Stirling performance by Juliet Stevenson but depressing story

Listening to Juliet was the only thing that kept me from abandoning this lack lustre and rather depressing book. I normally love Rose Tremain books but not this one.

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A story of obsession, lust, despair - and revenge

Alternating between rural France, where an elderly villa owner and his sister look after a crumbling villa, and London, where an ageing antiques dealer contemplates his increasingly empty life, this is a novel that morphs from a relatively gentle story into a dark thriller about lust, long-buried family secrets and naked revenge. That transformation makes it a beguiling listen.

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Slow in places

Not quite my taste in books. A little too slow. Probably better as a book to read.

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Fantastic narration

I have always been a fan of Rose Tremain and was not disappointed by audio book. Juliet Stephenson is a remarkable narrator bringing all the characters to life with distinct voices for each of them. The story unfolds at a great pace, although the ending is rather drawn out.

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7 people found this helpful

Trespass by Rose Tremain

Not fitting into the usual genre by this author this was nevertheless a terrific book, the story was gripping from the first and had all the ingredients of a fascinating tale. Emotions run riot, jealousy, pride, heartache, corruption, deception. The language was tight and illuminating, the characters extremely believable. It was extremely well read with the various accents coming over crystal clear. A great listen and I would recommend it highly

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4 people found this helpful

A slow-burner of a book

At first there appear to be four separate stories: a young school-girl, Melody, unhappy about her family's move from Paris to the wilds of the South of France; a wealthy, homosexual antiques dealer in London yearning for change; his sister living in the south of France in a lesbian relationship; an aging Frenchman living in a crumbling mansion and his sister living resentfully nearby in a bungalow. Her life scarred by being sexual abused by her brother and father when a young woman. As you can see there's a morass of unhappiness to add to a slowing evolving story with tragic consequences. The title 'Trepass' gradually begins to make sense as the four sets of characters eventually come together in the South of France.
At first I thought the book was just going to be about feelings and the evocation of the atmosphere of the South of France, but, as you'll find out, it's much more than this. The pleasure of the book is greatly enhanced by Juliet Stephenson's excellent narration: she uses her beautiful and expressive voice to bring the many characters to life.

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36 people found this helpful

too ugly

Maybe its just that because of current world events but I want to be taken away by a good story and this wasn't it. There was too much ugliness shoe horned into it. Incest and murder was not what i was expecting.

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Intriguing story

I’ve read Trespass more than once. It is very well written and excellently narrated by Juliet Stevenson. A very sad story about family love and abuse which led to a tragic outcome. The characters are described so well by Rose Tremain you can almost imagine how they are feeling and understand their actions. I highly recommend this book.

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Saved by the narrator

Well done to Juliet Stevenson on a superb presentation of this novel.

The story itself is slow to get going, dark and quite uncomfortable at times. I could not warm to any of the characters, they were simply not very nice people and to be honest if it wasn’t for the narrator I would’ve given up.

I’m glad it’s finished.

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Wonderful story, beautifully narrated

Can’t sufficiently recommend this book to anyone enjoying a well-crafted story, written with brilliance and love. Ms Tremain gives us a tale of greed, of place, and ultimately of revenge. On the way we meet such interesting and flawed characters, most of whom will stay with me for a long time to come. A literary tour de force.

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