Apples Never Fall
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4.0 • 1.2K Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES STARRING SAM NEILL AND ANNETTE BENING
From the outside, the Delaneys appear to be an enviably contented family. Even after all these years, former tennis coaches Joy and Stan are still winning tournaments, and now that they've sold the family business they have all the time in the world to learn how to 'relax'. Their four adult children are busy living their own lives, and while it could be argued they never quite achieved their destinies, no-one ever says that out loud.
But now Joy Delaney has disappeared and her children are re-examining their parents' marriage and their family history with fresh, frightened eyes. Is her disappearance related to their mysterious house guest from last year? Or were things never as rosy as they seemed in the Delaney household?
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
Praise for Apples Never Fall
'I loved it. Apples Never Fall is an absolute page-turner with all the wit and nuance that has put Liane Moriarty head and shoulders above the crowd and shows once again why she leads the pack.' - Jane Harper
'Utterly and completely wonderful. I've loved all of Liane's books but Apples Never Fall is next-level writing: an intelligent, forensic portrait of a family' - Marian Keyes
'To say Moriarty nails the zeitgeist is an understatement. In fact, Apples Never Fall takes us right through to the COVID-19 pandemic . . . With her relatable characters, keen eye and complicated story structure, Moriarty has produced yet another great romp.' - Sydney Morning Herald
'Her novels, of course, are highly readable. But to categorise them as beach reads is to dismiss Liane's distinctiveness as a writer - the dark comedy, the razorblade observations, the ever-present sense of aspiration.' - Sun-Herald
'Clever, engaging and funny, Liane Moriarty's new novel, Apples Never Fall is a great read. A razor-sharp dissection of family dynamics over-laid with the mystery of an unexpected disappearance, it kept me captivated.' - Weekend Australian
'Nobody does it better' - Vogue
'Moriarty brings it all together with heartwarming insight and empathy and that wicked final barb.' - Adelaide Advertiser
'Settling in with a new Liane Moriarty novel is a bit like a catch-up with an old friend or binge-watching a favourite series. Time just flies and you can't help but crave more. Moriarty has an incredible talent for building complex, compelling tales loaded with spot-on human interaction, dark and light, as well as drama, suspense and insight. Apples Never Fall delivers again. This could well be her best effort yet. Brilliant.' - Herald Sun
'Moriarty tells a great story, understands her characters and cares about them, too.' - The Washington Post
'Magnificent, pyrotechnic, deliciously theatrical' - Guardian
'Moriarty has an eye for the telling details that rivals Anne Tyler's - and a knack for building suspense.' - People Magazine
'A witty tale of domestic suspense, and a satisfying, layered family drama where the tension comes from the treachery of memory, the specter of generational violence and the effects of decades' worth of unspoken resentments that have curdled over time. . . . Moriarty once again shows her mastery with the inner working of women.' - The New York Times Book Review
'Everything Liane Moriarty touches turns to gold . . . a throwback to her best-known - and most beloved - material: family secrets.' - Entertainment Weekly
'A tour-de-force of a novel; brilliantly plotted and superbly written . . . The tension builds to a conclusion alive with ingenious twists. Smart, sharp and utterly riveting' - Daily Mail
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Liane Moriarty’s clever novel is packed full of the brilliant twists and comic touches we’ve come to expect from the author of Big Little Lies. Empty nester Joy Delaney and her irritable husband, Stan, are newly retired and pretty bored. When a troubled young woman shows up at their doorstep in need of help, Joy happily eschews her illness-related podcasts to offer the girl some help. Weeks later, Joy goes missing, leaving the Delaneys’ four grown children in a bind. If they report their mother’s disappearance, the police will surely think their father did it—because maybe he did. Moriarty made us laugh out loud with her portrayal of the family dysfunction at the heart of the story, from Joy’s description of “Stan-splaining” to the couple’s arguments about what “streaming” actually means. Part domestic thriller and part witty suburban comedy, Apples Never Fall is a blast to read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in Sydney, Australia, this engrossing psychological thriller from bestseller Moriarty (Nine Perfect Strangers) centers on Joy and Stan Delaney, who have been married for 50 years and are discontented in their retirement. Joy often fantasizes about their four grown children giving them grandchildren to help them out of their rut. One night, a young woman appears at the Delaneys' door. Introducing herself as Savannah, she claims she's a victim of domestic abuse and has the injuries to show for it. The couple welcome Savannah into their home, where she soon becomes a permanent guest. Eventually, the Delaney children notice oddities in Savannah's behavior and suggest it may be time for her to leave. Tension builds between Joy and Stan, and suddenly she vanishes. The police and two of the Delaney children believe Stan is responsible for her disappearance as he won't talk about it. Moriarty expertly delves into the innermost thoughts of each of the children, exposing secrets unbeknownst to each other; artfully balances the present-day plot with revealing backstory; and offers several different possibilities for what happened to Joy. Only the overlong conclusion disappoints. Moriarty's superb storytelling continues to shine.
Customer Reviews
Apples never fall
Quite a good plot I liked and the differences in the characters
Strange book
OMG, this was a strange book!! Thought I’d never get to the climax. Went on and on!!!
Probably wouldn’t go for this again, rambled through the first half
Holiday Read
This book took a few chapters to get into the full story and then quickly picked up pace. Interesting twist as the novels by this family usually have, overall an easy light holiday read.