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Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
Hailed by the Washington Post Book World as "a modern classic", Robertson Davies’ acclaimed Deptford Trilogy is a glittering, fantastical, cunningly contrived series of novels, around which a mysterious death is woven.
This first novel in the trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way. Even his seemingly innocent involvement in as innocuous an event as throwing a snowball proves to be neither innocent nor innocuous in the end.
Critic reviews
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/Audible/en_US/images/creative/Cristina_Harcar_360x360._CB1525375918_.png)
Editor's Pick
I owe it all to John Irving
"In John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, the protagonist glories in the excellence of Canadian literature. And that’s how I first heard the name ‘Robertson Davies.‘ Fifth Business is one of my favorite novels of his, and definitely the best place to dive into Davies Deptford Trilogy. Mark Vietor’s witty, crisp, masterful performance makes 10 hours fly by with humor and awe. When people ask me about WWI novels, or Canadian authors, or hilarious gems…this suggestion never fails."
—Christina H., Audible Editor
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Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son, Tony, set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbor, George Knox, has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village.
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Beginning of a journey
- By Jerri C on 11-04-16
By: Angela Thirkell, and others
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The Gilded Age
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America - an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naiveté of their own time in a work that endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
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Great Story, but Audio Quality Not Always Good
- By BethGA on 02-27-24
By: Mark Twain
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Plain Tales from the Hills
- By: Rudyard Kipling
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate, evocative, often funny, and always vital portrait of India at the peak of the British Raj. Written at the age of 22, they immediately show Kipling's natural and prodigious talent. Timeless, they can be listened to forever.
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Gentle irony
- By Simon Bowler on 01-25-06
By: Rudyard Kipling
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More Die of Heartbreak
- By: Saul Bellow
- Narrated by: Ramiz Monsef
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Kenneth Trachtenberg, an eccentric and witty native of Paris, travels to the Midwest to spend time with his famous American uncle, a world-renowned botanist and self-described "plant visionary". After numerous affairs and failed relationships, the restless Uncle Benn seeks a settled existence in the form of marriage - but tying the knot again opens the door to a host of new torments.
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A great book
- By John A. on 03-16-22
By: Saul Bellow
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Humboldt's Gift
- By: Saul Bellow
- Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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For years, they were the best of friends: the grand, erratic Humboldt and the ambitious young Charlie. But now Humboldt has died a failure, and Charlie's success-ridden life has taken various turns for the worse. Then Humboldt acts from the grave to change Charlie's life: he has left Charlie something in his will.
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Great Book, Great Reader
- By Scott on 05-10-08
By: Saul Bellow
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Father Sergius & Other Short Stories
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Tolstoy brings to these brief tales the same psychological depth and spiritual insight found in his larger works. In fact, his short stories are an excellent place to begin reading this great author. In them, you will find the same challenging themes of morality, forgiveness, redemption and more.
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Unusual and enjoyable
- By Tad Davis on 06-17-11
By: Leo Tolstoy
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Journey to the End of the Night
- By: Louis-Ferdinand Celine
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 19 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Louis-Ferdinand Celine's revulsion and anger at what he considered the idiocy and hypocrisy of society explodes from nearly every minute of this novel. Filled with slang and obscenities and written in raw, colloquial language, Journey to the End of the Night is a literary symphony of violence, cruelty, and obscene nihilism. This book shocked most critics when it was first published in France in 1932, but quickly became a success with the public in Europe, and later in America.
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Miserable Ride with Cynic Supreme
- By W Perry Hall on 03-15-17
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The Young Clementina
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Charlotte Dean enjoys nothing more than the solitude of her London flat and the monotonous days of her work at a travel bookshop. But when her younger sister unceremoniously bursts into her quiet life one afternoon, Charlotte's world turns topsy-turvy. Beloved author D. E. Stevenson captures the intricacies of post-World War I England with a light, comic touch that perfectly embodies the spirit of the time. Alternatively heartbreaking and witty, The Young Clementina is a touching tale of love, loss and redemption through friendship.
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Miss Dean's Dilemma
- By Jerri C on 05-02-18
By: D. E. Stevenson
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Mark Twain - The Complete Novels
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Lee Howard
- Length: 58 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Here you will find the complete novels of Mark Twain: 1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Starts at Chapter 1, 2. The Prince and the Pauper Starts at Chapter 37, 3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Starts at Chapter 70, 4. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Starts at Chapter 113, 5. The American Claimant Starts at Chapter 158, 6. Tom Sawyer Abroad Starts at Chapter 184, 7. Pudd'nhead Wilson Starts at Chapter 197, 8. Tom Sawyer, Detective Starts at Chapter 219, 9. A Horse's Tale Starts at Chapter 230, 10. The Mysterious Stranger Starts at Chapter 245.
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Content; GREAT! Performance.. .not so much😁
- By brian deis on 01-09-20
By: Mark Twain
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When Helene Hanff makes an innocent inquiry about the possibility of purchasing hard-to-find books through Marks and Co., Booksellers, she begins a 20-year love affair with Frank Doel, the proper English bookseller who answers her letter and sends along her first order in the fall of 1949. They are two very unlikely correspondents.
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must love academe circa mid 20th C
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What listeners say about Fifth Business
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert Walters
- 06-14-17
I took a chance, and was greatly rewarded.
This isn't my normal genre. I generally don't like books set in this time period, or books that don't have something immediately gripping in the plot. Regardless, I gave this book a chance - mostly because I liked the cover and thought it was about running a business. After the first few chapters, I became so attached to the main character that finishing this book feels a bit like losing a friend. I'm astonished. More importantly, I'm very satisfied. The reading was great, too.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Paul F.
- 12-13-17
some of the best writing I have had the pleasure
Great read(listen), i laughed out loud many times. jokes with depth and truth. satisfying ending that leaves some room for conversation. loved it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Chris
- 03-26-21
Just a delight!
I got this blindly after seeing someone post about it. I had no idea of the story or the author, but I found it a wonderfully fun and insightful story.
The narration is top-notch as well.
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- Jonelle
- 06-18-12
Love John Irving? You'll love this!
Any additional comments?
If you love John Irving's sagas, you'll enjoy Robertson Davies.
This trilogy was recommended to me probably 30 years ago and many times since. But it was a friend's recent comment comparing the two authors that made me finally make time.
I'm glad I did. It was well written, quirky and oddly compelling. I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 12-09-18
Canadian Gem
This is one of the pleasant surprises found by going through lists of "great books". I had not heard of the author or the book. I really enjoyed this book a lot. The writing is subtle and excellent, mixing in themes of religion and spirituality, Jung and Erikson archetypes, and fate versus free will. The story is revealed through an introspective letter from an older adult retelling his life. There is a lot of humor, explicit and subtle and very subtle. I particularly enjoyed the multiple levels that kept influencing the story. The smooth writing along with this gentle shifting makes this a truly great read.
I would recommend this to most readers and will likely read it again.
I appreciated the narration which is completely clear, and expresses the extraordinary subtle humor and the quirky perspective of the narrator.
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- Kelly
- 11-07-19
smart, witty, nuanced and charming
Fifth Business is the first book of Davies’ Deptford trilogy, and if the other two are half as good as this I am in for a treat because this book was highly enjoyable. I am new to Robertson Davies and was glad to see that he has quite a few other books for me to hunt down. This series centers around the people in the small town, Deptford, Ontario. The main character, Dunstan Ramsay, narrates the story. He is intelligent and witty, and because he seems to have lived as an outsider, he has also been a sharp-witted observer. Ramsay is a school teacher at an all boys' private school. Unmarried and childless he is a lonely man with no real friends. It seems the only person in his life is man named "Boy" who is more enemy than friend. Boy is married to the woman that Ramsay once desired. Boy is wealthy and popular. He is everything Ramsay is not; successful in a way that Ramsay has never been. He is also prideful and narcissistic and seems to enjoy reminding Ramsay of his superiority.
When the two were boys they were part of the same tragic moment that caused a woman to give birth to her child very early and led to a loss of cognition in the woman. These events changed Ramsay. He spent the rest of his childhood acting as a helpmate to the family, and his young-adulthood trying to escape the self-imposed guilt. He never really got over it. He lived with the events as a secret in his memory alone, and the guilt wrecked him. This one event shaped the person Ramsay became. Ramsay comes to think of this woman as perfect; saint-like. And he believes that she performs miracles. Never actually religious he is obsessed with saints and their role in history.
I really enjoyed Dunstan Ramsay as the narrator. As I mentioned above he was shrewdly observant of others but lacking in self-awareness. He is a bit unreliable because of that, and that makes his story more intriguing. Because of his quiet and intelligent observations we experience the realities of life in a small town at the beginning of the 20th century, and then the horror of World War 1.
But what about Boy? He was the person actually responsible, but the moment didn't linger in his consciousness. He shows us how our lives our intertwined with those around us and how every action we take impacts someone else. He quietly reminds us to choose wisely. And as we see how Boy has been impacted - or not - by the same events, we are reminded that even minor events can be major ones for someone else.
I found the book enjoyable, wise and charming. I will definitely read more of Davies' works.
4.5 stars
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- Darwin8u
- 05-20-17
An Under-appreciated Masterpiece
"As I have grown older my bias--the oddly recurrent themes of history, which are also the themes of myth--has asserted itself, and why not?"
- Robertson Davies, Fifth Business
Robertson Davies is one of those authors who has constantly been a peripheral artist. I've seen his books, corner of my eye, at bookstores (used and new) but never focused. Never stayed. Never picked one up. Recently I asked a couple friends to recommend some bigger books (or series) that they really liked. A friend of mine, who is an author and shares many similar tastes (Patrick O'Brian and John le Carré, etc) recommend the Deptford Trilogy by Davies. So, I picked it up.
Gobsmacked. Ach mein Gott! This book is good. It reminded me of an intellectualized version of John Irving (later I discovered Irving LOVED/LOVES Davies) mixed with a bit of John Fowles. He is a master of time, place, and character AND he is also one of those authors whose prose is full of little. quotable bon mots or philosophical epigrams. And while I readily admit that these are a bit like sugar sprinkles for me -- they work and their is a reason I adore them.
Anyway, the book carried a great deal of emotional resonance with me. Enough so that I'm jamming a copy I bought for my wife to read (she is a beast on books, so I bought her a mass-market version for her pleasure and sacrifice...she doesn't get the hardcover one I have). I am excited to spend more time with these characters in books two (The Manticore) and book three (World of Wonders). I'll return and report as I finish.
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23 people found this helpful
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- Laurie
- 03-23-20
Unlike Any Book I’ve Ever Read
Or listened to, for that matter.
The narrator is excellent. His dry, matter-of-fact style is perfect and accentuates the droll humor and irony perfectly.
I was in love with the story from the outset because the protagonist would have been an exact contemporary of my grandfather and described his youthful emotions and experiences in a way that was very familiar to me. Davies had the characterization of a Protestant white male in a small town down to a tee. A particular character type of that era — is a more accurate description.
The way the plot slowly unwound was mesmerizing. The pace was slow and deliberate, but each separate event had its own interest and significance and still fits neatly into the total puzzle of the story. The main characters are three young men who grew up in the same small town. Each one has a remarkable life — one a famous writer and historian, another a rich executive and politician and the third a famous magician. Their lives are all tied together by events in the first few pages of the book and the woman the events touch. The story starts in 1908 and ends in 1970. On the surface it didn’t seem like the kind of novel I would like but I’d heard the author praised and I wasn’t disappointed.
Impossible to describe but this book was simultaneously entertaining and profound. It was also a marvelous piece of prose. Beautiful writing. This is a must read.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-22-16
An amazing listen
All in all, it was an amazing novel, well writen and well performed!
It was very interesting and I loved the end the most; so well tied up that I have never listened to a better ending. But I do think that is because I have not read enough books yet.
In the end it was an unforgettable listen and I very much recommend it.
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- Pat
- 08-06-18
Well written
This is the first book I have read by Robertson Davies. It was very engaging and made me download the two other parts of the trilogy.
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1 person found this helpful