An incredible insight

Found this fascinating - particularly the addenda
Can’t quite work out how Tom got so involved and could have walked away but … minor point. Interesting representation of society and life in the early 1800s

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1 person found this helpful

Long winded and occasionally dreary

I found it difficult to remain engaged with this book. It’s a complex and sometimes dark tale of love loss and murder.

Because I struggled to listen I found it confusing at times and had to repeat sections to get the gist of the plot. It’s a twisting tale and fortunes go up and down. Well narrated.

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3 people found this helpful

Interesting but leaves me wondering.....

Why did the boy have to be Edgar Alan Poe? It didn't seem to have any greater relevance to the story. Was it to attract Poe enthusiasts?
I think the epilogue was unnecessarily long. I wasn't that much bothered about what had happened afterwards,, and it didn't add anything to it.

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1 person found this helpful

The jury's out....

This book took an age to listen to and I'm still not sure it was worth it in the end. The plot was confusing as was the huge range of characters. I kept having the overwhelming urge to grab the main character and shake him til his teeth rattled, he seemed so utterly spineless and accepting of his lot throughout so much of the novel. The performance by Alex Jenkins lifted the experience but I can't help but think that the whole book could have been condensed in half the time.

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1 person found this helpful

I will listen to this audio book again

It was a little slow in the beginning, but wat wonderful mysteries that got unwinded.
Wat I especially appreciated was that ther was no white washing going on in this book it discribes the good and the bad at the time wen the strory took place in a contemporary light. I will listen to more books of Andrew Taylor.

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modern wilkie collins

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book,very well narrated,which immediately reminded me of Wilkie Collins.There are bank collapses,women constrained by the expectations of a rigid society,harsh schools,murder,speculative house building and much more. We even get to meet the young Edgar Alan Poe.Unlike with Wilkie Collins,the characters in this book are allowed 'normal' feelings and fantasies and the book has clearly got a modern author,but the breadth and colour of the plot owes a lot to the past but it is no pastiche.

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15 people found this helpful

Superb

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, narrated to perfection, great story, my daily commute takes me through many of the areas of London featured in the story, the author clearly has done his research well, looking forward to listening to more from Andrew Taylor.

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Best narrator ever!

I only got through this because of the brilliance of Alex Jennings's narration - is there a voice he can't do? I tried to read the book before but didn't get past the first few chapters. I found it over-detailed and therefore over-long, which obscured a half decent story. On audio, it was quite gripping at times and I cared more about the characters - AJ again!

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Great story well narrated

Love it. A truly fascinating account - loads of twists and turns and historical interest too.

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It felt like it must be true

But of course, it's not. I was immersed in the story, the norms of the time, the society and manners. The mystery became deeper and more tangled, and I could not stop listening. Loved this!

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