The Woman Who Died a Lot

A Thursday Next Novel, Book 7

By: Jasper Fforde

Narrated by: Emily Gray

Jasper Fforde's delightfully zany Thursday Next series shows no signs of slowing down with its seventh entry, The Woman Who Died a Lot.

Despite being semihappily semi-retired from SpecOps, Thursday accepts the head librarian position at the Swindon library. But soon threats from a supreme Deity, a mnemonomorph, and the nefarious Goliath corporation press Thursday back into active duty.

©2012 Jasper Fforde (P)2012 Recorded Books

Great book

Loved this book; this author is wonderful . I’ve enjoyed all his books and highly recommend anything he’s written

Not much Book World, but lots of fun

I get a great kick out of Jasper Fforde's quirky humor. When I want a pick-me-up I listen to the mp3 recording I made of the "had-had" discussion in "The Well of Lost Plots". Pure genius. And Jasper does not disappoint in the latest Thursday Next.

Thursday doesn't get back to the Book World in this one, although the Book World plays prominently in the search for "Dark Reading Matter" (a literary analogy to the Dark Matter and Dark Energy that physicists theorize constitutes a lot of our universe). There's a good bit about time-travel, but not too much of paradoxes to make your head hurt. Lots of standard Thursday Next fare too, the Chronoguard, SpecOps, smitings and marmolite and whatnot.

I had to pay close attention to the Park-Lane family's discussions of the daughter Jenny - a few times I backed up to re-listen to one section or another. Aornis Hades is back, not killed (as I thought) in "Lost in a Good Book".

Emily Gray does her usual great rendition of the characters in Thursday Next's world. I've always thought that a lot of her male voices sounded pretty much the same, but that's just a minor quibble.

If you're new to this series, I would recommend listening to them in order. There's a fair amount of continuity between the books, and while Jasper Fforde does a pretty good job filling in the back-story, it will help a lot if you've already heard it.

Lots of fun. You won't be disappointed.

Next, Please!

Seriously can't wait for the NEXT one!😁missed interaction with bookworld, but was MAJOR fun nonetheless!!!!!

Thank God it's Thursday

What did you love best about The Woman Who Died a Lot?

I love the character of Thursday Next. The supporting characters are great too.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the fabulous absurdity of the dialogue and the intricacy of the plot. Although I love the book world, this real world story captivated me.

What about Emily Gray’s performance did you like?

She is the perfect voice for Thursday.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You'll wish everyday was Thursday.

Any additional comments?

Great series. One of the wittiest and most original I have read. Highly recommend.

I love these characters

Wonderfully imaginative and witty- I love this author’s brain. Can’t wait for more. Why is there a 15 word minimum for these reviews? Lame!

Jasper Fforde is back! Awesome!

What did you love best about The Woman Who Died a Lot?

I've read all of the Thursday Next series, and I thought the last 2 or 3 books not as good as the first few, but with this edition I thought Jasper Fforde got his stride back. This story definitely had that extra spark that the last few books were lacking. The writing was spot-on and hilarious. This series is one where I frequently find myself laughing out loud, which is really embarrassing sometimes when I'm sitting in my cubicle at work and people start looking at me weird.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the new story with the Library Service and Fforde's explanation of that branch of the military(?). This whole alternate reality that Fforde has created with Thursday Next is continually expanding and this was particularily humorous in this book.

What about Emily Gray’s performance did you like?

Emily Gray does a very good job shifting through all the characters. She definitely is a great narrator with perfect comedic timing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Well, these stories bring more laughs than tears most of the time, but the bit about Jenny at the end was kind of saddening, but hopeful. I don't want to give to much away there.

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth a listen for any Thursday Next fan! You'll be really happy you did. I'm already gearing up for the next edition.

Delightful as always - but read series in order

As always, Thursday Next is a tough and tender character and the crowd of zanies around her bring humor and craziness to the world. It's best to listen to the series in order as there are many references to earlier books.

A fitting end to a wonderful series?

As always, an imaginative exploration of what could have been or could be had it all played out a little differently. To say every last end has been tied up would overstate, but a wonderful summation of a cast of compelling and characters. A superhero in her own right, we see fully that Thursday is only as strong as the friends, family and admirer’s around her.

Inspired silliness

Would you listen to The Woman Who Died a Lot again? Why?

Sure -- on a rainy day while knitting or doing a puzzle.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jenny -- who doesn't exist. But Fforde has done a great job here with Landon, formerly a stick character.

What does Emily Gray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emily Gray IS Thursday Next. She makes Fforde's absurd and increasingly complex world plausible.

Uneven with worthy elements

Slow to get rolling and themed with lamentable aging and societal progression. Just as inventive and intriguing as the first 6 in the series, a bit less fun or comical. A couple points: definitely get the Elizabeth Sastre versions of the first 3 books if you can, much warmer and younger voice.
Chapter 25, Thursday endorses continual censorship and editing of older books to erase historical perspectives and keep books PC. Seems like Jasper is taking a real life political stand, I’m curious if others notice these things.
Book 8: DRM to be published in 2024? Hope so.