Felicia's Journey

by William Trevor Narrated by Simon Prebble

Overview

-A stunning, rich novel of suspense from one of Ireland's most distinguished writers. In Felicia's Journey, Trevor gently explores the intricate relationship between a predator and his intended victim. Felicia is young and pregnant, having stolen away from a small Irish town to search for her boyfriend in the industrial sprawl of the English Midlands. Fat, 50ish, and unfailingly reasonable, Mr. Hilditch is looking for a new friend to join the five other girls he has "befriended." Under Trevor's master hand, both characters become startlingly sympathetic in their tragic dance from which only one of them will emerge victorious-and alive.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A page-turner marked by brilliant psychological suspense."
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Felicia's Journey is packed with extraordinary passages."
—Time

"A battle for the soul, waged between the forces of good and evil . . . Mr. Trevor shows just how wise and wry and funny and morally astute an observer of the human comedy he is."
—Patrick McGrath, The New York Times Book Review

"A thriller lifted to the level of high art . . ."
—Publishers Weekly

"In thirteen novels and eight short-story collections [William Trevor] has shown himself a close observer, a fine stylist, a master psychologist. In Felicia's Journey . . . he brings all these qualities into play, and adds to them a teasing manipulation of the reader's sensibilities, so that the book has the elegant tensions of a high-class thriller."
—The New York Review of Books

"One of the very best writers of our era."
—The Washington Post Book World

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170880782
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/05/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

William Trevor has long been hailed as one of the "very best writers of our era" (The Washington Post). In both his short stories and his novels, Trevor manages to shed light on the darkest corners of the human heart. It is no surprise, then, that with Felicia's Journey Trevor uses his gifts as a master storyteller—spare, lyrical prose; a tightly woven story; and finely drawn characters—to turn out this psychological thriller.

 

ABOUT WILLIAM TREVOR

William Trevor is the author of twenty-eight books, which include novels, short story collections, a play, a volume of memoir, and a children's tale. Among his many prizes are a 1996 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction. Two of his books were chosen by The New York Times as Best Books of the Year. His short stories appear regularly in The New Yorker.

 

AN INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM TREVOR

Felicia's story is sad, but one that is all too common. Many young, pregnant Irish girls travel to England either to terminate a pregnancy or simply to escape the shame that is visited upon them by their families and communities. There was a very famous and controversial case in 1992 of a fourteen-year-old Irish girl who traveled to England to have an abortion. Did this particular story influence the writing of Felicia's Journey

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Videos