Due to the corrupted audio file I was unable to listen to this title.
After letting Netgalley know about the problem, Netgalley suggested to send in a "Will not give feedback" with an explanation, which I did.
Unfortunately this will still show as a missing feedback in my Feedback Ratio, so: I'll leave this review as I aim to keep my 100%. What I could hear from the Audio ( beside Screeching ) was a lovely quality. I liked Donoghue in the past and was sure to like this one as well. I'll see to check out the paperback. Thanks for the approval.

An historical fictional tale about forbidden love at the manor school in the early 1800 between two girls .
When i finally got a good audio copy I found this a gripping listen I began thinking it would meerly touch on more intimate matters and was shocked to find the writer had the courage to do more. The narrator was very good and the different tones and general calmness ensured i was comfortable throughtout and enjoyed the words brought to life. The use of timelines worked well and the ending was so unexpected.
It was sad to hear a disclaimer that it was just a story but i gueese thats the world we live in. It dealt with mature issuses in an historical setting with great sensitivity and maturity.
A solid 4 star listen. Thank you to net gallwry and the publisher for my arc

Beautifully written! It’ moves along at a steady pace introducing you to a wonderful world to sink into to.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. I really didn’t like the narrator, which I don’t think helped with the story. I found it quite slow and it didn’t keep my attention. I liked the premise and the writing style, the story just wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

What a dreary book. "Learned by heart" took slow paced to a new level for me and the flat characters did not help to lift up the story either. I lost interest pretty quickly in what originally seemed right up my alley with a school setting, social issues and excellent writing. I could not get invested and I really tried.. I ended up not finishing it, before it finished me.

A beautifully written story, based on the early lives of Eliza Raine and Anne Lister, who met at school in the early 19th century. It is clear that, although this is a work of fiction, Emma Donoghue has meticulously researched these historical characters and their lives.

Homophobia, race, class, illegitimacy and mental health are explored sensitively throughout the story and the characters are well developed.

I struggled with the pace, finding it slow and repetitive at times, however overall a recommended read.

The narration was excellent with clear diction.

4 star. Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan and Emma Donoghue for an ARC in return for my honest review.

An absolutely stunningly written and told story about the first love of Anne Lister - Eliza Haine, from gathered letters penned by Eliza, whose mental health declined following their separation. Lister's story has been made widely known from the televised series Gentleman Jack, but little was related about Eliza. It is wonderful to see her story formed here by Emma Donaghue. The audiobook is wonderfully related by one narrator. #learnedbyheart #emmadonoghue #netgalley

Emma Donoghue is one of my favourite authors and this book didn’t disappoint. Original, moving and thought-provoking.
Beautifully narrated by Shiromi Arserio.

I was gifted this audiobook from NetGalley and publishers. I listen to as much as I could but the pre release copy was not a finished article and it kept looping. I couldn’t listen properly. What I did hear interested me and I lived the style of the story - when it is published I will get a copy to listen to. (Low star rating as I couldn’t really listen to it properly- it will be better than this)

I do not feel qualified to rate this book as I had to give up on it due to technical issues with the audiobook file. There were problems with the beginning, weird scratching sounds and repeated passages and I didn't want to get further into the book without having read it properly so I did not finish this audiobook, and will try to pick up the book in a physical format instead. Since I HAVE to rate this book in order to submit a review I will give it a good rating because I suspect it is a good book and I have enjoyed Emma Donoghue's writing in the past.

It's always a pleasure to see what Emma Donoghue has chosen to write about next - she's an author whose work covers a huge range of topics, settings and eras. 'Learned by Heart' is a true historical novel in that it dramatises historical events well underpinned by fact. I didn't realise quite how closely it was historical as opposed to fictional until I read the author's notes (always important for a historical novel, and Donoghue doesn't disappoint). However it is still at its heart a story and beautifully written work of fiction.

The novel is set in the early 19th century, in a girls' boarding school in York. The point of view character is Eliza Raine, an Anglo-Indian fourteen year old orphan who is painfully self-conscious about her skin colour and suffers prejudice both because of her ethnicity and because she was born 'out of wedlock'. Eliza's school life is transformed when she gains a new roommate, the charismatic and unconventional Anne Lister. Many readers will be familiar with Lister from the TV series 'Gentleman Jack'. Eliza and Anne become close friends, and eventually lovers. The sections set in the school are interspersed with Eliza's unsent letters to Lister written ten years later, when it's clear Eliza's life has taken a turn for the worse but not exactly why or how.

A lot of the book is simply about the daily life at the school and the growing relationship between Eliza and Lister. Some authors wouldn't be able to get away with writing about humdrum everyday life for such a long stretch, but Donoghue can because she manages to make everything she writes fascinating to read. And it works brilliantly within the structure of the novel because you really get to know and like the characters in a way that means you are very invested in them emotionally when the novel reaches its climax. The glimpses of Eliza's life ten years on helps to build the tension - you know things aren't going to work out as the teenaged girls hope they will, and are waiting to find out what goes wrong.

I found the book very moving particularly once I'd heard the author's notes and discovered Eliza was a real person and the known facts about her life. I had assumed whilst reading that she was an invention. Lister is a very interesting character - an extraordinary woman in real life as well as the novel - but it's Eliza, the quieter one, who I really felt for and identified with.

Donoghue is outstanding at conjuring up place and time - her writing is so vivid that you feel a sense of dissociation when you stop listening. Several times I felt quite confused to realise it was summer as the book had really made me feel it was winter (and York, and 1805). Thinking back, it's true of all her books - even those I read a decade or more ago - I can still see the locations in my mind's eye very clearly.

I would highly recommend this book as an extremely well written piece of fiction, with great characters and the ability to really transport you to another time and place. It's a must-read for fans of historical fiction, and those with an interest in LGBTQIA+ history.

It is a nice book to listen to as an audiobook - the narrator has a pleasant voice and reads well with good pace and clear diction. The storyline is easy to follow in audio format and it doesn't need any ornamentation, the words are enough. It's a good choice to get on audio.