“All three of the Drumm Brothers were at the funeral, although one of us was in a coffin.”

A more chilling prologue to a book you are unlikely to find.

Awash with subtleties, intricacies and hidden depths, Our Little Cruelties is a novel you will immediately want to re-read, so gut-wrenchingly shocking is its climax.

One minute you’re enjoying a harmless, if mildly unsettling, story about sibling rivalry, the next you’re catapulted into a place so dark you can barely breathe.

Will, Brian and Luke are brothers growing up in Ireland. Since they were small, it’s always been two against one, with allegiances constantly switching. Will, the eldest and their mother’s favourite, knows what he wants and usually gets it. Brian, the middle son, is a user; lazy and jealous of others’ success. Luke, the baby of the family, is the odd one out; the butt of everyone’s jokes, the one always at fault. But of the three, it is Luke who finds fame and fortune … at supreme cost to his mental health.

The little cruelties the brothers inflict on each other as they jostle for superiority, are driven by jealousy, self-interest and an edge of infantile nastiness that is often difficult to stomach.

Nugent cleverly manipulates her readers’ loyalties by letting each brother have a voice and retell events with different spins. There is no masking the fact, however, that Will and Brian are essentially loathsome characters and that kind-hearted, misunderstood Luke their hapless victim — although he too is no saint.

Yes, the clues are there that something bad is going to happen, even what and — by the last third of the book — to whom. Nudge to is masterful in building a growing sense of foreboding But nothing, I repeat nothing, prepares you for that final devastating moment and its aftermath. I tip my hat to Nugent for expertly lulling us readers into a false sense of security, before swiping the rug so magnificently from under our feet.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the review copy.

Part family saga, part murder mystery, Liz Nugent's latest title, Our Little Cruelties is a discomfiting exploration of the festering resentments, internalised trauma and vicious betrayals within the dysfunctional Irish Drumm-Craig family over a 50-year period.
Narcissistic matriarch Molly "Melissa" Craig, a one-time professional performer whose star is on the wane, is not the world's greatest mother, and her behaviour has lasting and profound effect on the psyches and adult lives of her three sons.
William, the eldest and demonstrably Melissa's favourite, is self-assured and ruthless, unashamedly sweeping aside the interests, hopes and wishes of others (including his own brothers) in his lifelong pursuit of getting what he wants.
Brian, the middle son, alternately ignored and tolerated by Melissa, grows up resentful of anything either of his brothers have that he hasn't. On the surface he's the stabilising influence, but behind the scenes, he's coniving and undermining whilst feathering his own nest.
Youngest son Luke, rejected and ridiculed by Melissa and his older brothers, is blessed with musical genius and deep insight, but internalises his hurt and rejection, descending into a tortured life of substance abuse and psychiatric illness.
The family drama unfolds in a four part narrative against the backdrop of a mystery: the book opens with three brothers at a funeral - two ostensibly mourning, one in the casket, deceased. Via short prologues to each of the parts, the reader learns that another of the brothers is responsible for the death. Who is dead? Who is guilty of murder? These mysteries aren't solved until the final pages of the book.
Three of the four parts are told from the perspectives of each of the brothers, giving alternate perceptions of many of the same events and personalities. The fourth part draws the narrative together.
While none of the characters are particularly likeable, they're well-developed and interesting. Nugent's depiction of inter-generational trauma and long-held patterns of resentment, self-preservation and revenge is frightening but compelling. While the reader may not like the way the brothers behave, their motives are to some degree understandable, given the circumstances of their upbringing.
The author skilfully uses foreshadowing, dramatic irony and non-linear narrative to maintain momentum and reader engagement. From the brothers' self-interested perspectives, we gradually see revealed something approaching an objective reality.
Our Little Cruelties wasn't a pleasurable read at times, however I found it a thought-provoking and compelling depiction of family dynamics.
My thanks to the author, Liz Nugent, publisher Penguin Ireland and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review a copy of this title prior to publication.

Not so little cruelties!! This is a novel of 3 brothers whose paths continually cross - often with grim consequences. Liz Nugent gives us a tightly structured family saga and her authorship, by giving real dimension to each character, draws the reader deeply into their world. Each brother is affected differently by their upbringing - dominant mother, repressed father [ who dies young]. Luke the youngest - and arguably the least supported within the family - enjoys considerable early financial success but faces mental health issues that continually threaten his sanity. Will, the eldest, who rises steadily in his chosen career of film producer, again looks set for life but has dark secrets aplenty. Lastly there is Brian - always the runner-up to his siblings - but in adult life is consistently the one called on to help his more successful brothers in managing their erratic careers.
The novel is set mainly in the second half of the 20th century and this period gives real context to the dilemmas the three brothers face. Also it makes us realise just how much has changed in the last 20 years. As someone who has lived through those years, I commend Liz Nugent for a novel that captures the issues of that era so accurately.

Talk about finding the perfect book at the perfect time! I could not get enough of this and devoured it in just 2 days.

A fantastic tale of the 3 Drumm brothers as each takes their turn to tell "their story" jumping backwards and forwards in time through unconnected incidents. As each brother takes their turn to tell the story, so your eyes are opened to the alternate view of each situation. A gripping tale of a truly dysfunctional family.

A real page turner that gas you gripped to the end. I will definitely be adding more Liz Nugent books to my ever growing wishlist

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent took me on a wild journey I never knew I needed. Be ready for a very intense family and many unpredictable secrets!

Synopsis:
This is a story about three brothers. One of them is dead, lying in a coffin.

Will, Brian and Luke grew up competing for their mother’s unequal love. As men, the competition continues – for status, money, fame, women… They each betray one another, over and over again. Until one of them is murdered.

But which one?

My Thoughts:
Our Little Cruelties is the first book I have read by Liz Nugent, and now I know why her books are so gripping. This book is very dark and brutal, but also raw and honest. It captured a troubled family so well and created a very uncomfortable and unpredictable atmosphere.

The book is split into four main parts; three parts from the perspective of each brother, and the last part that covers the conclusion scenes and culmination. There are also special parts throughout the book, where the two brothers are attending the funeral of the third brother. The full beauty of this setting is that we don’t know who the dead brother is until the very end, and the reason why he was murdered.

Throughout the book, we slowly get to know all three brothers, their parents, their loved ones , their hopes, dreams and fears. But most importantly, the rivalry between them, than only increases over the years. All the brothers are fighting their own battles. They all do horrible things and they are all mean to each other. Being three of them, there is always a two versus one game as well, and they keep changing their sides and alliances. It was very interesting to read about their thoughts and experiences, especially when they have different opinions on the same situations, and each opinion is valid and makes sense based on their personality. This was very cleverly written.

After the first part, I made my own opinions about the characters, but after reading the other parts, my opinions changed drastically. Because there are always more sides to one story. And people react in different ways. Also, small things trigger to bigger chain events.

I absolutely loved the psychological aspect. How three brothers can grow up with different childhood experiences while living in the same household. The power and responsibility that the mother has when raising her children. This has always fascinated me and I loved discussing it with my boyfriend and my friends.

The book itself is very dark and has a lot of plot twists. The last part of the book is very intense and was so fun to read. Sometimes it had too much drama for my taste, but considering that this is a family thriller, it was inevitable.

Our Little Cruelties is the perfect thriller to make you wonder how dysfunctional your family is. It is gripping and dark from the very first pages, and keeps this atmosphere until the very end. I loved it and I definitely suggest you pick it up.

Our Little Cruelties follows 3 brothers growing up in Ireland over their lives. Its not normally the kind of book i would go for and honestly had i known what to expect I probably wouldn't have read it and yet i gave it 4 stars.

Firstly the characters were horrible - if you don't like reading a book without a nice character to root for then this is not for you. The were however fascinating to read about and very compelling.
The book is split mainly into 3 parts; the first part is narrated by the eldest brother, the second part by the youngest brother and the third part by the middle brother. Each section follows the same events but from the perspective of the brother narrating. Seeing each of the events from childhood to adulthood from each brothers perspective was so interesting to me. The main plotline was that one of the brothers has died and one was in some way responsible - i had some theories about what the outcome would be and i was partially right in places but it wasn't something you could figure out particularly early but it wasn't altogether surprising either considering the events of the book. I enjoyed the process of getting to the end point as well the reveal.

This book isn't for everyone but i really liked it.

This book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review

Not for me, unfortunately. The hopping around in time and the incredibly unsympathetic narrator meant I just couldn't connect with the story.

Three brothers none of whom are likeable although one maybe not quite as bad as the other two. The story starts at a funeral and we know one is dead but which one.? We then get the events leading up to this.
An enthralling tale despite my not liking any of the characters

Liz Nugent is one of my favourite authors. I love the way she weaves so many different POV's through her stories. Really enjoyed this one. 5 stars from me.

I can't remember when I have ever detested the main characters so much and yet still been gripped by the book. Masterful writing makes this a complete page-turner while we hear each brother's side of things and worry about how twisted and self-indulgent they all are. It is a great portrait of a flawed family and how things can go so badly wrong while seeming to be so successful.

I was unable to finish this book due to personal family circumstances, therefore cannot properly review it. However, I feel important to say that the characterization is top-notch, as usual. I didn't like any particular character, and the feelings were strengthened with every chapter as you get to know them and their flaws and faults, but it was fascinating to learn about the family and how they worked as a unit.

Engrossing.The story of three brothers growing up in Ireland during the last 40 years or so. The story is told from each of the brothers perspective. William the eldest, Brian the middle one and Luke the youngest. The story starts with the funeral of one of them. You are left guessing which one it was. I did not feel any empathy towards any of these three brothers. Yet, something kept me reading rather than abandoning it. It is well written and mesmorising in parts with some insights into the world of fame.

Another first time read of an author for me and Our Little Cruelties certainly had me hooked, although I detested every single character!
It is a complex character assassination of three brothers, where Will, Brian and Luke all go backwards and forwards in time to literally present their cases against each other.
The book opens with one of their deaths but we do not know until almost the very end which one of these men dies.
They are all victims of a very dysfunctional upbringing in Ireland, sons of a narcissistic mother who was brought up in foster care and spends all of her time erasing her childhood to be the star she thinks she is. And it isn't all delusional. She is a singer and actress but completely obsessed with herself and the boys are largely brought up by their dad.
Whatever their upbringing though, this is an intense and extremely sad exploration of sibling rivalry, competition, jealousy and greed. No-one seems to genuinely care about anyone other than themselves and in seeking to put their own needs first there ensues so much psychological damage and mental ill health that it is not a book one can read and feel hopeful about.
Will is a film producer and a misogynist. Brian will stop at nothing to gain financial security by exploiting his own family and Luke, the youngest brother and whom I felt the most empathy for, suffers from alcohol and drug abuse to deal with frequent psychotic episodes and whose fame as a pop star causes many highs and lows in his troubled life.
I disliked the way Will treats women and yet he is his mother's favourite. I disliked his sexual behaviour and numerous infidelities as well as his lies. His wife Susan isn't really that much better in that she is hardly innocent in all that plays out between the brothers. And then there is Daisy, Will and Susan's daughter who is so mixed up as a result of the skewed family dynamics that her future is destined to be as traumatic as Luke's.
The timeline is very jumpy so you do have to pay attention to the year and narrator headings to make sense of the back and forth nature of the narrative. This didn't particularly bother me but I can see this confusing some readers maybe. I think the book is full of astute observations of human nature and the lengths some people will go to for fame and fortune, and how these very things can destroy us. The ending is very fitting. I liked the shocking and abrupt nature of it and the sense that history would repeat itself generation after generation where mental health disorders would be inherited and lives and families combust as a result.
Thank you to Liz Nugent, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel ahead of publication.
I am already looking at another book written by Nugent to see how it compares.

A compelling, fascinating book and not quite what I expected from the blurb. Unusually for the 'domestic noir' genre, this novel focuses on a predominantly male cast, though driven by a strong and influential mother. She manages to produce a thoroughly unlikeable brood, although we can see how her own foibles have exacerbated their inherent competitiveness and self-serving natures. We follow the individual paths of the three brothers, seeing how their actions are interlinked and impact upon the fortunes of each other. The underlying mystery, set up at the start of the book, of which brother has been killed simmers through the plot and we can well believe that any of the three brothers could be in the coffin, and by the hand of several other characters. The mystery is finally, but not entirely satisfactorily solved by the end, though the journey is well worth the read.

Blog post to be shared 24/01/2021.

Today is my spot on the blog tour for 𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘓𝘐𝘛𝘛𝘓𝘌 𝘊𝘙𝘜𝘌𝘓𝘛𝘐𝘌𝘚 by Liz Nugent. Thank you to Ellie Hudson and Penguin/Viking for sending me a copy of this psychological thriller.
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𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺?
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I'm going to start with a few trigger warnings for this book: emotional/psychological abuse, eating disorders, rape, and serious mental illness.
If these things impact you, you should tread carefully with Our Little Cruelties.
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This book is definitely one of the most honest reflections of toxic abuse within families, and the ripple effect that abuse can have, that I've read.
Focussed primarily on three brothers - Will, Brian and Luke - and their relationship with their mother, it emphasises how insidious psychological and emotional abuse can be.
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𝘋𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 '𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭' ... 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴.
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Though the family dynamics through this novel may seem extreme to some readers, I believe some of these dynamics are present in all family units. Parents may try to state otherwise, but they do always have favourites.
Sometimes being the favourite offers a degree of protection, or seems to, and sometimes it is the worst position to be in.
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𝘐𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 ... 𝘋𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
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I'm not going to give any spoilers here, but some of the characters - particularly Will, Brian, and their mother - are especially unlikeable.
Growing up there are the usual and expected sibling rivalries, but even these are extreme within this family.
Overshadowed by the powerful figure of their mother, who is incredibly sexist and narcissistic, they grow into selfish, jealous and narcissistic men themselves.
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𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴.

𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘥𝘥 ... 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮.
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Luke was a particularly interesting character.
As a child, with his religious zealousness, it is clear that something in his personality is abnormal. However, the response from his parents of not recognising this and so not attempting to get him help, is very realistic given the time the book is set.
Their approach is to laugh it off and refer to him as embarrassing instead if trying to understand the root of his issues.
I often wonder whether people with severe mental health issues today would be different as adults if their parents had recognised some of the early warning signs of manic behaviour and multiple personality disorders.
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𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘬 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 ... 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 ... '𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱.' 𝘔𝘶𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. '𝘏𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦.'
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Overall this book is an uncomfortable but gripping read. Taking sibling rivalry and toxic family behaviour to the extreme, it will get under your skin, but you will want to keep reading to find the answer and resolution.
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'𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘦?' ... '𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦'
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I would recommend this book to readers who love a psychological thriller, and would definitely read more from Liz Nugent.


As well as the below links I will be sharing to Amazon, so will add the additional link after posting.

I found this story far too slow burning and taking too long to unfold for my liking. I persisted with the book as I assumed the ending would be more shocking and worth the wait, however the ending seemed all very rushed and cobbled together and not worth all the wait. There were a couple of revelations but nothing majorly shocking and I felt really let down by the book.

I inhaled this book in one day. Our Little Cruelties is the story of the Drumm brothers; Liam, William and Brian and is told from each other perspectives at different important points in their lives. Despite the constantly changing timeframe and perspectives from which key situations are told, the story is never confusing. The narrative propels you forward throughout and even when you think you have a feel for whose side you are on, a retelling of the same situation from a different brother’s perspective throws that into doubt. The story is set in Ireland throughout their childhood in the 80s to the present day and every backdrop is so recognisable you can almost touch it: the lack of money in the 80s, the prevalence of religion, the excess during the Celtic Tiger, the subsequent recession and then to the modernisation of Ireland with the Marriage Equality Act. This is the first novel by Liz Nugent I have read but I will now be searching out her other work as she is an extremely gifted storyteller. I loved this book!

Three brothers, Luke, Brian and Will are brought up in Ireland. Their relationships are not straightforward in childhood and even more complicated during adulthood.
A well written novel in which we see their lives from the three individual points of view. A good read, enjoy.

What a roller coaster of a read, suspicion, guilt and despair on every page. The focus on family and sibling rivalry is very well done here, with each brother telling their own version of the same story. The pursuit of fame and the pressures it brings are highlighted as is the #metoo movement. Not a book to be read if you need cheering up, this is unrelentingly, painfully miserable. Beautifully written though and with a charm that keeps it readable, even while you suspect there won't be a happy end for any of the characters.

Liz Nugent is a phenomenal writer. Of all her books I found this read her most heaviest, confusing and a little unsettling. I thought the way the sections were written confusing i.e. one of the brothers story started in 1995 but then a couple of chapters later it went back to the 1970s. It was the same for each of the narrators and I just got a little confused. Liz however is a super story teller and I will always look forward to reading her books.