Benjamin Orchard

Brilliant reading of a polarising story

Revisado: 06-28-18

This is one of the best audio versions of this story out there. Each of the two first person narrators are voiced by a different performer... both David Timson & Janet McTeer (who played the same role in the 1992 movie version, but makes a stronger impression here thanks to the unabridged nature of the recording) prove adept at the various regional accents, give each character a distinctive set of vocal mannerisms and relate the larger than life events of the narrative in a suitably impassioned style.

The novel itself is a controversial work that tends to divide people along “Love it or hate it” lines... and it’s not hard to see why. Haunting imagery abounds and much of the dialogue attains an almost poetic beauty and grandeur. However, it is a grim narrative, full of abuse, incest and death - in which the main characters are often sadistically cruel or stupidly ineffectual. The pile up of misery can get wearying after a while, despite the technical brilliance of the writing. So approach with caution.

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Best version available on audible

Revisado: 06-22-18

This is arguably the best version of Anne Bronte’s classic tale available in audiobook format. Most other versions feature narrators that are either too old to be convincing in voicing the narrators or who can’t get to grips with the various regional accents... Piers Wehner & Katy Carmichael bring a youthful passion and vigour to their delivery which serves to enliven the very formal 19th century prose, and in giving each character a distinctive voice, are meticulously correct in their depiction of the correct accents.

The story itself has survived down the centuries for a reason - Anne Brontë builds suspense well, her characters are psychologically complex, the dialogue contains many quotable gems and her descriptions of both the natural environment and man-made edifices are vividly evocative.

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esto le resultó útil a 14 personas

Uninspiring plot, redeemed by vivid description and impassioned narration

Revisado: 06-15-18

This is one of those books where I feel my enjoyment was greatly enhanced by the experience of listening to it read to me. Jennifer Connelly delivers the performance of a lifetime - displaying an impressive proficiency in a wide variety of different accents and covering a much broader emotional range than any of her movies gave her the opportunity to explore, with commendable sensitivity.

It is a pity that Paul Bowles’ novel is considerably more flawed than its narrator. It tells the story of two arrogant, self-absorbed, pretentious and foolish tourists, one of whom basically brings about his own doom through sheer boneheaded stupidity. With a thin plot and unlikeable characters, the main points of interest are the vivid descriptions of the desert landscapes and social customs of a time period now lost - though some of the characters’ internal monologues also achieve a kind of almost poetic beauty, others come across as so much hot air.

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Whimsical children’s fantasy, that has some appeal for adults

Revisado: 06-12-18

Clive Barker is an author best known for writing violent horror fiction, but this is a series of light, heartwarming and whimsical fantasy stories aimed at children (though it contains sufficient wit and intelligence to entertain adult readers too).

These four stories of a magical travelling circus are rather slight in terms of plot, but make up for it with vividly colourful characterisation and some memorably snappy dialogue.

Bruce Donnelly’s amiable narration, and the distinctive voices he gives to each member of this quirky ensemble, only add to the charm of this delightful escapist fantasy.

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Amusing early work of a budding talent

Revisado: 06-11-18

One of the earliest novels written by Jane Austen, this work was not published until after her death.

It is a lighthearted comedy of errors, in which Austen’s trademark wit is very much present, that plays with the established conventions of the gothic romance novel... if there’s one thing that makes it a bit less accessible than her other works it is that Austen makes reference to popular novels of the time that aren’t all that well known today. Still, these aren’t so prevalent that the main story is unintelligible and in the character of Catherine Morland, Austen has created a distinctive, endearingly flawed heroine.

Juliet Stevenson’s narration is calmly assured and she clearly relishes in delivering the snarky authorial asides to the reader.

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Though a product of its time, remains a compelling story

Revisado: 06-07-18

Though very much a product of its time , “Watership Down” remains a compelling story and is read with great warmth and sensitivity by Ralph Cosham.

What is most remarkable about Adams’ tale is the way in which he depicts the animal protagonists as intelligent beings without anthropomorphising them. Also fascinating is the way in which he develops the culture of the rabbits, creating a kind of internal mythology and religion that the characters believe in.

Modern readers might be bothered by the fact that there aren’t many female characters in the book, and those that are there don’t usually have a proactive role in driving the narrative forward. Also, some acts of violence towards animals are depicted with a level of graphic detail that may be frightening to very young children.

Still, despite these minor failings, I’d say that “Watership Down” remains one of those few family stories that retains its dramatic power across the ages... seeing as it has the bold, adventurous spirit to appeal to younger readers and layers of psychological/philosophical depth that adults will also appreciate.

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