Girl With The Louding Voice, The (Shortlist 'debut Of The Yea

Description: Shortlisted for 'Debut of the Year' at the British Book Awards 2021

'Unforgettable' New York Times 'Impressive' Observer 'Remarkable' Independent 'Important' Guardian 'Captivating' Mirror 'Luminous' Daily Mail 'Sparkling' Harper's Bazaar 'Beautiful' Herald

THE NEW YORK TIMES AND TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE FOR FICTION
RECOMMENDED BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI, ELIZABETH DAY, ANDI OLIVER AND DOLLY PARTON
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I don't just want to be having any kind voice . . .
I want a louding voice.

At fourteen, Adunni dreams of getting an education and giving her family a more comfortable home in her small Nigerian village. Instead, Adunni's father sells her off to become the third wife of an old man. When tragedy strikes in her new home, Adunni flees to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where she becomes a house-girl to the cruel Big Madam, and prey to Big Madam's husband. But despite her situation continuously going from bad to worse, Adunni refuses to let herself be silenced. And one day, someone hears her.
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'A story of courage that will win over your heart' Stylist
'Dare's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale' Daily Mail
'Such a vibrant, tender, beautiful novel... [I] fell in love with her, and fell in love with the book.' Elizabeth Day
'Adunni . . . is an ambassador for girls everywhere. She is important, funny, brave, and enduring. Abi Dare has written an unforgettable novel, by the strength of her own louding voice.' Jeanine Cummins

Review: [A] brave, fresh voice . . . Dare draws the reader in with a vivid character whose dire circumstances are contrasted with her natural creativity . . . Unforgettable * New York Times *
An impressive debut novel * Observer *
Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her destiny shine through this remarkable book. * Independent *
The story told in this novel is an important one . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice joins a long and fine tradition of issue-led novels that have sparked conversations resulting in social change. * Guardian *
Narrated by Adunni herself in a brilliantly sustained broken English, this ultimately uplifting debut novel shines a penetrating light on the barbaric practices of child labour and child marriage * Mail on Sunday *
This is a compelling, captivating and unforgettable debut * Mirror *
Dare's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale * Daily Mail, Summer Fiction Special *
A vibrant, tender, beautiful novel -- Elizabeth Day
Abi Dare makes a sparkling literary debut . . . and marks the appearance of a strong and stylish new talent * Harper's Bazaar *
The Girl With the Louding Voice is a character for the ages. Adunni is a girl who narrates her own suffering with levity, who paints depth and texture and beauty into her Nigerian homeland, who tenderly cultivates her own humanity even while everything around her seeks to thwart it. She is an ambassador for girls everywhere. She is important, funny, brave, and enduring. Abi Dare has written an unforgettable novel, by the strength of her own louding voice.
Incredible . . . packs an emotional punch -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *

Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her
destiny shine through this remarkable debut novel.

* i *
Compelling and captivating ... an unforgettable novel and, in Adunni, the author has created a truly unforgettable voice * Daily Express *
Abi Dare is a writer who not only knows how to create a powerful sensory impression, but also one who can really work the rhythm, texture and music of language. The words jump off the page . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice never feels like standard fare. It's lifted not only by the verve of its prose, but also its touching explorations of friendship and solidarity. It has an emotional connection that remains strong even in the final pages -- Sam Jordison * Guardian *
Gives an eloquent voice to the victims of modern slavery * Independent *
A stunning novel - original, beautiful and powerful. I was utterly captivated by Adunni and her mesmerising louding voice.
A powerful debut novel . . . Compelling . . . Readers will fall in love with Adunni . . . The writing is addictive and deeply evocative. A beautiful debut from a talented author * Herald *
Despite the heartbreaking subject matter, this is a story of hope ... a compelling read * Sunday Post *
A bravely determined heroine * Sunday Times *
A story of courage that will win over your heart * Stylist *
Abi Dare's book is compulsive reading * Irish Tatler *
A true original, this will open your eyes * Cosmopolitan *
Winning comedy sparkles through the grimness . . . it's the vividly alive characters that keep you hooked, all the way to Dare's rousing, heart-swelling conclusion * Daily Mail *
A bold new storyteller . . . Abi Dare's fearless debut is a celebration of girls who dare to dream and those who help them unfurl their wings so that they might soar
Adunni's voice weaves and dances its way across the pages with a rhythm that captivated me, astonished me and, more than once, broke my heart
Heartbreaking and inspiring. Dare provides a valuable reminder of all the young women around the world who are struggling to be heard and how important it is that we listen to them. A moving story of what it means to fight for the right to live the life you choose. * Kirkus *
2020 [is] a dazzling year for debut novelists . . . This 2018 Bath Novel Award winner takes a long, hard look at modern slavery through the eyes of 14-year-old Adunni * Vogue *
Pick the novel up now * Radio Times *
Resilience and beauty of language are at the heart of this story of domestic slavery * Sainsbury's Magazine *
It's an amazing book... I heartily recommend -- Jo Whiley * Radio 2 Book Club *
A virtuosic study of female loss, determination, and of the subversive potential of words . . . It magnificently reveals how language constructs us as humans. With immense skill, Dare creates an irresistible energy and powerfully sustains it on every page -- Preti Taneja
Author Biography: Abi Dare grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an M.Sc. in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University. Keen to improve her writing, she completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, achieving a Distinction with The Girl With the Louding Voice. It went on to win the Bath Novel Award for emerging authors and to be a finalist in the Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition in 2018 before being published in 2020. An instant New York Times bestseller, it was subsequently shortlisted for the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize. Abi Dare lives in Essex with her husband and two children.