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Old Filth

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Old Filth

By: Jane Gardam
Narrated by: Bill Wallace
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About this listen

Long ago, Old Filth was a Raj orphan - one of the many young children sent 'home' from the East to be fostered and educated in England.

Jane Gardam's novel tells his story, from his birth in what was then Malaya to the extremities of his old age. In so doing, she not only encapsulates a whole period from the glory days of British Empire, through the Second World War, to the present and beyond, but also illuminates the complexities of the character known variously as Eddie, the Judge, Fevvers, Filth, Master of the Inner Temple, Teddy and Sir Edward Feathers.

©2004 Jane Gardam (P)2015 Hachette Audio Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Tear-jerking Inspiring

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Critic reviews

"A magnificent, deeply moving and compassionate portrait of an era and a sentimental education. Please read it." ( Daily Mail)
"Beautiful, vivid and defiantly funny." ( The Times)
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At the beginning Filth sounded quite a dull character and then as the story was revealed I was drawn into his world. I had no idea how children born to Parents living in far flung countries of the empire were treated. Heart breaking as aspects of the story served to draw you into his world in a way that confirmed a warmth for the character and a recognition as the story unfolded of how his relationship to others was affected by his early years. The slow revelation of his childhood experiences and how his life progressed from these early experiences was done so naturally that it almost felt that the insights that dawned on him were revealed to you at the same time. An amazing act of story telling beautifully laid out.

The gradual revealing of a touching and poignant story

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I wish it hadn't finished..listen again?! probably ......definitly .... a wonderful story....!cheers Sir Teddy Feathers!

totally absorbing....wonderful

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Really interesting era set during the end of empire before the second world war. Very well read and very well told.

Brilliantly told story of the Raj orphans

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This is a touching, interesting and often funny book, about a generation of Raj orphans, children who were sent to Britain by their parents and brought up by strangers. It is read with perfect nuance, tenderness and humour by bill Wallace.

A wonderful book, beautifully read

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The narrator is one of the best if not the best I've listened to. Thank you so much.

Beautifully written

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This book looks back at the life of an old barrister and judge as he comes to the end of his life, so prepare for jumping around in time and location, and only having answers to some questions posed at the beginning resolved at the end.

The narrator was great. I easily listened to this through a number of car journeys, but would probably have been frustrated if I'd read this as a book, ie dedicating time and effort especially for this. The end result feels like, life is pretty pointless. There seems to be no reason put forward by the author for life, or a moral of sorts, so felt a bit empty by the end.

Purpose??

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Wide ranging, beautifully written and narrated. A history of the twentieth century. You’ll fall in love with Old Filth.

Superb

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I loved this book. The story of Sir Edward Feathers sad, difficult life from birth through to the end.

Beautiful Story Well Read

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What made the experience of listening to Old Filth the most enjoyable?

After at least five years, this is still my favourite audio book, along with A Thousand Splendid Suns.

A lovely story and very well read.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything

Have you listened to any of Bill Wallace’s other performances? How does this one compare?

His best

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's like a warm hug from an old friend now

Any additional comments?

Try it - you really won't be disappointed

My favourite audio book

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Bill Wallace does an excellent job of portraying Old Filth and revealing his past life. A story gently told despite the terrible events of Feathers' young life. Events unravel in a subtle, gradual way and you can feel desperately sorry for the young boy while at the same time understanding Old Filth's lack of emotion in the living of his later life, and the telling of it. I felt quite close to Teddy in the end.

Very enjoyable reminiscences and life story

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