Agnes, Judy King
Agnes, Judy King
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Agnes
A childhood betrayed and reclaimed

Author: Judy King

Narrator: Lisa Armytage

Unabridged: 13 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/14/2024

Synopsis

After a 30-year absence Agnes is returning to Australia, the country of her birth, at the request of her aging, narcissistic mother. Having undergone a long period of psychotherapy she now entertains a hope that burning questions will be answered, haunting mysteries solved, and buried memories encouraged into the light. Something has blighted her life since childhood. Something has cast a long shadow over her existence, affecting her ability to grasp at life fully, to develop sustained relationships and to appreciate her own sense of self-worth. In a leafy suburb of Sydney, a chance meeting in front of her early childhood home resurrects memories of a traumatic event. This represents the moment young Agnes starts to realise, and repress, feelings of confusion, cruelty and alienation from those who should love her the most. Agnes - A childhood betrayed and reclaimed is the revelatory, true account of one woman's determination to grapple with - and heal - the ills that have beset her past. As the missing pieces of the family puzzle gradually fall into place this brave woman's search for the truth is vindicated. Decades of mental health challenges, from amnesia to acquired dyslexia to self-limiting thoughts are ultimately overcome, and an irrepressible spirit released.

About Judy King

Judy King grew up in Sydney Australia. After a troubled beginning, she emerged in the nineteen sixties to establish a successful Real Estate and property development business in Paddington. Selling up to travel the world, she settled with her husband for a year in London, where she divided her time between working in an antique shop in King´s Road selling antique scientific instruments and attending an art school in Lambeth. On the strength of her art work in London, she was accepted back in Sydney into a two year ceramics course at the Sydney College of the Arts. More recently she has divided her time between making art and renovating old houses in Mallorca. She currently lives in Soller in an old stone house she renovated with an orchard behind. A walker all her life, her greatest joy is to follow the donkey paths up into the mountains that surround the valley she lives in below.

About Lisa Armytage

Lisa Armytage is an experienced actor in film, tv and theatre, and an established audiobook narrator. After a season with the National Youth Theatre, she trained at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, soon afterwards emigrating to Australia. She is best known as Dr Beverley Marshall in the iconic Aussie soap, ‘Neighbours’, and the lead female role in the Australian romantic movie ‘Cool Change’. Also in Australia, Lisa was a main cast member in the TV mini-series ‘The Lancaster-Miller Affair’ and ‘Miraculous Mellops’ and took guest roles in ‘’Cop Shop’, ‘Cell Block H’, ‘The Flying Doctors’, ‘Police Rescue 2’, ‘A Country Practice’, ‘Sky Trackers’, ‘Heartbreak High’ and ‘All Saints’. Since returning to the U.K in 2003 Lisa returned to working in theatre before narrating a wide range of audiobook genres. She has recently completed her third audiobook in The Midlife Trilogy, (‘A Midlife Gamble’), and voiced roles in animations and audio dramas, of which ‘Murder in the Family’ by internationally recognised crime writer, Cara Hunter, is the latest.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kadi on November 15, 2024

Reading the book, you wish someone would step in and protect Agnes from her toxic family and environment. But the more the story progresses, the more you realize that Agnes herself, despite all the setbacks, keeps getting back up and moving on with her life, until she finally finds the strength to f......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on November 12, 2024

Reviewer: Sarah Newton-John (Upwork) BA (Hons), Grad Dip Librarianship This compelling fictional memoir is an astonishing blend of lively, sophisticated human observation and harrowing psychological hardship. With intelligence and sensitivity, the author reveals shocking themes in her family: childho......more

Goodreads review by Porscia on January 13, 2025

The story contained within these pages is tragic, but the writing is a triumph. It was like a quieter version of Tara Westover's Educated. Towards the middle of the book I was tempted to challenge the authors version of events, due to the sheer magnitude of deception and hardship that she faced. How......more

Goodreads review by Carol on November 18, 2024

Engaging and beautifully written novel tracing a woman’s journey to heal the present and future by uncovering the truths of her childhood and her family. The sense of place and time is wonderful. You are there with Agnes in 50s and 60s Australia as her past is gradually revealed to her. This is a diff......more

Goodreads review by Reader on November 12, 2024

This story is a masterfully crafted narrative, seamlessly transitioning between present and past. Some readers will likely connect with the themes of family dysfunction and mistreatment, finding solace in knowing they are not alone in their experiences. What truly stands out is Agnes’s breathtaking......more

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