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  • Whose Body?

  • Lord Peter Wimsey: Book 1
  • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (219 ratings)
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Whose Body? cover art

Whose Body?

By: Dorothy L. Sayers
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Summary

It was the body of a tall stout man. On his dead face, a handsome pair of gold pince-nez mocked death with grotesque elegance. The body wore nothing else.

Lord Peter Wimsey knew immediately what the corpse was supposed to be. His problem was to find out whose body had found its way into Mr Alfred Thipps' Battersea bathroom.

©1923 The Trustees of Anthony Fleming (P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic reviews

"She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit." (P. D. James)
"I admire her novels . . . she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail." (Ruth Rendell)
"She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller." (Minette Walters)

What listeners say about Whose Body?

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • S
  • 09-11-14

More work on pronunciation please

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I have been waiting for a reading of the Lord Peter Wimsey books for a long time and down loaded this with glee. It is the first of the series so it seems that the originators are doing it the right way and starting from the beginning.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator seems to think that the characters all gabble. They are all done in funny voices, at odd pitches and even odder speeds. Yes - Lord Peter's speech is affected and speedy but she really gets him wrong I think.
The worst thing is the lapses in pronunciation. Lord Peters college is Balliol. His time at Oxford is fundamental to the man, the stories and so much of what is to come. It is pronounced Bail - e - ol. The narrator says Bal i ol.
I really worry when she gets to Magdalen, not wanting to be maudlin about it but my expectations are low.
Another is when Lord Peter is looking around the roof of the mansion flats and checks what the narrator calls 'the leeds'. She means 'the leads'; the word comes from the lead used to make the channels and downpipes in traditional buildings, now often stolen.

The lady has a lovely voice. When just narrating it resonates and could do Harriet Vane well later. Meanwhile PLEASE stop gabbling and research the words before launching into the next one?

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36 people found this helpful

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

Terrible performance

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator

What didn’t you like about Jane McDowell’s performance?

Her accents are awful, Lord Wimsey sounds like a cockney half the time. She speaks too fast and all the voices sound the same. her voice is also shrill in parts and makes for a very uncomfortable listen. Such a shame as the story was quite good, and should have been funny in parts. I couldn't finish the book. Dreadful

Was Whose Body? worth the listening time?

No

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Unbearable reader

Sadly, I have no idea if the story is any good because I only lasted about 10 minutes before turning it off. The narrator is absolutely awful. Her voices were all screechy, which grated on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. I also found it very difficult to follow which character was talking as many of her voices sounded so similar.

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20 people found this helpful

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

Wonderful Wimsey, but oh dear the reading a disaster

I am a great fan of Dorothy L Sayers books, particularly the Lord Peter Wimsey series. I was delighted to find that they have all been published, unabridged by Audio. I purchased a large part of the series and I looked forward immensely to listening to them. I started with the first, Whose Body, only to discover that it is really badly read. For a start, to have a woman's voice for the principal character, Lord Peter Wimsey, is quite wrong. But over and above, the reading is, quite simply, not good. It is banal and the accents all wrong. Oh what a tragic waste. Ian Carmichael and Edward Petheridgebare are infinitely better, but unfortunately their versions are mainly two hour abridged versions. I listen frequently to Audio books and they are, nearly all, outstanding and brilliantly read. I cannot believe, and am very disappointed that the unabridged Dorothy L Sayers Audio books have been completely ruined by a poor and inappropriate performance.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Great story, bad reader

Have enjoyed the shorter Whimsy stories on radio and the longer version is better. Darker with more misery and intrigue but still witty. But I did not enjoy the narrows voice, high pitched and difficult to distinguish the characters, possibly appeared worse in comparison to the full cast stories I have heard befor, but the plot keeps me listening.

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15 people found this helpful

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

Great writer, bad narrator

If you can't offer the Ian Carmichael narrations which were practically perfect in every way, please can you record a narrator who performs the books instead of just reading them?

Worth listening to because the books survive the narration but it does NOT do them justice.

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12 people found this helpful

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

Love the story but wrong narrator

This is a great story but using a female narrator for a novel where the lead character and most of the supporting characters are male doesn't make sense. She's clearly a good narrator but not for these stories. It spoils the experience.

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12 people found this helpful

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

Dreadful narration

When the lead character is male why choose a female narrator?
The narration, pronunciation and inability to remember which voice belongs to which character really spoils a good story.
I would have purchased the whole series, the use of this narrator throughout has made it highly unlikely.

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10 people found this helpful

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

Disappointing narrative after BBC dramatisations

Would you try another book written by Dorothy L. Sayers or narrated by Jane McDowell?

I enjoy this story, but this narrator's voice soon began to grate. I believe Ian Carmichael whether reading The Lord Peter Whimsey books or playing the role in the radio dramatisations, but I didn't really believe this narrator. I've read and listened to many Sayers stories, but won't be purchasing any narrated by McDowell.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Whose Body??

Nothing in particular.

What didn’t you like about Jane McDowell’s performance?

Grating voice in a role where Ian Carmichael is already the default voice for Whimsey stories.

Could you see Whose Body? being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Difficult, given that for my generation at least, the late Ian Carmichael best fits the bill.

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7 people found this helpful

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

Awful Narration

What did you like best about Whose Body?? What did you like least?

I have always enjoyed Sayers' work and her eye for detail both in plot and characters. However the narrator of this story is truly awful, employing high pitched unbelievable voices and at times screeching lines pivotal to the plot. This simply detracts from the brilliance and indulgence if Sayers.

Any additional comments?

I would avoid any further novels by this narrator.

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7 people found this helpful