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Shrines of Gaiety
- Narrated by: Jason Watkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
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Shrines of Gaiety
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.
The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie's empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho's gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.
With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson brings together a glittering cast of characters in a truly mesmeric novel that captures the uncertainty and mutability of life; of a world in which nothing is quite as it seems.
Critic reviews
"This is the perfect novel for uncertain times."(The Times)
"I can think of few writers other than Dickens who can match it." (Sunday Times)
"Brilliant." (Richard Osman)
What listeners say about Shrines of Gaiety
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cfc Caumartin
- 05-05-24
Good book but…
It’s a good story with engaging characters. I really liked it but the voice over was marred by the actor’s embarrassing prononciation of French-unless it was a wilful on the author’s part. My favourite one was the coup de grace pronounced coup de gras. I spluttered in my tea. It’s very funny to my French ears, but really unprofessional if it was not meant to be. Oh and it’s not a one off, it’s every single bit of French and there is a fair bit in that book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brian Anderson
- 01-10-22
Great book enjoy.
As always a joy to read/hear Kate Atkinson's words. A rollercoaster of a book, enjoy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- LucyB
- 18-10-22
Took awhile to get into
Struggled to start, it bounces around so much with lots of characters. Once it got going it was good, not great, but I liked the characters and it was cleverly woven.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-10-22
Very entertaining
An enjoyable audiobook. Jason Watkins is an excellent reader who is very well tuned in to the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Angela Forster
- 04-10-22
Excellent
Kate’s waspish humour and social observation - a northern Jane Austen for our time. She has a real talent for expressing class commentary with intelligence. Thanks
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vivien Newsome
- 27-12-22
Thoroughly enjoyable
My ideal fiction mixed fact and history - running up to the great strikes of 1926 an era I know little about with personal stories woven in. Grand
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss A Y Canty
- 02-11-22
Fantastic
I feel really sad now I’ve just finished it. Loved the story and all the characters. Never a dull moment.
Jason Watkins’ performance is absolutely fantastic, enthralling, sublime. I could go on. Jason really is one of the very best actors out there.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. Newman
- 06-12-22
Another fantastic Atkinson
Love the north/south class divide. Themes are relevant throughout the generations. Hooked as always.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. V. F. Brown
- 07-11-22
Great period drama
Narrator good at various accents and holding attention. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend to Atkinson fans.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dorothy McGarven
- 02-12-22
A most enjoyable listen
I spent a delightful few hours listening to this. As always, Kate Atkinson has told a great story with memorable characters. I took a star off because I would have liked better resolution for a few characters.
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