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    The Binding
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    The Binding
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    The Binding
    Audiobook15 hours

    The Binding

    Written by Bridget Collins

    Narrated by Carl Prekopp

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    *PRE-ORDER BRIDGET COLLINS' STUNNING NEW NOVEL, THE SILENCE FACTORY, NOW*

    LOSE YOURSELF IN THE BREAKOUT SENSATION OF THE YEAR

    SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

    ‘Spellbinding’ Guardian

    ‘Magic’ Erin Kelly

    ‘Immersive’ Sunday Times

    ‘Astounding’ Anna Mazzola

    Emmett Farmer is a binder’s apprentice. His job is to hand-craft beautiful books and, within each, to capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory.

    If you have something you want to forget, or a secret to hide, he can bind it – and you will never have to remember the pain it caused.

    In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and secrets – are meticulously stored and recorded.

    Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of the volumes has his name on it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 10, 2019
    ISBN9780008272159
    Author

    Bridget Collins

    Bridget Collins is the international bestselling author of The Binding and The Betrayals. She is also the author of seven acclaimed books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Bridget trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after reading English at King’s College, Cambridge. She lives in Kent, United Kingdom.

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    Reviews for The Binding

    4/5

    578 ratings56 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Gorgeous story beautifully narrated. A love story for the ages. An almost sci-fi vibe (“binding” is magical but the world is so so real). A mystery. An adventure to regain lost love. I LOVED IT! I can’t wait to listen again so I can catch all the details in the first half, knowing what I know now!
    • 3/5
      An average book in my opinion. This is the first time I've read a book with the concept of binding memories. The relationship between the main characters are good and heartfelt. But the pace seems a bit slow. It is definitely very atmospheric.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Just amazing. Absolutely brilliant narration
      This one will stay with me for a long time
    • 5/5
      This was beautiful. It took a few chapters to hook me; at first I was dismissing it as a sort of Footloose for books, and then as an alt-history that didn't make much sense, but then the romance started, and it all got darker and more complicated and more lovely, too, and I couldn't put it down after that. I alternated between the audio and a physical copy, and although it seems a little sacrilegious given the subject matter, I have to say the audio is perfect and I highly recommend experiencing this story that way. Bravo, that voice actor ??
    • 5/5
      This is a book I'll remember for the rest of my life. The beautiful choice of words that just seep into you, the complex story of the human heartbreak, love and healing, the depiction of reaching our darkest depths just to rise back to the light surface again... I can only say - superb, enchanting and transforming! I absolutely reccomend the audio version, too - the narrator's voice works magic of its own, it is hypnotising! Some people remark on the heavy, darker subjects, but having worked with traumatised patients for the last 15 years, I can only say - this is exactly how the healing goes. I am astonished at the capability of the writer to depict it so accurately. Don't miss it.
    • 5/5
      Book 2 days off and enjoy this amazing book !
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed part 1, part 2 nearly had me dnf’ing this book but I am so glad I stuck it through - I went through every emotion in part 3. Changed my mind about the characters all the way through
    • 4/5
      The Binding is set in what I think is late 18th/early 19th century Britain, but in an alternate version of the world where books are mainly made by a binder sucking out certain memories from another person and somehow, magically, turning them into written text.The story revolves around Emmett, who is sent to train to be a binder in somewhat mysterious circumstances. It's not really possible to say too much more without spoiling the plot!I really wanted to love this novel, but I couldn't. The writing is beautiful, but the pace is a little slow, the plot is predictable and there isn't a lot of world-building, keeping the settings fairly vague (but perhaps this is intentional). I would also have liked to learn a bit more about the process of binding - that too is kept vague.Most importantly, I felt there was something lacking in Emmett as a character throughout the book - almost like trying to grasp air (and perhaps almost like I'd been bound myself!). I wanted to really get to know him as a person, but there wasn't enough substance to enable this, even when the perspective shifts to another character. This was still a very enjoyable read, but it's not quite a 4-star book for me.
    • 5/5
      Nice when you realise the plot in the middle of the book, yet is desperate to see how it ends.
    • 5/5
      Fabulous, narration, gripping storyline. At times.I didn't want to hear anymore...but you had to! Such an original but believable concept.
    • 5/5
      4,6 stars

      I love the concept of book-binding in this world, in all it's myriad implications. I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction, and this book didn't change my mind on that account, but I did very much enjoy this story despite the time period. Had it been present day (or future), I'd probably have loved it.

      I don't generally like to read books that make me uncomfortable. I read predominantly for escapism, and books that cause more discomfort than anything else are usually the ones I end up DNFing. This book held enough intrigue and eventual hope that I kept on pushing, and I'm glad I did.

      The thing I both liked and disliked was how open ended and/or abrupt the ends to different storylines were. Had it felt less intentional, it would probably have annoyed me more. I think the thing that most tipped the scales closer toward 5 rather than 4 stars was how much this book made me feel. Mostly negative emotions, but some positive ones as well, on occasion.

      I have a feeling that this is one of those books that'll end up popping up in my thoughts from time to time for a while yet.
    • 4/5
      I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book!

      Started off very slowly, but then really picked up steam about 1/3 of the way through.

      This alternate universe looks very much like a historic version of rural England, with a twist of magical realism - books are dangerous. All "real" books are true stories, used to forget anything in your life you no longer want to remember. Or things that are too painful to remember.

      Young Emmett Farmer discovers he has a special affiliation for books and binding, altering the entire course of his life.
    • 2/5
      I don’t know what the make of this. It was….grim. It’s a unique idea and well written but I hated the story.
    • 3/5
      I was disappointed by this book. Great blurb and premise and the beginning at least was interesting. But it's another book where the fantasy element is just used as a hook for the actual story. It could have gone in so many interesting directions and just didn't! It obviously rocks the boat of many people but not me.
    • 4/5
      4 stars :* generous amounts of swirling snow* mystery* original conception* star-crossed loversBeautifully written. And I loved the imaginative premise of this novel, that memories can be removed then saved within a book binding; and Bridget Collins masterfully illuminates all the ramifications of that conceit.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful book. I loved it. what imagination, what pictures, and what a wonderful love story.

      Add to this, that it was absolutely beautifully narrated, and you have a book that can be recommended to anyone.

      A perfect escape from today's world into a wholly different world.
    • 1/5
      Dear me why did I bother. Awful. A mixture of sub-Dickens, a tiny dash of Tolkien and a huge dollop of Mills and Boon. A love story tied up in ribbons of normalised witchcraft. Overlong, over sentimental, lacking in proper research into the book binding of the title. Never again.
    • 5/5
      This is a book that I want to give more than five stars, in fact, all the stars. It's a very unique and interesting concept: people go to binders to get rid of bad memories which are put into a book. The books are supposed to be saved, but there's an illegal trade in marketing them and also writing a sort of fan-fiction which become novels. Emmett is a farmer's son who becomes very ill. When he recovers somewhat, he's sent to an old bookbinder to learn her trade. The story unfolds from there in a surprising and novel manner involving Emmett, his sister Alta, and the mysterious Lucien Darnay. It's a morality tale in some ways and a fantasy story that enchants the reader. Parts are very grim but the author writes in what I call word pictures that paint the story clearly while not being too graphic. That's probably not a good explanation, but I found the writing very immersive.This is definitely an author I'll read more from, and I recommend you should also.
    • 5/5
      I would describe this as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets a gay Pride and Prejudice and I think I'll pretty much leave it at that
    • 3/5
      An intriguing story told in 3 layers or parts.
      The concept of 'binding' was fascinating.
      Not so keen on the LGBT portrayal.
      I enjoyed the first part best.
      The middle part was a bit drawn out.
      The last part kept you reading to discover the outcome.
    • 4/5
      A very interesting premise and I was always engaged but I would have enjoyed it more if it had been written as an adult novel and had taken some of the elements a bit farther. I think even teen readers would find parts a bit too tame.
    • 4/5
      A fine disquisition on the nature of and meaning of memory, tied up in a love story and set against a Dickensian style background. I really enjoyed this book.
    • 4/5
      i did not see this book coming. there was not enough info on the back to hint at the plot, so all i knew about it was that it has a beautiful cover and my bookseller highly recommends it.needles to say, it took me by surprise. it was for me a difficult read, every page an effort for some reason. at times i even found the story cruel. but the beauty of the prose drove me forward, and it had touched something in me like no other book had in a while. by the end, i knew i'm going to read this book again. but not yet.
    • 3/5
      First offering from a YA author and it’s very easy to see the join.
    • 5/5
      The Binding (Borough Press) is Bridget Collins’ first adult book and the first number 1 for Borough Press, HarperFiction’s literary imprint. The premise is wonderful: an apprentice binder works with an aged professional and discovers that the books they craft are actually repositories for people’s unwanted memories. My chapter last night ended with a real jolt and I’m only about quarter of the way through so I am guessing that this is not a major plot spoiler – I suspect there is much more to come and I am really looking forward to galloping on. I would recommend reading the beautiful hardback for this story rather than the digital version, but read it nonetheless !
    • 3/5
      Emmett Farmer is apprenticed to a bookbinder, a profession looked on with disdain since books are forbidden. But as Seredith, the bookbinder, teaches Emmett her craft, he learns to create the books that will capture peoples’ memories. But when Seredith becomes ill and dies, will the new bookbinder hold to the same high principles, or will he teach Emmett to turn to the amoral side of bookbinding?Strong characters populate this well-drawn but bleak fantasy world in which people can truly forget the memories that cause them pain by being bound into a book. The intriguing premise unfolds with a few unexpected twists; readers are kept guessing as the narrative enchants them with its spellbinding power of books.
    • 3/5
      I loved the concept, the plotting, and the romance of this book. I hated that all the women in the book were just there to provide impetus for the actions and development of the men—particularly that their trauma and abuse was used in this way while so little personailty, agency, or characterization was given to them.
    • 4/5
      Lately there has been a Gothic/macabre streak in one's reading. Sample this beautiful cover- irises with gold leaves, no less- and I shall tell of what lies within. And that grandiose introduction illustrates overall what feeling I was left with after having read this book: a sort of anti-climax, if you will. A slight sense of having been misled in some small way. See, the thing is, this story is a love-story and no mistake. All right, it's in an unidentified age somewhere in England where exists an art called binding. Binders are gifted individuals who are capable of extracting a person's most awful memories and capturing those in a book, thus leaving the actual person a clean slate. Hence, no trauma, life back to normal, etc. etc. There are also those who would use this art for nefarious purposes- steal someone's book, for instance, and sell it. Or, worse, abuse a person again and again because after all, you just send them off to a binder and bing bang boom, all bad memories erased, you can get back to messing them up again...Even with all that, THAT is not the crux of this story. Sigh. See what I mean? The actual crux was the love story, one of a forbidden attraction, heartbreaking in its own way to be sure. But why not tell the reader that straightaway instead of mentioning it as if it were merely one thread of this fascinating world? The other thing that bothered me was the switch in point-of-view. The first two sections in one voice. Third and last section, bang, the other character narrates, to no great effect. One can't even at times keep it straight if it's Emmett or bloody Lucian. What was the point of this? (And while I am at it, the title too is extremely weak. Which binding exactly are we discussing here? They happen an awful lot you know, and would you kindly tell us which one was the most important?)Not to sound like a bitter critic. In fact let me hasten to add that the novel was immersive and the author is a talent. In fact I wish she were better served by the publicity for her own work, and also better served by an editor who forced her to stick with the same narrative voice throughout. I'll look for you again, Bridget Collins! Fare thee well, and ere long we shall share a pint whilst I listen enraptured to your plans for your next offering.
    • 4/5
      Dark and atmospheric, poignant and passionate, and magic that can erase memories by binding them into books.
    • 3/5
      The Binding by Bridget Collins is a novel taking place sometime in the past, where people can bind their memories in a book, freeing them of remembering. Ms. Collins is an author, actor, and an amateur book binder.Emmett Farmer starts an apprenticeship as bookbinder for Seredith, an elderly woman who the locals believe to be a witch. Emmett can no longer work on the farm since he is recovering from a long, mysterious illness.Soon Emmett discovers that people who arrive at Seredith leave their traumatic experiences on paper, hence erasing their memories in a gorgeous book with the person’s name on the spine.When I started reading the novel I find myself sinking into its words, written like a fable The Binding by Bridget Collins reads like an adult fairytale. The concept of binding memories fascinated me from the onset and I was curious to see where the author takes the reader from there.The book is divided into three parts. The first takes its time in setting up the story and its mysteries (people know stuff but we can’t tell you yet). The second act has the major “shocking” reveal. The third adds some more perspective and misery to the story.I was looking forward to reading more about the “binding”, how it worked, affected people and what is Emmett’s role in the whole magical realm the author created. Unfortunately the most interesting part of the story was overlooked, and just a setup for throwing personal and emotional challenges at Emmett.Emmett’s personal issues and love interest really didn’t speak to me and the long time spent on it was, for me, a distraction from the excellent promise and potential of this book. The author introduces many wonderful concepts (black market for memories, novels which are “fake memories”) which are touched upon, but I wanted to read more about them.The setup of the first act, which led to reader to believe that the story might be about the ethics of binding memories, was also somewhat forgotten. The ethical issues of Emmett and those he loves and knows are touched on, but the overall ethical dilemma which Emmett brings up in the beginning, the big picture if you will, is ignored.When reading the synopsis, and then the first act I really had high hopes for the book and wanted to like it much more than I did. I would certainly read more from Ms. Collins though, the writing is wonderful and immersive.