Jon C

Delightful Georgian Mystery

Revisado: 11-25-24

Such a good follow up to Larsen’s A NOVEL DISGUISE! Perfect for fans of historical mystery with plenty of fascinating tidbits about the time period, plus a satisfying continuation of the characters we got to know in the first book. Well worth the listen!

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Very worthwhile if you're a Wilkie fan

Revisado: 06-16-23

As usual Nicholas Boulton does an amazing job bringing a Wilkie Collins story to life. I even found myself pausing and replaying some of the particularly delightful turns of phrase. This one is certainly worth your time if you're already a Wilkie Collins fan. As many of his books do, this one has a secret at the heart of it, and piecing it all together is a good part of the fun, especially since there are many disparate characters at the beginning. I think it's fair to say that Hide and Seek is more about the characters and their dealings than the plot, which is kind of thin and not really discernible until what seemed like more than halfway into the book. Thinking about it, I wonder if old Wilkie knew what he wanted the plot of this to be when he started writing, because it veers around from one character to another, making the reader think the plot could lie with this main character or that other character, but instead, any movement in the plot lies with a character introduced quite late. As a result, it took a little patience to get into the story, which is why I believe it's for a Wilkie fan rather than someone who hasn't read his top 4 novels, but all that said, I found it very enjoyable once all the main characters were introduced.

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My Favorite Romance of the Year So Far!

Revisado: 02-02-23

A quick paced and fun read about a woman trying to find herself in the sometimes not-so-glamorous world of the film/TV industry. The love interest is appropriately swoon worthy and both characters had me rooting for them. Kept me listening way too late into the night!

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Great narration

Revisado: 08-01-21

Narration was spot on. Story was fascinating, but most of the second half is told from the point of view of characters who are the antagonists, and the characters you grew to like in the beginning have less to do. My desire to see where it would all lead got me to the end, and it was an interesting ending, but it did leave me feeling less satisfied than Collins's other book with the same narrators, NO NAME. ARMADALE delves deep into the psychology of crime and criminals, and into most of the characters' heads. This was fine for me when the story was being told through the eyes of characters I liked, but when it veered into unlikable POV's for long stretches, it was decidedly more difficult. This is probably my own personal preference, however. If you're looking to commit to reading one of Collins's lesser known novels, I personally think NO NAME is more entertaining and satisfying, but this was also interesting in its own way.

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Captivating and Clever--I did not want it to end!

Revisado: 07-20-21

I didn't know what to expect with NO NAME. I'd read Wilkie Collins's two most well-known masterpieces, THE WOMAN IN WHITE and THE MOONSTONE and really enjoyed them both, but I'll admit I wondered if any of Collins's other novels were worth reading (after all, no one seems to talk about the others when Collins's name is mentioned). But, I think I enjoyed NO NAME more than either of his two most well-known books!

The first hour or so, where characters and threads are set up, was a bit slow, and I was considering whether it would be worth 27+ hours of my time, but after the characters are introduced, I soon started to wonder what the "big secret" was and how it would affect the rest of the story. The first big section leads up the reveal of the secret, and I did not come anywhere near to guessing it (I definitely recommend not reading too many reviews with spoilers if you can).

Nicholas Boulton's narration works so well here--his voices for Captain Wragg and Mrs. Wragg were some of my favorites. I had more than a few laughs from the oddness of Captain Wragg who almost single-handedly kept the long middle section of the story from dragging (Collins uses a number of clever devices throughout to sustain the long story, but Captain Wragg's intrigues were some of the most entertaining). There's a lot going on in this book and threads come, disappear for a while, and then return to rear their heads in spectacular fashion.

Collins clearly thought that his readers would find his heroine morally repugnant for a lot of her actions throughout the book, so there is a lot of moral justification for things she does, which would not be so necessary in a novel today. By most modern standards, many of the things she does just aren't very shocking, but it's clear from other characters' reactions that we're in a Victorian world, and you have to listen to the book with that frame of reference. Yet, this book was so enjoyable. I fell in love with most of the characters, and it felt very much like listening to a stage play--just what I want in such a long novel. I couldn't stop listening so I could hear what would happen next, and yet I was so sad when it ended because I wouldn't be able to spend more time with these characters I'd grown so attached to. If you like Victorian novels, complicated heroines, or Wilkie Collins's other novels, definitely give this a try!

Narration Note: The first time one of the other narrators picks up the story by reading one of the many letters, it's a bit jarring. However, the other narrators only read the characters' letters, so if you're having trouble reconciling the voices they use with the voices you've been hearing Boulton use for hours, keep in mind that most of the letters don't last very long.

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Interesting concept/characters but starts slow

Revisado: 08-26-17

If you like British classics and/or Victorian set novels, you will probably enjoy this novel. Amy Snow is a sympathetic character and the journey Aurelia sends her on is interesting, but the first 3rd of the book alternates chapters between the present and the past, which has the effect of slowing the story down considerably. If the 2nd section of the book had continued alternating the present narrative with full chapters of backstory, I would have returned the book, but thankfully, the backstory chapters ended with part 1 and the pacing finally started picking up. Obviously, the backstory is necessary to understand the journey Aurelia has created for Amy, but I really think the author could have sprinkled the backstory in as necessary, rather than slowing down the pace of the novel so drastically at the beginning. I would actually liken it to Jane Eyre where the first 100 pages are necessary but occasionally difficult to slog through. Still, if you can get through the beginning, the story is an interesting slice of Victoriana. If you've read a lot of historical fiction, Aurelia's secret probably won't be too difficult to guess--so if you're expecting a mystery or a kind of treasure hunt as the book's description implies, be aware that this book is really more of a character study than anything else. The narrator does do an excellent job; her accents are spot on and all her voices distinct.

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Cute/clever re-imagining kept me listening late!

Revisado: 08-25-17

I really enjoyed this take on the Snow White story and that our heroine was not gorgeous like Snow White usually is. This is such a clever re-telling with many elements I didn't see coming. The narration was very good and generally seamless, although anyone buying this should be aware that in the land where this book takes place, the characters like to sing a lot. This means that the narrator has to speak all the songs (and there are many of them, and some are very long). This wouldn't be an issue if you were reading the book because then you could skim down the length of the songs and see what they were about. With the audio book you have to listen to every line--even the repeats of some of the choruses, which grew somewhat irritating. Still, if you enjoy poetry recitations, or can tune out for a bit, or don't listen in the car and are good at using your FF button, this issue shouldn't be a problem for you. It certainly didn't ruin the story for me, which was generally delightful!

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Such a fun adaptation!

Revisado: 07-31-17

I really loved this adapted version of Northanger Abbey. If you're an Austen fan this will make you smile (although I definitely think they took a few liberties, especially at the beginning where it seemed like they added some lines). If you've never read Northanger or had to read it in school, I would highly recommend this version as it is much more complete than either of the movies and the different voices of the actors really bring it to life. Also, Emma Thompson is so wonderful to listen to!

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Victorian suspense brought to life!

Revisado: 02-18-16

Great narration of a sometimes dense and very long book. Though I knew the gist of the story from movies, etc., I had never read the novel because of its length. So glad I bought the audio book! The character's voices were all distinct and interesting to listen to and the two narrators brought them to life. The danger of any novel with multiple points of view is that the reader is inevitably sorry when the next character/narrator appears, but the audio narration here is so seamless that within a short while the reader is interested and acclimated again and ready to keep going. As rediculous as it sounds, I wish the book could have gone on even longer.

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