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Mania
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
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Mania
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Summary
'Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold' JOHN CLEESE
‘Viciously funny… an exhilarating satire’ THE TIMES
What if calling someone stupid was illegal?In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is 'stupid'.
Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is 'the last great civil rights fight'.
Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don't need a qualification to be a doctor.
Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous.
As their friendship fractures, Pearson's determination to cling onto the 'old, bigoted way of thinking' begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family.
Lionel Shriver turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious, deadpan, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike.
Critic reviews
‘Never shy of getting stuck in, Shriver now sets her satirical sights on groupthink and the policing of thought' Financial Times, Book of 2024
'Shriver is at the top of her game with this scary-smart and scathing satire' Booklist
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What listeners say about Mania
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- necropsy
- 30-05-24
Tenuous concept at times but overall enjoyable
Tenuous concept at times but overall very enjoyable. Coming off of listening to Julia/1984 this did pale somewhat in comparison when talking about dystopian views but it provided a flavour which was worth exploring on its own to its logical conclusions.
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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
- Nigel Marshall
- 07-05-24
Expertly skewers psycho/social 'woke' mania
An alternative history of our times that chronicles the rise and fall of 'mental disparity' ideology. Schriver hits so many familiar nails of the head that I kept having to reassure myself that this particular 'woke' ideology is not being inflicted on us. Yet.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- JB
- 23-05-24
A work of genius.
"Kevin" spoke to the general blindness of families and society to the warning signs of the disillusioned potential high school mass killers. "Mania" warns against either extreme swing of the ideological pendulum. Brilliantly done! Thank you, Lionel.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MariaMagdalena
- 15-04-24
the new dystopia
I think this is a new must-read/listen. A warning that shows our currently reality for where its heading if we don't wake up. let's hope it's not too late
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Ren
- 28-04-24
Far too close for comfort
An excellent read. I wish I could recommend this to some who need to hear it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- RBH
- 19-04-24
Quite Brilliant
A devastating takedown of ideologues and a valuable assertion of enlightenment values. Superbly performed by an accomplished actor.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D. Matcham
- 01-05-24
Absolutely gripping
I'd only just started listening when I realised that however long this book was, I'd be finishing it over a few days. I was absolutely gripped by the characters involved and the dry wit of the narrative. In a way, it felt therapeutic to listen to one woman's account of a society's swift descent into madness (especially after the last 4 years), and her processing of what was going on.
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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. Spencer Weatherley
- 14-04-24
Prescient & scary
I knew what to expect of course but the deft handling of the subject, the portrayal of human sacrifices to the latest woke nonsense and a 'stupid' state...well who could have put it better.
We are not well governed and are subject to the notions of fools.
Let this book be a warning to us all!
It is well read and enjoyable although it spook me foretelling as it does what is so close.
PS Join The Free Speech Union!!!!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lee D.
- 04-05-24
Absolutely biting satire, Shriver totally captures the zeitgeist!
The story is excellent, and I really should have seen the end coming but did not. A world where everyone is considered equally intelligent does not seem to be stretching reality too far right now. My only complaints are the downfall of America could have been dwelled upon for longer - planes colliding, the water and power going out, nuclear meltdowns etc… but this is a personal story of how it affects someone’s life, so I can forgive that. My only other complaint is I found the reader’s enunciation quite hard to understand at first. Whether she improved or I got used to her accent is hard to tell - but it was worth sticking with!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Maria, London
- 21-04-24
Fantastic novel
An interesting glimpse into human nature and how we can so easily become unstuck as societies. Feels like we are about 5 minutes away from this story being a reality…it already is for many who have lost jobs, families and friends over the last number of years.
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