, really enjoyed it! I felt the fear, I loved all the perplexing details and cared about the characters. For sheer entertainment this was easily 5 stars for me. The Liabilities of A Game For All The Family by Sophie Hannah•As much as the book mystified and intrigued me as I read it, I felt a little bit flat at the conclusion of the story within the story. I thought it was obvious to all and wanted it to be more of a curve ball.Investment potential: A Game For All The Family by Sophie HannahGo for it! If you love complex characters, lots of red herrings and a baffling mystery; then this one is more than worthy of your time and/or money. Fans of Sophie’s previous books should enjoy this one. I think if you enjoy books such as The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins, The Life I Left Behind by Colette McBeth or The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty then I think you might also appreciate this one.Thanks to Bookbridgr and Hodder & Stoughton Ltd for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Novela de misterio con una trama compleja y muy bien hilada. Es una lectura pausada en la que cada detalle cuenta. He disfrutado mucho con ella.

Thrilling, tense, absorbing, compelling. Sophie Hannah at her quirky, mind-bending best.

This is a story of Justine , her husband Alex and her daughter Ellen. After escaping London and a career that nearly destroys Justine, she plans to spend her days doing as little as possible in her beautiful home in Devon. ✨But soon after her family move, anonymous calls start :- a stranger, making threats that suggest Justine and that stranger shares a traumatic past and a secret yet justice doesn't even have the clue about it. ✨Meanwhile, her daughter Ellen's behaviour changes and find a new friend at school named George. When Justine want to meet him, everyone told her that there is and was, no George.✨This is such an intriguing mystery. Author gives so many hints still you find it hard to discover the culprit and This is why mysteries are the best kind of stories: because you only get the truth at the very end when you’re desperate, and that way of arranging things makes you realise how scarce truth is, in stories and life, and that it’s all that matters.

Review to follow.

WOW WOW WOW I so enjoyed this book.Justin Alex and Ellen move to Devon for a quieter life and to do nothing as Justin puts it.Ellen is set an assignment at school to write a story it includes herself a family tree a murderer and the murderers family.Ellen has a best friend who gets expelled (George) but when Justin tries to sort things out they say they have never heard of George before.Justin is also getting threatening phone calls.As the family try and sort out what is going on who is the person keep phoning what happened to George and the family in Ellen's story which sees about real people who lived in the house they now live in (Who are they)?Everything comes together at the end....What a brilliant book had me enthralled right to the end with its many twists and turns.Well Done a must read...Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is quite a departure for Sophie Hannah - and an enjoyable addition to her dark series of crime novels. A standalone novel, it's about a rather emphatic (drama queen one might almost say) former TV producer/writer called Justine, who is moving to Devon with her family. There are excerpts from a story written by Ellen, her daughter, about an imaginary family who used to live in their house (ah, but are they imaginary?) - and these were very funny, proving that Hannah can capture a teenage voice perfectly.A rather lovely change of pace, some very strange characters indeed and moments when you suspect absolutely everyone. Great entertainment, although it does require dollops of suspension of disbelief at times.