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Astray

Astray: Episode 2: The Widow's Cruse

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Episode 2: The Widow's Cruse

The Widow's Cruse

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An attorney, in 1735 New York, is surprised to find a recently-widowed lady at his door.

1735, New York. Attorney Mr Huddlestone is surprised to find the recently widowed Mrs Gomez at his door. Read by John Schwab.

Four short stories from Emma Donoghue's new collection Astray. These fact-inspired fictions, about travels to, in and from North America, focus on emigrants, runaways or drifters all gone astray for love or money, under duress or incognito. Emma's compassionate imagination crosses borders of race, law, sex, and sanity bringing the reader through a scattered scrap-book of history.


The Widow's Cruse, read by John Schwab, follows a bachelor attorney in 1735 New York. The lawyer idealises his childless, wifeless existence until a recently widowed Mrs Gomez appears at his office door.


Dublin born Emma Donoghue is an emigrant twice over; she spent eight years in Cambridge doing a PHD before moving to southwest Ontario where she now lives. Emma is probably best known for her international bestseller Room, winner of the Roger's Writers' Trust Fiction prize and the Hughes & Hughes Irish novel of the year and a finalist for the Man Booker. Emma has also written The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask alongside many short story collections, most recently Three and a Half Deaths. Emma has also written drama for radio, theatre and screen.

The Widow's Cruse was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Laura Conway.

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Fact-inspired short stories by Emma Donoghue about travels to, in and from North America

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