Call My Name

This beautifully written book almost reads like a feminist version of Forrest Gump-- in its sweeping review of reproductive rights and the injustices against women, children and families. The book is written in the first person from protagonist, Olivia, who leads a life full of one tragic event after another and surrounds herself with rich characters while she herself remains rather emotionally flat.

Two women, bound together by opposite personalities, friendship, love and family—until motherhood rips them apart.
Depressing in places nevertheless a great audiobook!

'Call My Name' by Jenni Ogden, narrated by Naomi Barton

Thanks to NetGalley and Sea Dragon Press for an audio ARC for my honest review.

The characters in this book were so realistic, it felt like it was happening in real life. It follows the lives of two friends from the time when Olivia joins Cassandra's family after her mother dies when she was 13. Their mothers were close friends who survived a Japanese prisoner of war camp. It covers several difficult historical issues. What a heart-wrenching and inspirational story! Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

The narrator was excellent!

#CallMyName #NetGalley #JenniOgden #SeaDragonPress

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.
Two women, bound together by opposite personalities, friendship, love and family—until motherhood rips them apart.

From Jenni Ogden, author of best-selling A Drop in the Ocean, (Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction) comes a compelling family saga set in the Australian Tropics and spanning the 1960s to 1990s.

Her mother dead from a drug overdose, thirteen-year-old Olivia is rescued by Cathie Tulloch, her mother’s friend throughout the years they were held captive in Japanese prison camps in Sumatra in WWII. Welcomed into the Tulloch’s remote family home in the Australian tropics, introverted Olivia is claimed by dramatic, generous, controlling Cassandra Tulloch as her sister and best friend. Moving to the UK at 18, Olivia finds her independence — and partner Ben. But in 1970, after five years away, she is homesick, and ready to fulfill her long-held dream: to make a family of her own. In Brisbane she and Ben share a hippie lifestyle with Cassandra and husband, Sebastian. But while earth-mother Cassandra effortlessly produces beautiful babies, for Olivia, becoming a mother is hard. Even harder is discovering the truth about her own mother. And when the unimaginable happens, destroying the friendship with Cassandra that has been her bedrock for so long, Olivia tells herself that she doesn’t deserve a family, nor a place to call home.

I don’t even know where to begin with a review that will do this beautiful book justice. I went in not being familiar with the author (huge mistake that I’ll be rectifying) every now and then a book comes along that is so special that it really is everything. A literal cradle to grave story. The book spans 30 years of love friendship and family. It’s taken me 2 days to get my head straight enough to write this review, it’s an emotional rollercoaster for sure it covers a vast range of hard hitting subjects from the 60’s right through to modern day, I got a real feminist message throughout, the book covers war, abortion, adoption, surrogacy, addiction, depression and terminal illness, and euthanasia but while these are all hard to read topics, it’s written so beautifully that I felt like part of the story from the first page. I fell in love with these brilliantly written characters and sobbed for a good half hour at the end. Literally everything! A hugely well deserved 5 stars.

Olivia and Cassandra are opposites when it comes to personality, but their bond is strong. Olivia is taken in at the age of 13 by Cassandra's parents in a remote area in Australia, her mother having been a long ago but good friend of her own mother when they were held captive together in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. Olivia and Cassandra become best friends and when they each go separate ways after high school they come back together again several years later in Brisbane, where they live together with their significant others during the hippie 1960's years. Olivia is introverted, sensitive and cautious; Cassandra outgoing, generous and controlling. All is well until life gets in the way and the struggles of motherhood come to the forefront. A story of friendship, family, love and grief, this novel will make you smile cry and rage all at the same time. Beautifully written with relatable characters, it explores the undefined lines of friendship as well as the freedoms or lack thereof of the choices we make with our bodies and our lives.

A sweeping southern hemisphere set melodrama. New Zealand teenager tragically Olivia loses her mother and is taken in by the Tullock family in Australia who are old friends of her mother . What follows is the story of Olivia and their daughter Cassandra's lifelong friendship through young adulthood, motherhood, tragic loss and reconciliation. Spanning four decades in the life of this sprawling antipodean family, this epic is evocative and moving throughout

A beautiful melodrama spanning three decades and highlighting the unbreakable bond between two brilliant women. While Ogden covers a plethora of difficult topics including abortion, adoption, terminal illness, addiction, depression, and much more they are presented in an organic and relatable way. Reads should be ready for an emotional roller coaster with a full cast of vivid characters that feel like family.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a relatable character driven novel with feminist undertones.

5 stars for a remarkably written roller coaster of two women’s journey through life.

I received this advanced copy of "Call my name" by Jenni Ogden, and my first book her it does jump through time although gives a very rounded background from the 2 main characters.
I just had to know how it ended.
This story will stay with me forever.
Well done!

How in the world do I review a story that I really liked without hyping it and conveying high expectations to others? I finished this some time ago but kept ignoring the fact that I needed to post a review. But for a person who likes all her ducks in a row, time’s up.

This beautifully narrated story had me listening to it every chance I could. While it covers many sensitive concerns, I thought it all tied together and worked. Though for some, it may be too close to home to feel comfortable.

The story follows Olivia Newman, who is raised by her mother’s best friend Cathie Tulloch and Cathie’s husband. As Olivia nears her dreams of a career in publishing, she finds she’s pregnant. Unmarried and confused since her relationship is so new, she turns to her foster sister, Cassandra. Their growing relationship, of which there are many ups and downs, pretty much sums up the story.

Ogden ties the characters together in a way that feels believable and brings about lots of emotions. At times the love and pain Olivia and Cassandra feel seem almost tangible. And for that matter, I was completely drawn in by all the secondary characters.

It’s not light reading that caused me to go away feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It felt like an honest glimpse into life. But at the same time, a great element of love wound through this story.

My Concerns
For some, this might represent life just a little bit too much. It covers topics such as abortion, mother and daughter relationships, adoption, death, surrogacy, and more. At one point I considered that the story might have a political agenda, and if that was the case it wasn’t going to work for me. If you, like me, give that a thought, you can quickly dismiss it. It was a story. I felt no underlying threads of an ulterior motive.

As I mentioned, this covers lots of topics, and everything has an element of reality attached. For some, it won’t be the light-and-airy beach read you are looking for. It’s deeper, yet so captivating.

Final Thoughts
I took a long time to think about this before writing my review. I hate to hype a book up since it’s almost impossible to live up to preconceived notions. But this story and narrator brought these characters to life.

I totally enjoyed it and will definitely have this author and narrator on my radar.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sea Dragon Press for the early copy of this audiobook and the ability to give my opinion without stipulations.

First of all, it was so refreshing to read a book with likable characters and beautiful, tender relationships. This novel was a solid 5-star read up until the halfway mark. Although I enjoyed the story and the beautiful writing, I had to take off a star because the book was too long. The two scenes that I would have shortened were: Cathy relating the concentration camp story about Olivia's mother and the second is the tedious courtroom drama. The narration. deserves a 5-star rating.

What a great story! It recounts the story of two friends Olivia and Cassandra who are almost sisters. Cashiers parents took Olivia in as their foster child when the girls were young and they grew up as sisters and friends. But this is more than just their story even though their two are the central characters; it's also a multi generation tale of their family, friends and those they love. At one time, for example, Olivia and her husband shared a house and lived together with Cassandra and her mate. I loved this beautifully written touching novel! I cant wait to read more from Jenni Ogden. Check it out for an entertaining read! I recommend it.

'Call My Name' is the latest novel by Jenni Ogden, and it is narrated by Naomi Barton in a soft, almost sensual, and sometimes in a demur, girlish, Australian accent.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Sea Dragon Press, as well as Jenni Ogden, for an audio ARC for my honest review. The novel is set mostly in Australia and features Olivia and Cassandra, best friends since childhood. Their mothers met and were BFF's during WWII in a Sumatran prison camp, held by the Japanese. Fast forward to Olivia at 13 years old, when she loses her mom from a drug overdose. She is kindly taken in by Cassandra's mom to live with (and become part of) their family in the Australian tropics.

The women, still friends as adults, but now living on their own, each have a partner/spouse and these guys are cool dudes. Olivia & Ben in the UK are invited to live with Cassandra & Sebastian in Brisbane, Australia, in what becomes a kind of commune-like existence even though they each have a separate home on the land. Then we discover that Olivia can't have children and of course Cassandra is very lucky in that way - and they're living on the same property, day to day. No thanks, I'd be outta there.

So far in the story, we have a war prison, a drug-addicted dead mother, now infertility issues, and it goes on. Cassandra is the lucky one, wealthy, beautiful, strong-minded, generous, and completely loving to Olivia and Ben. To say anymore would give away more of the story, but be assured there are more tragedies.

There are many wonderful things about this novel, but IMO, it has just too much drama. If it could have focused more on developing, challenging, changing, and celebrating or finalizing, their friendships, it would have been amazing because you do care so much about these interesting and kind characters that Ms. Ogden created. Her settings were really interesting too. There's a saying, "If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all..." - speaks volumes.

I first rated this 3*, then 4*, then 3*, then back to 4*, because there's so much to her novel. I will leave it rounded up to 4 * but know that there are emotional rollercoasters throughout this novel and it can be overwhelming in finding yet another tragedy around the corner. I wanted to say,,,,,"You had me at xxx !!!

Thanks again for this copy!!

Wow. What a story. A little bit of everything! It opens with Olivia moving to Australia from New Zealand after finding her mother dead of an overdose; she moves in with the Tullochs, connected by the mothers, who'd been in a Japanese prison camp in Sumatra during WW2. Instantly taken over by a controlling Cassandra, Olivia slowly blossoms. She finally 'escapes' Cassandra's dramatics when she turns 18 and goes to college in England, and then meets Ben. Lots and lots of ups and downs, happiness, then loss of an infant, then adoption of a Vietnamese girl, then more loss as Lilly and Cassandra's daughter Sunny drown, then Cassandra offers to be a surrogate, with its ups and down, then Cassandra's husband gets seriously ill -- sometimes it seems as if it will never end.

This is the first I've read of this author -- and actually, I 'read' the audiobook (!), and the narrator was fantastic. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity. I'm sure I will eventually get my emotions under control shortly!

#NetGalley, #JenniOgden, #SeaDragonPress, #iReadBookTours

I had no expectation going into this. Read the description, thought it sounded interesting, ended up really enjoying it. I think the flow of the story surprised me the most. There was just so much going on that kept it going for me and kept me reading/listening.

PROS
(1) Narrator Naomi Barton did an excellent job
(2) The characters - I found one of the main relationships the book focused on was that between Olivia and her foster sister Cassandra and I didn't really like either one of them, but I think that was the point. Olivia didn't know how to belong but wanted to and Cassandra treated her as if she did from the beginning. I think their dynamic was meant to be broken although sometimes it felt like it was brought on by Olivia herself. The supporting cast however - parents, husbands, kids - I really enjoyed. I thought they were smart and supportive and great characters helping move the story forward
(3) The story spanning decades. Watching relationships grow/fail/triumph/end. It was amazing how invested one can get in fictional lives

CONS
(1) Some years went by really fast. There was a point where Olivia went to first live with the Tulloch's and became friends with the children and suddenly they were adults. Then later on in their lives as they were mentioning the great relationship between Olivia and Cassandra I think it felt a little like where did this come from because there was no real exploration into their close friendship. At least I felt like it was just a mention of it but no feel for it. Maybe that is why I didn't fully understand Olivia and Cassandra's relationship in later years. I was constantly asking myself if they were ever close or if I made that up in my head.

Overall great read. Jenni Ogden did a great job and I was invested till the end. I also liked that there was a clear end. The main storyline felt complete and I wasn't left wondering what else could have happened in Olivia's life or what else she could do/have done. It felt finished and satisfactory.

Thank you NetGalley and Sea Dragon Press for the arc.

I have read all three of Jenni Ogden's novels and love them all! They are each very different but all are well crafted - the settings are wonderfully descriptive - the characters are well-written and easy relatable - and each plot is intriguing. This novel, Call My Name, is a compelling multigenerational story - spanning from the 1960's through 1990's. It deals with contemporary issues - very relevant for our times and it delves into both sides of the issues. It is a powerful drama involving family, friends, and motherhood. It is heart wrenching and emotional.
An exceptional read! Loved the audio version - narrator Naomi Barton is excellent - loved the Australian accent - she brings the story to life. I will look for more books narrated by her!

Friendships and family, what lengths would you go to to make someone happy? I enjoyed the topics covered in the novel (abortion, surrogacy and adoption) plus the time line starting in the 60's, as well as the setting, Austrailia.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to review this wonderful audiobook.

What an amazingly moving and impactful story! This book is hard-hitting, and it really presses the reader the live through the journey with the characters! This will make a great book club read and will create great discussion dialogue!

Two women with a lifelong friendship find themselves drifting apart at times and being ripped apart at others. The importance and difficulty of motherhood for the two of them begin to strain their relationship.

I really felt for Olivia in this story. How many horrible things can happen to one person? As we moved from one thing to another, I felt myself continuing to be pulled deeper and deeper into her story. I appreciated her contrasting personality to those around her, and I think it helped make her stand out and alone throughout the story.

There are so many controversial topics discussed in this story, and I would highly recommend reading my content warnings if you have sensitivity to certain topics. I really appreciated the research that went into the creation of this story and the topics woven into it. The situations felt real and true to life. This is a story that is going to stay with me for a long time.

Content Warnings:
Abortion, child loss, adoption, euthanasia, rape, surrogacy

This audiobook really was an emotional rollercoaster.

I absolutely loved the following of this friendship, it really shows you the depths and the highs and the lows everyone can experience. I think because of the time period it covers too it’s a really strong sense of equality between men and women, particularly in their relationships and career and how people can do it different ways.

The story is narrated so well! I really felt the different characters and had no difficulty knowing who was who, it’s really well done. It’s written incredibly too, the part where she is told about her mother during the war was just heartbreaking and I felt like I was going through that same conversation with the character, just truly so well done.

Each of the characters has so much depth to them as well, the end is truly heartbreaking (along with many heartbreaking stories along the way). I think for me it could with more around the kids as they are growing up and what they are doing with their lives and that would make it 5 starts but I completely get why the focus remains on the parents.

I highly recommend.

TW: Abortion, adoption, surrogacy, rape, alcohol abuse, child loss, death, war

After 13-year-old Olivia’s mom dies of a drug overdose, she goes to live with her mom’s friend, Cathie Tulloch, and her family in Australia. Olivia’s mom and Cathie had survived the Japanese World War II prison camps together. Cathie has a 13-year-old daughter herself, and Cassandra Tulloch becomes Olivia’s sister and best friend. At 18, Olivia moves to the UK, finding independence and her partner Ben. After 5 years away, however, Olivia is homesick, and the pair move to Brisbane, Australia. There, Olivia and Ben share a hippie lifestyle with Cassandra and her husband Sebastian. As Cassandra gives birth to many healthy children, Olivia struggles with jealousy and her own difficulties in becoming a mother. As the families deal with heart wrenching events, Olivia struggles with her friendship and relationship with Cassandra and the rest of the Tullochs.

What do you do when the ones who most love you also are part and possible cause of the most painful moments of your life? I couldn’t help but marvel at how often Olivia and Cassandra were able to move past the things that happened to them and continue being best friends and sisters. I believe those who love women’s fiction (and do not need to avoid any of the trigger warnings mentioned at the top of my review) will really enjoy this book. Naomi Barton’s voice was perfect for narrating this story, both the highs and the lows.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This is a book about friendship, dysfunction, envy and sometimes love art. I really enjoyed the friendship between the two ladies and totally understood Evelyn’s jealousy I thought the narrator did a great job all in all I thought this was a really great book! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was a beautiful book about life and all its ugliness and beauty. Olivia is the main character who has led a life of mostly tragedy. She's taken in by the family of her mother's good friend after she dies when Olivia is a child. This family will be at the center of the major events of her life from that point forward.

The book follows Olivia from childhood to adulthood. From happiness to heartbreak. It truly is the description of a life lived - - and it isn't always pretty. You see things go full circle from the beginning of relationships all the way to how things come to an end.

This book kept me hooked. It isn't that it moved at a quick pace. I think it's because I could feel Olivia's pain and joy. For a character that often didn't seem to let herself feel emotions early on, she experienced them deeply later in the book.

AUDIOBOOK: I found the narration to be perfect for this book. Accents lent to the authenticity of the storyline. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and the early copy of the audio version. I chose to review both and the opinions contained within are my own.

A beautifully crafted tale about life and all of its highs and lows. Two very different girls become friends and inseparable. When tragedy happens they becomes sisters. As they grow and mature, life happens while they navigate their friendship and their vastly different personalities. Then life happens and things aren’t as clean and simple. So many emotional issues are a part of this story. Love, loss, death, fertility, motherhood, reproductive rights, relationships, what makes a family, learning about and metabolizing your own history, family and so much more. It’s an emotional listen (or read) that is at times heartbreaking and at times I cried for Olivia.The woman needed a break! Wonderful narration added to the story.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"...and there it was, my future set out before me with that second interaction, the drama, the dominance, the manipulation, the generosity, the mothering, the wealth and education, the land and the privilege."

The above insight by 13 year old Olivia when she meets Cassandra comes to fruition during a friendship that spans at least from the 1960s to the 1990s in the complex dramatic historical literary fiction Call My Name by masterful crafting author Jenni Ogden.

Olivia is rescued from finding her single Mom dead from an apparent drug overdose suicide by Cathie; a woman her Mom befriended when they were prisoners in a Japanese WWII camp. The introverted, poor, anxious Oliva is overwhelmed by the rambunctious, dramatic, popular Cassandra who has decided they are best friends and sisters for life.

At 18, Olivia leaves the New Zealand farm and heads to England where she graduates university, has a secret abortion that will have shocking repercussions, and falls in love. Soon Cassandra is back in Olivia's life and as they juggle their relationship they deal with almost every heartbreaking tragedy a person can experience.

Besides spectacular acting ability, narrator Jenni Ogden mastering of accents, from New Zealand, Scottish, Japanese and English was a marvel to hear.

I appreciated that Olivia and Cassandra were never perfect and as their friendship is tested through grief, guilt, lies, omissions, jealousy, and turbulent decades, with political interference in their life decisions, there was love. When the last line was spoken I gasped out loud. I phoned my best friend of 47 years and when I heard her call my name my heart was full.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

*Be aware of triggers, including rape, miscarriage, and child death.

Call My Name AUDIO by Jenni Ogden is the story of a woman, Olivia, and her best friend and foster sister, Cassandra, throughout most of their adult lives. It began when Olivia’s mother died when she was thirteen, whether it was suicide or an accidental overdose it was never determined. Amongst her mother’s things the authorities found an old Christmas card. That was how she ended up in Australia with Aunt Katherine and Uncle William, and Cassandra and Pete. They were at once best friends and constantly at odds. Olivia suffered so much heartbreak in comparison with Cassandra’s seemingly perfect life. Sometimes she hated it. But, she had Ben, her husband, who continued to love her no matter what was going on. She worked as an editor and wrote her own books, several of which were published. She and Ben had children and loved them. They grew older, as people do.

Bad luck seemed to have latched on to Olivia. It took longer and longer to recover, it seemed. There were so many good times, though. She was a sympathetic character, written to feel for. Not like Cassandra, who appeared to have the perfect life. The plot was very loose, really more of a slice of life. If it had been true it would have been a memoir of sorts. The characters were all excellent. Often, it was easy to see the different points of view. Even, the kids had personalities. Olivia’s life was not that much different than many people’s but when condensed into 12 hours it seems horrific. It was a harrowing journey through friendship, but an entertaining book and I enjoyed it.

The narrator was Naomi Barton who did an excellent job. She has a pleasant voice and kept an even keel even when things were going poorly. He voice was soothing and easy to listen to.

I was invited to listen to a free audio e-ARC of Call My Name by Sea Dragon Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions were mine. #Netgalley #SeaDragonPress #JenniOgden #NaomiBarton #CallMyName

I got through just about half of the audiobook before it left NetGalley. From what I read I was really interested in this and am looking forward to reading more when I can!

This book seemed to be so long, almost as if there were four different stories in one book. I did really love the story - it touched on so many difficult seasons we can go through and shared real and raw emotions. This book touched on abortion, infertility, birth experiences, adoption, life and death, friendship, love and loss. Truly an amazing story.

Poignant tale but with lots of happiness embedded as well. Characters overcome tragedy and become closer eventually but lots of hurdles to deal with along the way. Well-described characters and excellent smooth narration.

An incredible story, about friendship, family, and women being empowered to make choices over their own bodies, lives, love and the desire for children, family and a sense of belonging.

Spanning from a time of freedom in 60s, with its protests, advocacy and cry for change. Olivia comes from an entirely miserable place at the start, left alone with no-one in New Zealand. She is then sent to live with a distant friend of her mothers to wonderful property by the coast in Far North Queensland. Here she meets her match, their daughter Casandra, about the same age, who goes on to be a lifelong friend. While seemingly opposites they drift in an out of each others' lives. Separated by distance, heartache, but always gravitating back into each other's lives with their strong bond which ultimately gives strength to and empowers the other.

I really enjoyed this novel by Jenni Odgen, and couldn't wait to hear more. The narration by Naomi Barton was also well done - I don't know how she managed all those different accents! Seamlessly done and never pulling focus. Be warned, there will be tears.

A big thank you to Netgalley, Sea Dragon Press, Jenni Ogden for an advance audio edition of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Call My Name is an eloquent and inspirational story about the ups and downs of long-time friendship. This book interlaces many of the experiences women face on our journey of life while tackling several heavy topics with courage and grace. The impact of trauma is also front and center in this book.

Spanning WWII through the 1990s this book is a cogent family drama set in the Australian tropics. Olivia’s mom was a prisoner in a Japanese concentration camp who suffers unimaginable abuse. The book opens with her death, and we find 13-year-old Olivia moving in with Cassandra’s family. Their mothers were best friends years ago. Olivia and Cassandra couldn’t be more different, yet they become the best of friends until they aren’t. Their friendship is tested when motherhood comes easy for one and not the other.


As someone who has struggled with infertility, I identified more deeply with Olivia. Though I wish I could be more of a free spirit like Cassandra. I enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed, the trauma and those consequences are depicted realistically. I recommend this book though due to the content may not be for everyone.

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Jenni Ogden and iRead Book Tours. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.