uneventful

this book is well known and has very good reviews but for me it was disappointing. I found it rather uneventful. I think maybe it's just not my thing.

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Great book, not so great narrator

This is a beautiful story but it is read like the Saturday afternoon football results on match of the day.

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Not Fitzgeralds best

Found this difficult to get into with characters arriving too quickly and confusingly named after their boats. Didnt care for the narration. Hollinghurst had a strange didactic way of speaking that grated on me. Story did grow on me and humour and pathos wonderfully mixed.

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An accomplished story, spoiled by the narration.

I would have expected a polished style of narration, for this book, a voice full of character and gravitas, given that this novel won the Booker Prize. Sadly the narration, for me, sadly let down the great quality of writing.
The cast of characters in this wonderful story was varied and the narrative drew me into a world of outsiders living a bohemian life on Thames barges. It's a charming, poignant tale which has moments of humour and real sadness.
Overall, a little disappointing. A different voice and style of narration could have made it great.

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Quirky & compelling

Great storytelling. A light touch, beautiful dialogue.
Narration odd- rather too buoyant and every other word slightly emphasized- but it does not spoil the performance.

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Wonderful writing appallingly read

One of the great authors. Sadly, the forced, repetitive intonation of the reader's performance of this Audible version makes it impossible to listen. Such a shame to ruin this important novel.

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did not want it to finish

I was totally absorbed by these characters. Their everyday resilience to what some might see as overwhelming situations was written so easily and with such efficiency! I was so absorbed in the narrative that ,at times, I forgot I was reading a book!! It finishes very abruptly, which is a disappointment as when something is this good I want a warning it is coming to an end!

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Did not want the story to end

I love Penelope Fitzgerald’s writing and I loved this novel. She always surprises and leaves me wanting more. Wasn’t too keen on the reader but the place, the people (especially the children) and the time, were made so real it was easy for me to overcome my dislike of the narration.

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Adequate reading

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He renders the characters' voices well (even when faced with a Canadian accent), but I found his tone when reading the narrative sing-song and infantilising, like he was reading me Winnie the Pooh. Quite unsuitable for a bleak, grown-up novel like this one.

Any additional comments?

Not Fitzgerald's best, but a strong book – compressed, allusive, subtle and often funny, much like her others. The voice of Alan Hollinghurst's baritone reading his insightful Introduction to the reissue is a treat and almost worth the price of the audiobook.

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3 people found this helpful

Despite the Hype

When you listen to the promotional clip you don't get a chance to hear the narrator of the actual story or indeed the content. The book itself is fine, if a bit short, but it's hard to even know if I liked it because it had two fawning introductions, and then the narration was EMPHATIC in the STYLE of a CHILDREN'S book. I suspect the book is good, hence the 4 stars, but it was almost impossible to enjoy it in a fresh way because of the layers of hype you have leading into it, and then the delivery.

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