Preview
  • The God of the Woods

  • A Novel
  • By: Liz Moore
  • Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
  • Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (3,395 ratings)

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The God of the Woods

By: Liz Moore
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
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Publisher's summary

"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word."—Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You

“Brilliant, riveting .. an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide...I loved this book.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites listeners into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains a map from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Liz Moore (P)2024 Penguin Audio
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Mic Check with Saskia Maarleveld

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Critic reviews

"An immersive reading experience that will draw audiences. Its explorations of class, crime, and family dynamics, in addition to Moore’s incredible storytelling, will appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell, Tana French, and Lucy Foley."Library Journal, STARRED review

"Rich in background detail and secondary mysteries. . .this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint."Kirkus, STARRED review

Gripping and revelatory...The beautiful and dangerous wilderness setting enhances the suspense as the narrative builds to a dramatic final act...This astonishes.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

Editorial Review

“When lost, sit down and yell”
I’ve been a huge fan of Liz Moore since her memorable novel Long Bright River wowed me in 2020. It also kept me up all night, speed-listening until I finished the last chapter. When I heard Moore was releasing a new novel, not only did I know that The God of the Woods would be an auto-download, I was also prepared for another sleepless night. And sleep I did not. This haunting and heartbreaking story centers on a 13-year-old camper who goes missing 14 years after her older brother vanished in the same Adirondack woods. Alternating between present day and flashback, Saskia Maarleveld’s narration is captivating, echoing the story’s eerie atmospheric tension and rich complex characters. Her ability to convey deep emotions and suspense enriches this thrilling journey through one family’s troubled legacy that builds to a dramatic final act. I would gladly forgo another night of sleep to go back and listen to this one from the beginning again. — Margaret H., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The God of the Woods

Average customer ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars

It’s good

This is a good book to listen to while you’re cooking or cleaning or gardening. The story is good, but if you don’t catch a little bit of it ( being distracted) you don’t loose what’s happening.

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10 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It is ok. I don’t understand the hype

It is an ok story, Slow burn . I dont understand the hype.
The cut and jump between the characters, are in many places unnecessarily.
I think it was tried to make people interested but it is more frustrating.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Character development

The narrator was excellent. The description of 1961 and 1975 intriguing and thoughtful and historically reflects women’s roll in society. Wonderful portrayal of strong female characters . The Adirondacks are beautiful and mysterious. The plot twist at the end -well I can’t say enough good things about this book. It made me cry. It was beautiful and so well written and I always love a mystery.





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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Promising Thriller......

Started out really strong! I really love Liz's writing, but the back and forth between timelines and characters was confusing. Ending was good but not great.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Storytelling

Impressive character development that winds down many paths to the unexpected conclusion. The story is a poignant reminder how easy it is to judge, think we know who others are, especially if they are different from us. As always, the narrator does an excellent job overall and wow, with so many characters!

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Ending

The ending could have been so much more intense and interesting. The twist, if you want to call it that, was very lackluster.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Well done!

Very interesting mystery. Great character development and plot. Will look for more by this author.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hard to put down and quit listening

Both an excellent mystery and a brilliant character study, this book kept me awake listening and pondering. It is a bit long and lags a little in some sections but I was still captivated by the story and it's setting.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, complex, well done.

Best book I’ve read in a long time. So, so well done. I read and listen to a lot of books; most forgettable and with the depth of a magazine article. This was delicious. Savor and enjoy.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay

I was very excited about this one but in the end, it was just okay. It took forever to get anywhere in the plot and the payoff was not really worth it, and there were a few loose ends that were never tied up. It should have been shorter and there should have been more reveals along the way, and certain details should not have been split up along different timelines. It made it choppy and broke its momentum critically a few times. The narrator was good, though, and some of the characters were compelling — while others felt like a waste of opportunity. She’s a good writer, but the pacing was off. I’d read another of her books though.

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