I really liked Anne Griffin's first novel 'When All Is Said' and I also enjoyed this well written quirky romance - although it was not the book I expected. The author has such an amazing ability in the use of words to bring the characters, their relationships and their lifestyles alive. I don't think there was a character I didn't like, although at times I did find Jeannie to be childish and irritating. I really wanted her to make decisions for herself so much earlier and not just let 'things' happen around her. A good second book and one I am glad I read.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this e-book.

I really liked the quiet poignancy of Anne Griffin's first book and was delighted to find a cameo appearance by the protagonist of When All is Said in Listening Still. This is a great concept for a novel and I thought Griffin really carried off the 'supernatural' element of this well, never allowing it to become fantastic or silly. LIstening Still is the story of Jeanie, who works in her family's undertaking business. Jeanie can talk to the dead. She take their last confessions, their messages and regrets and requests. But the rest of her life is falling apart. Her marriage is rocky (for the record, I thought her husband was a whiny petulant type who was lacking in empathy but never seemed actively unpleasant - masterful stroke of characterisation) and her parents have decided to have retire early and up sticks to the seaside, leaving her and her husband to run the business with her aunt. The book tells of how Jeanie grew up with this gift, how she had a grand passion and a close circle of friends and most of all, it tells of the burden she carries by listening and talking to the dead.
This is another quiet triumph for Griffin, who can tell deep truths about unknown lives with charm and insight.

Fans of Anne Griffin's writing definitely won't be disappointed in her latest offering 'Listening Still'.
This book is beautiful. A love story, but so much bigger than the love story, is the story of how we lie to ourselves, shy away from life and choose safety over the unknown.

I was unsure about Griffin's concept of an undertaker who can speak to dead people (hence the 4 stars) and indeed this wasn't completely relevant in the grand scheme of things. A sideshow to the main story of how we must be brave, and actually live, during life. This book reduced me to tears in parts, again testament to Griffin's writing, and I stayed awake until the small hours in a bid to find out the end of the story.

A great book, but not quite as great as 'When All is Said' which remains one of my favourtite all time reads.

A beautifully written book with a unique storyline.
This is the first book that I have read by Anne Griffin and I did enjoy it. The story was both heart warming and heart breaking. However, I did feel there was something missing to give it that "wow factor" and keep me up late wanting to finish it.
When I reached the end of this book, I wish there was an extra chapter set a few years ahead as I would love to have known what actually happened with all of the characters.
Overall, it was a good book and I would like to thank Anne Griffin, NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found this thoroughly captivating. Although the ending had less resolution than I'd've preferred, it is at least realistic, and certainly not saccharine and neat, which may have been a temptation for the writer. Grand stuff.

(This review contains spoilers)

You had to be living under a rock a few years ago to not have heard of Anne Griffin and her acclaimed debut, When All Is Said. I have no idea why I didn't read it, except that there's always so many books to read, but it made me request Listening Still right away.

The premise is really fun and fresh, about a woman who can speak to dead people, and uses this skill everyday to help people in her community working in her family's funeral home. Jeanie is a good person, and does what's expected by her family, husband, friends and the people in the town, but as many people know, this can only go on for so long. When her parents announce that they are going to retire and leave her the house and the business, this should be her dream come true. However, this finality of her life being laid out in front of her proves too much and she can't help but be drawn back into the past and wonder what would have happened if she had followed her first love to London after school instead of doing what was expected of her.

I thought that after the really unusual start to the book it became slightly more conventional in plot and in how the story was told. The family dynamics and the relationship between Jeanie and Nick were nice but nothing out in the ordinary. The exception to this is Jeanie's brother who has autism and was both really likable and showed a different kind of familial relationship than I would normally read about. However, the way it ended really surprised me (so please stop reading here if you haven't finished it!). I loved Jeanie's visit to France where she met another woman like her and actually wished this had gone on for longer. The big twist that she had inherited her gift from her aunt and not her dad is rewarding, but actually not as rewarding as her learning a new way of life from her trip to France and deciding how she should run the business, or as surprising as how we leave Jeanie and Nick, not automatically reconciling as we might expect but separating and figuring out what is best for both of them.

Having read Listening Still I'm looking forward to going back to Anne Griffin's debut as she's clearly a strong writer with a fresh perspective and a lovely way of handling some emotional themes.

This is an easy, 'good read' about a funeral director who hands his business over to his daughter, Jeannie, as he and his wife and son retire.

Both Jeannie and her dad can 'hear' the dead for a short time after they have died. Also, Jeannie is discontent with her life and wondering what might have been. She's a frustrating character and one I struggled to warm to. However, it's a well written tale of family, friendship, grief and secrets.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I was so looking forward to this book as I thought Ann Griffin’s debut, When All Is Said, was amazing. The blurb sounded right up my street as well, about Jeannie, a 32 year old who could hear the dead which was both a blessing and a curse to her and her father suddenly wanting to retire from the family business of Undertakers. Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to expectations. It was wonderfully written and I love Ann Griffin’s style of writing but it just didn’t have the grit and depth I was expecting. It didn’t help that I didn’t feel any empathy towards Jeannie or any of the main characters really, and found her to be very self absorbed and gave little or no thought to anyone around her. I think the biggest problem is that her debut novel was outstanding and very hard to live up to however, it will not stop me reading more of her work in the future. Saying that it is still a decent read but I didn’t have the desire to devour it as I did her debut novel.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #Hodder&Stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC.
I absolutely loved this book an absolute joy. Easy reading with a cosy feel. You think you know how it’s going to end but it has surprising twists and turns.
I can highly recommend this book.

Beautiful, but down to earth, this book is a lovely journey into the life as part of a family business with all the comforts and complications involved. Having loved Griffin's debut, I was eager to get back into her reflections on the human condition and familiar homely style.

I found the plot interesting and with the second half of the book picking up an unexpected pace. Although I thought there were some elements of the climax of the story that were less convincing than others, I was carried through by the otherwise rich reveal of Jeanie, our main character, and her past.

Overall, this was another success in both character-building and storytelling from Griffin.

I absolutely loved Anne Griffins first book and had high hopes for this one too. This is such an amazing premise - being able to hear the last words of those recently deceased. There are definitely some unexpected revelations and shocks in store but I actually feel the book could have done with a few more wise words from the grave.

The unfolding of this story comes in waves and definitely veered off in an unexpected direction and whilst the ending felt gentle and delicate I somehow feel there was something missing.

The writing is pure and you truly got a feel for the family, with excellent characterisations and conversations you can imagine happening. Looking forward to the next great read!

Another great read by Anne Griffin.

It’s a story about Jeanie Masterson, who can speak to the dead, but she is torn between following the love of her life or staying in her home town working with her father at their funeral home. Whichever she chooses someone will be hurt in the process.

A lovely story which is written beautifully, about making choices, following your head or your heart and how sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was delighted to get my hands on Anne Griffin's forthcoming book as I was a huge fan of her debut, When All Is Said, and this didn't disappoint. Listening Still tells the story of Jeanie Masterson who has not only inherited the family undertaking business, but also her father's ability to hear the recently deceased! Blindsided by her father's sudden retirement, Jeanie struggles with the responsibility placed on her shoulders as the new would-be owner, and soon her abilities force her to face up to other issues in her life that she'd long avoided and repressed. The interludes of Jeanie's conversations with the dead offer a nice counterpoint to her day-to-day difficulties, and you get a real sense of how it's possible to feel trapped in a perfectly lovely job with a perfectly lovely spouse. It's got a great core message about bravery and following your heart, and how sometimes being truthful may not always be nice, but it is kind (and knowing the difference).

Anne Griffin follows her stunning debut When All is Said with this novel that focuses on 32 year old Jeanie Masterson working at Masterson Funeral Directors with her parents, her Aunt Harry, an embalmer just like her husband, Niall Longley, whom she has known since she was a toddler, and her autistic brother, Mikey, set in his ways, unsettled by change, and obsessed with military history and gaming. It is set in a small Irish town, Kilross, where everyone knows everyone. Jeanie has inherited an unusual family gift from her father, she can hear the dead for a small period after their death. This was apparent when as a small child she sought the company of the dead, perfectly at home with them, listening to what they had to say.

This gift has been a curse and a blessing, she was bullied at school, but she treasures it as well, it allows the dead to say what they left unsaid, including expressing love and other more practical matters, bringing comfort and closure to the bereaved, although sometimes what the dead have to say can be unpalatable and hurtful. This raises the issue of how truthful to be when relaying messages from the dead to the living, Jeanie's father decides to be kind and lie, which makes her uncomfortable. Her father has now decided to retire, leaving the business for Jeanie to run, a act that brings to the surface issues she has buried deep, whether this is what she wants to do, and raising the precarious state of her marriage as Niall makes clear that he is no longer willing to put up with her prevarications. He wants children, a dog, and a home by the coast, not wanting to put up with second best as he leaves to stay with a friend. Whether she likes it or not, Jeanie must face issues of love, family secrets, the grief of an unbearable loss, as she goes in search of who she is.

There is much to enjoy about this novel as it shifts from past to present to give us insights into Jeanie's life, her best friend, Sarah Byrne aka Peanut, the pivotal entry at school of new boy, Fionn, from Dublin, a photographer, and her relationship with Niall through the years. Perhaps because my expectations were so high, my response to the book includes a level of disappointment too, I found the character of Jeanie frustrating and I didn't warm to her, her emotional absence from critical areas of life, her gift didn't have the heft i would have expected in the story and the family secret felt inconsequential at best. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining, well written, and engaging read and I know many other readers will love the novel. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Jeanie is the daughter of an undertaker and has grown up with the gift of being able to hear what the dead are saying just after they died. Listening Still follows Jeanie throughout her life as she deals with her gift and then the possibility that her dad is going to retire and leave the business to her. Whilst the premise is unusual, this is a truly beautiful novel. Griffin follows in the footsteps of Irish writers such as Donal Ryan, Colm Toibin and Marian Keyes by weaving the minutiae of Irish life and its unique nuances effortlessly through the story. I loved it.

A gentle, whimsical read - romance with a twist of the supernatural. Whilst I enjoyed it I found it a little slow at first and didn’t really bind with Jeanie, the main character. I liked some of the storylines and was glad it tackled some issues without always going for cliches.

A wonderful story about Jeanie an undertaker living in a small Irish town. But she has a very special power, she can speak to the recently dead. She has two love interests but is she happy? Niall is a solid, dependable no nonsense type of guy or Fionn charismatic, fun loving, go get it type of guy. Who will she choose?

Still Listening tells the story of Jeanie whose family run an undertakers in rural Ireland. Jeanie and her Dad have a special gift of being able to speak to the dead..not all the time and usually only for a few minutes but it makes them very popular. But the family business and this skill ties Jeanie to home and means she doesn’t take chances which she might later regret.
I loved the character of Jeanie and I felt her struggles. I was rooting for her throughout. Overall an enjoyable book. The pace was a little slow but I would definitely recommend

Wow! What a beautiful story! At one point I was crying and didn't realise it!!!
The story follows Jeanie who can talk to the dead. We find out past and how her life has been up to this point.
I loved everything about this story. It held my attention the whole time and I couldn't believe it had finished! Is there more? I hope so!!
Thanks to Net galley for allowing me a free copy of this book to read for an honest review.

I loved this book! It had such an unique selling point, people who can talk to the dead, and pass on family messages, both good and bad .
Set in a close knit Irish community, Jeanie and her father are funeral directors, and both have this gift of being able to talk and listen to the dead. It can be a dubious privilege as you never know which last messages to reveal or hide, in order not to upset those left behind. A strange premise, I found myself wondering what last message I would want my family to hear!! It was a love story as well, in that Jeanie had always wondered if she did the sensible thing by staying at home to help with the family business, rather than follow her first love to London. She married Niall, who also took exams to join the family firm, due to his love for Jeanie.
I found Jeanie to be a real pain, always the glass half empty. I adored Niall, and felt he had been dealt a rotten hand of cards. How do you go on, knowing that you will always be second best? That did make me misty eyed , and it really tugged at the heart strings.
It was funny, sad, thoughtful, emotional and heartwarming, dealing as it did with friendships, first love, and always the unvoiced ‘ what if’.
Happiness is not always found , but it is possible to be brave and strive for something you can live with and be content.
I loved this book, and will take great pleasure in recommending it. Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC, in exchange for my honest review.