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The Proof of My Innocence

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The Proof of My Innocence

By: Jonathan Coe
Narrated by: Sam Woolf, Alana Maria, Charlotte Worthing, Mark Stobbart, Roy McMillan
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Post-university life doesn’t suit Phyl. Time passes slowly, living with her parents and working a zero-hours contract at Heathrow Airport, while her budding plans of becoming a writer are going nowhere.

That is, until family friend Chris comes to stay. He’s been investigating a radical think tank, founded at Cambridge University in the 1980s, that’s been scheming to push the British government in an ever more extreme direction. When he follows this story to a conference in a rambling old hotel deep in the Cotswolds, events take a bizarre and sinister turn. Soon he is caught up in a world of cryptic clues, secret passages and, eventually, murder.

In the end, despite the efforts of a suitably eccentric detective, it falls to Phyl herself – ably assisted by Chris’s outspoken adopted daughter Rashida - to look for answers to the fatal mystery. But will they lie in contemporary politics, or in a literary enigma that is almost forty years old?

'A brilliant, shrewd, satirical novel – gimlet-eyed, funny, very clever and a searchingly profound look at the state of this strange country of ours' William Boyd

'My comfort read: anything by Jonathan Coe' Bob Mortimer


'Coe shows an understanding of this country that goes beyond what most cabinet ministers can muster . . . he is a master of satire but pokes fun subtly, without ever being cruel, biting or blatant . . . his light, funny writing makes you feel better' Evening Standard

'A novelist who gains in range and reputation with every book' Pat Barker

'Please, God … if there’s a next life, let me write as well as Jonathan Coe' Anthony Bourdain


'Probably the best English novelist of his generation' Nick Hornby

©2024 Jonathan Coe (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Cosy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Political Small Town & Rural Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Witty Exciting
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I love the way in which Coe incorporates characters from previous novels, the story's breadth and how it develops and of course the characters. The humour is rich and in all the right places. But I did become a tad disinterested by the victims daughter and friends inquiries. He manages to make his novels clever and yet ordinary but always so enjoyable.

Sorry it had to end

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The plot seemed to go off a little about half way through and some of the characters were not quite believable. As a native of Cambridge, it was good to hear those references, which were well researched.

Not a favourite of Jonathan Coe’s novels

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Very well written, great narration with some clever angles & twists. Will look for more by Jonathan Coe

Originality. Done well

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I finished it, which would not be the case if I disliked it. Some of the story lines were amusing/engaging, but it was a bit unsatisfying as a whole. Also, didn’t Truss last only 42 days, not 50 as claimed in the book? A week more and the UK would have sunk into the ocean!

Okay

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There's a lot of 'meat' in Jonathan Coe's latest novel, and the humour is apparent from its opening. Riffing on the extremely annoying "See it. Say it. Sorted." train announcements in chapter one, Coe is clearly getting one source of irritation out of his system. I hope whoever is responsible for railway safety reads this novel and takes the hint. The annoyances of contemporary life and politics are threaded through the story, in particular Liz Truss's brief time as Prime Minister, and they provide a regular palate cleanser from the strong plot lines. Having listened, I would like to revisit the book as a reader once the details of the puzzle have faded in my mind.

A very satisfying listen

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I like Jonathan Coe’s work but found myself becoming very irritated with this, to the point that I stopped reading at endpoint minus one hour. This rarely happens.
None of the characters engaged my interest. In fact, I found several of them interchangeable, which makes a complicated and multi-perspective narrative even more convoluted. I didn’t care what happened to any of these sketchy people and was eye-rollingly bored by their musings on modernist literature. Oddments of what seem to be Coe’s recent discoveries are inserted into the narrative - did he travel from Nice to Venice, eat at a sushi bar, see a painting of a slave ship and hear the folk song Lord Randall all for the first time recently? These things all pop up and add little. In fact some sections read almost parody Dan Brown, which is a dangerous path. Maybe braver editing is needed.

Over complicated plot with the odd interesting scene

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some narrators ok, some poor.
Overall was not for me, navel gazing uk politics and student viewpoints were tedious

middling

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I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering from Jonathan Coe. It paid homage to his earlier work, What a Carve Up and the longevity of a certain family of who define right wing Conservatism. I revelled in the whodunit and was held right to the end by the twists and revelations. At times the early parts of the novel almost persuaded me that I was listening to recent Anthony Horowitz novels, but that kept being punctured by the political nature of this clever satire. Whether it finally gives comfort for the future is a question to ask. That identifies me as a sympathiser with Coe’s regret for the loss of a sense of community and shared responsibility rather that each for themselves. I enjoyed the multi-voiced narrations and these added variety and much fun. This I an accomplished novel and a listen that will interest and please any who select it. The clarity of the audio-book is exemplary and it was pleasing to hear that there was an audiobook proof editor. They are well worth their salary.

The Perfect Pairing of Politics and Whodunit

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This is a great listen, with ingenious plotting, interesting and engaging characters, an entertaining variety of literary genres and fascinating political and philosophical commentary, all woven around Liz Truss’s brief and ignominious premiership, The performances are excellent throughout. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking

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Kept me spellbound. The storyline’s backdrop of contemporary politics makes it even more poignant and interesting. Great voice acting too.

Fun and well-performed

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