The Corporal's Wife cover art

The Corporal's Wife

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The Corporal's Wife

By: Gerald Seymour
Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
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About this listen

Farideh's husband is a corporal in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, entrapped by MI6 for interrogation. His job as a driver to a top general has left him with potentially valuable knowledge, but he won't talk unless Farideh is brought out of Iran. The SAS say it's too dangerous, so MI6 assemble a team of three ex-soldiers and a student dropout who knows the language and smuggles them into Tehran.…

©2013 Gerald Seymour (P)2013 W F Howes Ltd Action & Adventure Espionage Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Middle East Iran Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Once again demonstrating his ability to probe the moral murkiness of the spy trade…Seymour crafts a sophisticated, reader-teasing tale." ( Sunday Times on The Outsiders)
All stars
Most relevant  
I read the book blurb for this story and looked forward to the journey.
Initially I found the performers voice a little disappointing and though the story might be ruined.
Very soon I realised his ability to differentiate the characters and accents.
As the story evolved and took turns and twists i didn’t expect from Gerald Seymour, I was swept up in the story and the performers telling of it.
As we neared the climax, the emotion invoked was really quite incredible.
A good story, took some time to establish the premise but worth while when it did.
The characters were good, human frailties considered to make a great yarn!

Great story, characters and a fast pace!

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Not one of GS's best books and the narrator's style doesn't help. He doesn't leave a pause when the story moves from one plot line to another which can be confusing. The daftest little niggle was casevac, should be pronounced cas-e-vac not like some form of Hoover for a portmanteau!
If you want the author at his best try Vagabond instead.

Poor narration and not one of Seymour's best

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I normally love this genre of Middle Eastern political thriller (Iranian officer caught in honey trap by British agents, extraction team into Iran to get his wife) but I'm afraid this really dragged on for me and I found it difficult at times to keep my focus. The narrator didn't help matters either - his voice and narration were good enough but he never left any gaps between a change of scene in the book like other narrators do - really annoying! It meant that you were transported from one scene to another without him barely taking a breath and the scenes running into each other which gets confusing.

A good enough storyline spoiled by a waffling author and frustrating narration.

Really dragged On

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great story with a sad ending, true soldiers luck his out as usual with sad gits running int

cool

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Would you consider the audio edition of The Corporal's Wife to be better than the print version?

I have done both read and listen to audiobooks from Gerald Seymour and enjoy both. Reading makes me conjure up the characters in my head but the readers bring the characters to life for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Corporal's Wife?

When the corporal's wife sacrifices her own life to help Zack.

Which character – as performed by Daniel Philpott – was your favourite?

Zack, he was the spirit of the book.

Gerald Seymour is the best

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I don’t listen to Seymour’s novels too often as they can start to feel too generic. Also they don’t lend themselves well to audiobooks because there’s no demarcation between changes of scene and subject.
The above notwithstanding, I do recommend this novel. Seymour is well informed, uses fiction and dialogue to explain complicated politics and ideas. His characters are convincing and he ably creates drama and tension.

Tense

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was especially interested in Gerald Seymour's insights into Iran - topical, unknown etc. But even he clearly does not know that much !

Would you be willing to try another book from Gerald Seymour? Why or why not?

Oh yes, he is one of the most interesting and wide ranging of the contemporary thriller writers.

Which character – as performed by Daniel Philpott – was your favourite?

I liked the 2 Iranian mechanics!

Was The Corporal's Wife worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

a little too sluggish, no real twists, not enough on Iran domestic life etc

Slightly disappointing

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What made the experience of listening to The Corporal's Wife the most enjoyable?

Easy to listen to

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Corporal's wife, a strong person in a misogynistic society, who ultimately proves her worth

What about Daniel Philpott’s performance did you like?

Easy on the ear

Any additional comments?

Gerald Seymour is always a wiiner

Antihero

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

The way it is read: Sometimes you can be a few minutes into the chapter and realise we are now talking about another character. Mightily confusing and made it difficult to keep track of where we were.

Do you think The Corporal's Wife needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Where are we now?

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