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  • Brighton Rock

  • By: Graham Greene
  • Narrated by: Samuel West
  • Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,550 ratings)
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Brighton Rock cover art

Brighton Rock

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Samuel West
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Summary

An unabridged audio edition of Graham Greene's classic gang-war thriller. A gang war is raging through the dark underworld of Brighton. Pinkie, malign and ruthless, has killed a man. Believing he can escape retribution, he is unprepared for the courageous, life-embracing Ida Arnold, who is determined to avenge a death.... Read by Samuel West.

©1938 Graham Greene (P)2014 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about Brighton Rock

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    678
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent.

The narration of this audio book is excellent, a pleasure to listen to. The narrator has a cool voice of authority that really suits the story.
This is my first Greene novel, I had never considered reading him before but I was hooked from the opening sentence, which draws you right in. I won't say anything to spoil the story but it has a fantastic sense of doom hanging over it and you can actually feel pity for the most unlikable character.

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Breathtaking performance of this gripping novel

I've long been a fan of Graham Greene but had held off reading this book for years, because it was "too famous" and - I thought - would be spoiled by the film adaptations. And the story never really seemed like a Greene novel to me. I couldn't have been more wrong; this is Greene at his finest. Gripping, poignant, sinister, touching, comic, chilling - only Greene can deliver such a hard-as-nails story with such a tender economy of phrase.

Samuel West is utterly masterful - his voices are eerily evocative whist never straying into caricature, and his sombre tone is perfect for delivering those Greene gut-wrenching sentences. There were a couple of time towards the end where I literally gasped out loud and held my hands up to my face - punches packed with West's subtle and dark delivery. West clearly 'gets' Greene, and like any brilliant narrator, he delivers the story as if from the author himself.

The book left me quite unsettled for days, but in a brilliant and admiring way. The last line... I felt the floor give way beneath me...

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Reputations don't come easy!

Just as in any industry, good reputations don't come easy, that's why Graham Greene has a deserved reputation as a true great.

What a book, what a story, what characters! All as thick, chunky and wholesome as my old mothers home made soup! Like her soup, this story sticks to the ribs, it draws you in, gives warmth and before you know it, your there, deep in the story running with the plot and living with the characters.

Well narrated by Samuel West. A true literary classic.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly excellent

I bought this book as it was recommended as one of the top 20 audiobooks of all time by The Telegraph. I can certainly see why it made the list. The story itself is great, and alone would make the book a worthy read. But it was the writing that really blew me away here. It was so evocative and captivating. I feel compelled to physically read the book as well now.

Lastly, Samuel West's narration was just fantastic. I will certainly look out for him in the future.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

What a great book. It is timeless. The narrator was easy to listen to. The story was gripping and the characters fascinating. I would highly recommend this book.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brighton Rocks!

A true classic and one of Graham Greene's best. Samuel West brings this alive and evokes all the flesh crawling muted horror of the book and film alike.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

West is Best

What did you like most about Brighton Rock?

Strong storyline skilfully written to carry you along nicely.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ida Arnold the kind hearted non-Catholic (unlike Pinkie and Rose) with confirmed moral views that lead her on to become the detective of the story.

Which character – as performed by Samuel West – was your favourite?

Spicer. For some reason I liked that simpleminded character. At the same time I think Samuel West's performance of all characters in the novel is excellent.

Any additional comments?

A good story well told.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous rendition

Samuel West narrated this brilliantly. Every character was unique. I just loved it.
It was a terrific story well told.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Concentration needed

Overall I found this book a good listen but I did find at times I needed to rewind to clarify what was going on. This was in part down to many characters being involved in the storyline most of the time & if concentration dipped I did lose the plot a bit.
That said it was well written (vague in places) & had a good middle & end I did find the beginning a bit of a chore.
7/10 for me but glad I have listened.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Dull dull dull. Was pleased when it finished.

No plot. No interesting characters. Something happens in first and last chapter but absolutely nothing happens in the other 20 odd chapters in between. Can never get those hours back again. Wish I'd paid attention to the negative reviews on here. This really is a very boring and dated story. Don't waste your time

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7 people found this helpful