Blue Ticket: A Novel
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Blue Ticket: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Sophie Mackintosh (Author), Freya Mavor (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,112 ratings
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Belletrist's August 2020 Book Pick

"[Mackintosh's] writing is clear and sharp, with piercing moments of wisdom and insight that drive toward a pitch-perfect ending.... Blue Ticket adds something new to the dystopian tradition set by Orwell’s 1984 or Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale." (New York Times Book Review)

From the author of the Man Booker Prize longlisted novel The Water Cure ("ingenious and incendiary" (The New Yorker)) comes another mesmerizing, refracted vision of our society: What if the life you're given is the wrong one?

Calla knows how the lottery works. Everyone does. On the day of your first bleed, you report to the station to learn what kind of woman you will be. A white ticket grants you marriage and children. A blue ticket grants you a career and freedom. You are relieved of the terrible burden of choice. And once you've taken your ticket, there is no going back. But what if the life you're given is the wrong one?

When Calla, a blue ticket woman, begins to question her fate, she must go on the run. But her survival will be dependent on the very qualities the lottery has taught her to question in herself and on the other women the system has pitted against her. Pregnant and desperate, Calla must contend with whether or not the lottery knows her better than she knows herself and what that might mean for her child.

An urgent inquiry into free will, social expectation, and the fraught space of motherhood, Blue Ticket is electrifying in its raw evocation of desire and riveting in its undeniable familiarity.

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  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 48 minutes
  2. Author
    Sophie Mackintosh
  3. Narrator
    Freya Mavor
  4. Audible release date
    June 30, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0862G985B
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 48 minutes
Author Sophie Mackintosh
Narrator Freya Mavor
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 30, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0862G985B
Best Sellers Rank #181,395 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,079 in Dystopian Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#3,418 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#5,759 in Dystopian Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
1,112 global ratings
Book jacket
3 Stars
Book jacket
Received the item without a book jacket, not really that big of a deal, but I prefer the covers. Not sure if it’s happened to other people or just me. Props to customer service though! They resolved my problem quickly.
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Top reviews from the United States

Joel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021
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I will say that to start out I struggled with this book a bit. The writing starts out cold and didn't seem to flow for me; it felt very detached.

By the end of it, however, I felt like this was a really incredible, gorgeously executed and moving book -- the best novel I've read that's been published in the past few years.

I would highly recommend it, and say that it's worth sticking it out to the end. Very beautiful.
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Dtarver
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard story to read
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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I’m not sure what I think of this book. It had such promise. There wasn’t really any world building, we never even know what year it is or why the girls are made to pick a ticket. One problem I have is that the girls are put out on a road by themselves the minute they have a period, and made to make it on their own. Boys seem to be too, but their choice of having a child or not is never taken away from them, and I think that is one of the worst things that happens in this book. The ending is pretty bad. The main character is naive and a little stupid. I don’t want to give anything away but the whole book just made me sad. There was so very little joy to be found in this book.
2 people found this helpful
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M
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite handmaids tale
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
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Overall this was an interesting read and I'd recommend it. I do think it's not quite as fulfilling as I hoped as I read. I was kind of hoping for more depth into this world created and so when it ends you wish you knew more and understood more. It feels like you weren't given enough in the journey to really commit to it. I feel that this was intentional by the writer and it does give the book a certain nuance to it, yet for a reader, I can't feel as much connection as I want because of the details it lacks. That being said, it is not quite a handmaid's tale but it's worth reading.
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Kari Meek
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020
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My Review of the
BLUE TICKET
By Sophie Mackintosh
Published by Doubleday Books
***********
This dystopian and feminist novel was one that really intrigues, perplexes and makes you think while you read. It is a page turner that can’t be left for another day because you must know how everything plays out as you have already bonded with your protagonist. I felt connected because I actually cared and was conflicted personally for her. This is a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and it is a must read for anyone.

Calla was born into this dystopian world and like all other females; they must go and receive a ticket upon maturity of menstruation to discover what lies in their fate for their future self.

A white ticket determines they are deemed worthy of marriage and children and a blue ticket means they are fated to a life of a career and total independence. Once you receive your ticket there is no going back and measures are put into place to ensure that if you ever yearn for the other life, that it will not happen.

This system of choosing for the women has released them of having to choose between the two for themselves. Believing they have somehow provided relief and burden to women and that they know better than the women themselves.

But what if free will and social expectations collide and the system is flawed? That women like Calla believe they were given the wrong ticket and the life that has been chosen for them is not at all what they would choose on their own. What if some women are willing to defy the Government no matter the cost, to live the life they believe they were truly born to live, even if it means dying for it?

Blue Ticket tests the extremes of the imagination of how far power and control can intervene if it is allowed to rise over people’s own desires.
10 people found this helpful
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sehai741
2.0 out of 5 stars Terrible writing.
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2021
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The storyline is great, but the writing is terrible and hard to follow. You never get to know or have real feelings for the main character. The story jumps around too much to enjoy it.
One person found this helpful
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Jessica S.
1.0 out of 5 stars Don’t order. Big let down.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
I had such high expectations for this book. I loved the concept idea and as a result I ended up ordering the book the very first day it released. First of all, there are no quotations to distinguish when someone is speaking out loud, which really bothered me but I was able to eventually catch on and figure out who was speaking. Secondly, without giving away the ending, I was highly disappointed in the way it ended. The beginning was slow and jumped around a bit. The middle picked up. Closer to the end of the book I expected one thing to happen, but it didn’t, and suddenly the book was over. Maybe my expectations for this book are what ended up disappointing me, but I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
2 people found this helpful
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Yadira Andrade
5.0 out of 5 stars Best friend liked it...
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2020
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A friend of mine recommended this book to me. I instantly put it in my wish list because she is a non-reader. An she said it caught her attention. So I bought it for my best friend while she was in quarantine from Covid-19 so it can give he a break from reality. She told me she was unsure about it at but it grew on her and at the end she really liked it.
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Mitzie
3.0 out of 5 stars It grew on me
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2020
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Eh. It grew on me as I read, but I didn’t enjoy the writing style. It seemed too forced, too intentionally creative. I also thought the presentation of the blue and white characters was, unfortunately, so black and white that it was boring. I understand the intent, but the presentation was simplistic and at times annoying. Still, I did continue reading. It was entertaining, but not moving and not thought provoking. I can easily move on to my next read.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Katie LeClare
3.0 out of 5 stars Defective
Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2020
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Original purchase was defective with pages that were not readable due to heavy ink and smearing. Did exchange (which was very quick) but second copy also having same issue. The book itself is very good. Will purchase Kindle edition once I am refunded.
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Ana Rita
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Reviewed in Spain on April 13, 2021
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Arrived perfectly packed and in good condition! Beautiful hardback cover.
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Ivana Korpar
2.0 out of 5 stars Needs more work
Reviewed in Germany on April 7, 2021
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Good idea of a dystopia, but lacks worldbuilding.
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Kim H
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2020
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This was my first foray into clinical prose (thank you Steph for enlightening me on how it was written) and I bloody loved it.

I love a good dystopian fiction novel and this one 100% delivered. I always thought Margaret Atwood was queen of this genre (I've adored her since I read The Heart Goes Last) but if Sophie's other books are anything like this one then she might be knocked off her throne.

As someone who doesn't want children, it was really interesting to me to read about an alternative world where some people are desperate for them, in the same way that people in our world are desperate for them, but their journeys are very different to ours.

And just when I thought I couldn't love this book anymore, along came lesbianism and I was obsessed 🙌🏼

Very easily could have read this in a couple of days had it not been for work/multiple reads. And this is one book that I haven't seen much of on Bookstagram but it should be ALL OVER IT.
5 people found this helpful
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mel
5.0 out of 5 stars Great second book from Sophie
Reviewed in Australia on June 18, 2020
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Fantastic second book by the author of The Water Cure.
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