Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

By: Joshilyn Jackson
Narrated by: Joshilyn Jackson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.83

Buy for $21.83

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Laurel Gray Hawthorne needs to make things pretty, whether she's helping her mother make sure the literal family skeleton stays in the closet or turning scraps of fabric into nationally acclaimed art quilts.

Her estranged sister, Thalia, an impoverished Actress with a capital A, is her polar opposite, priding herself on exposing the lurid truth lurking behind middle class niceties.

While Laurel's life seems neatly on track - a passionate marriage, a treasured daughter, and a lovely home in suburban Victorianna - everything she holds dear is suddenly thrown into question the night she is visited by the ghost of a her 13-year old neighbor, Molly Dufresne. The ghost leads Laurel to the real Molly, floating lifelessly in the Hawthorne's backyard pool. Molly's death is inexplicable - an unseemly mystery Laurel knows no one in her whitewashed neighborhood is up to solving. Only her wayward, unpredictable sister is right for the task, but calling in a favor from Thalia is like walking straight into a frying pan protected only by Crisco.

Enlisting Thalia's help, Laurel sets out on a life-altering journey that triggers startling revelations about her family's guarded past, the true state of her marriage, and the girl who stopped swimming.

Richer and more rewarding than any story Joshilyn Jackson has yet written, yet still packed with Jackson's trademarked outrageous characters, sparkling dialogue, and defiantly twisting plotting, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is destined both to delight Jackson's loyal fans and capture a whole new audience.

©2008 Joshilyn Jackson (P)2008 Hachette Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Jackson matches effortless Southern storytelling with a keen eye for character and heart-stopping circumstances." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    334
  • 4 Stars
    262
  • 3 Stars
    136
  • 2 Stars
    31
  • 1 Stars
    17
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    335
  • 4 Stars
    151
  • 3 Stars
    44
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    245
  • 4 Stars
    184
  • 3 Stars
    94
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    10

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

It's a Good "Who Dun' It?" Novel for Women

I like Joshilyn Jackson novels and I like this one well enough too. She is a brilliant narrator and a very good author. This Jackson novel was a Southern mystery novel solved by the women of the family. I did not think the book was as good or as interesting as some of the other Jackson novels that I read but it was good and, if you are a fan of Jackson, you will most likely like this book also. The relationships between the women of this family were well developed and mostly believable. The question of who did it hung on until almost the end which kept me interested and curious to keep listening.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Absolutely amazing

Another amazing book by my newfound favorite author. This story kept me listening from the very beginning as most of her books do. I love the way she narrates the story and gives life and individual personalities to all of her characters. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a page turner!!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Really enjoyed this book

A very well written and thoughtful mystery. Has a flair of the supernatural and great characters. I was pulled in from the beginning and fascinated with the plot.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Amazing!

Loved every second of this story! I can picture each character and place. Hated for it to end!

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

Suspensful and Scary at Times

Where does The Girl Who Stopped Swimming rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is definitely a top favorite!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the mystery of how Molly ended up in the pool, dead. All the while Laurel figuring out answers of her who past.

Have you listened to any of Joshilyn Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She did excellent as always. Couldn't have thought of a better way to preform those characters. Spot on!

Who was the most memorable character of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and why?

Thalia is my favorite character for her eccentric attitude and charisma.

Any additional comments?

Excellent book, would love for Joshilyn Jackson to write some more.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Thalia Steals the Show!

I liked this book. It was fast-paced, kept you guessing, and had great dialogue. But, Laurel, the narrator of the book, definitely gets backseated by her smart-mouthed, roguish sister, Thalia. I didn't find Laurel to be a sympathetic character. But, then again, that probably was what the author intended. In the end, Laurel is to find out the reasons for her mother's, and ultimately her own, reasons for always turning a blind eye to the bad things in life. But, you get the feeling that unless she keeps Thalia around to be her moral compass, she'll always revert back. I didn't trust the backbone that she was supposedly was to have gotten in the end.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

I think this has been my favorite Joshilyn Jackson book to date. It had everything! True mystery, spirits, relationships, humor - I'm hooked, I hope she never stops writing AND narrating!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

fan for life

loved this book. narration made me a fan for life. just amazing. read on my friend read on.

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

Amazing

I had some trouble getting into it at the beginning but was quickly obsessed. Very good read

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

not my favorite

I enjoy Ms. Jackson's books, they are fast moving, entertaining and have a psychological element. I really enjoy the author's narration, she is one of the few that does her work justice reading it. I am not sure if I really love her books or just enjoy listening to her- whatever the case, this one is not my favorite. It seemed to be going nowhere fast and then the last 1/4 of the book finally picked up some speed. I would suggest, A Grown up kind of pretty, or Gods in Alabama, as a better first pick for this author.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful