The House We Grew Up In

By: Lisa Jewell

Narrated by: Karina Fernandez

Meet the picture-perfect Bird family: pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and towheaded twins Rory and Rhys, one an adventurous troublemaker, the other his slighter, more sensitive counterpart. Their father is a sweet, gangly man, but it’s their beautiful, free-spirited mother Lorelei who spins at the center. In those early years, Lorelei tries to freeze time by filling their simple brick house with precious mementos. Easter egg foils are her favorite. Craft supplies, too. She hangs all of the children’s art, to her husband’s chagrin.

Then one Easter weekend, a tragedy so devastating occurs that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, while Lorelei has become the county’s worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband and children and has been living as a recluse. But then something happens that beckons the Bird family back to the house they grew up in - to finally understand the events of that long-ago Easter weekend and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

©2013 Lisa Jewell (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Family, right?

I really enjoyed this book. Lisa Jewel’s books are almost always good. This one stands out to me because of the subject matter and character development. It took a long while to understand the mothers extreme change. From idealistic to burying herself both literally and physically. The family secret will surprise you.

Excellent story, great characters

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. All of the characters became unique in their own right.
Well written.

Heavy, but good

Interesting story, with well developed characters. At times it was hard to keep track of them all, especially because on audiobook, you can’t flip back pages for reference. It’s a story of generational familial trauma, dysfunction and guilt, and the wreckage it leaves.
However, it is also a story about redemption, forgiveness and how love and empathy can heal even the most fractured and damaged things. Overall, it ended up being quite a “page turner”!

love love love this book.

great interesting story. love the family..not perfect but real. thought the performance was good too. just an overall great read. really enjoy this author.

Real life stuff

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I really like her style. I love how she can write about an entire lifetime, go back and forth thru the years without it getting confusing or jumbled. I was especially intrigued by this story because my mother was a hoarder, so I could relate. The narrator is amazing. Listening to her is like watching a movie with my eyes closed. She so animated. I’m ready to hear my 3rd book by this author.

it was good.

I liked it. I could say more but they are Russian me. 😛🤪🤣😂🤪😛
expected a more "OMG"ending tho

Great “read!”

It took me a few tries to get into this book but, once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the narrator’s voice. She did an amazing job with accents and intonation. I love how the story went from past to present and had twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I sped up the listening speed because I found it a little slow otherwise. It helped me get to the end more quickly, which I was eager to do because it was such a good book.

Sad story but beautifully written and told

Although the storyline is sad this story is beautifully told. The description of the characters and the places were so vivid that I often felt I was in the room with them. Quite the dysfunctional family, I found myself cheering for them all and wishing them a happy ending.

worth the read

Excellent book! Scared me a little... I have hoarder tendencies and this book highlighted the potential outcome of that... hopefully it scared me into cleaning a little! I loved the way the author portrayed a not so perfect family delving into how they got there. Sometimes life doesn't go the way we expect it to... great exploration into various character's self-discovery and family dynamics

Great Story line and character development

I discovered Lisa Jewell about a year ago and since then have read 3 of her books. I love her story lines and this one was my favorite so far. I felt like I really got to know each character, understanding their thoughts and motivations. The narration was also fabulous. I would highly recommend The House I Grew Up in and can't wait to listen to another novel by Lisa Jewell.