Glad when it was over.

I have read and enjoyed Helen Dunmore before but this one felt like 3 books in 1 which made for a confusing storyline. Also didn’t much care for the main characters, all of whom, apart from Liz, the narrator made to sound stupid
or ridiculously overbearing and what’s with the speeding up at the end of each sentence? It’s almost stressful to listen to. Sorry but I was relieved when I finished it. Obviously one better to have read in book form.

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4 people found this helpful

Compelling glimpse of a turbulent time

I began listening to this story not long after the sad news of the author's death. This I think did play a part in my listening experience and reflection on the shortness and unpredictability of life. Another reading of this novel might be as a thriller, at times it was unputdownable or unturnoffable would be more exact. Another reading is a reimagining of an historical time where changes impacted in different ways on people's lives both here and in France. In this reading I would compare Helen Dunmore to Hillary Mantel as having the ability to get inside the skin of her characters and help us understand that time better, to feel it. Finally Helen Dunmore is a poet and sometimes her choice of phrase or image catches the breathe. I loved this book. The narrator did an excellent job because I wasn't aware of her, only the words.

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12 people found this helpful

Wonderful

A very detailed gripping story, that made the seventeen hundreds come vividly to life. I also loved Helen's journey finding and creating the characters and times.

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12 people found this helpful

Wonderful story and characters

Enjoyed this book very much. Set during an interesting time historically, I learned a lot and it really made me think about how people's achievements etc. can disappear after they die... this became particularly poignant after I'd finished the book and discovered that the author died recently and was seriously ill while writing the book (even though she didn't know at the time).
I really warmed to the characters and was worried sick throughout that something terrible would happen to Lizzie.. The depiction of what nowadays would probably have been considered gaslightling was very well done and I found it quite menacing.
The performance overall was good, however there were moments where I found the reading slightly grating - usually when reading the name 'Lizzie' in a slightly over-exasperated tone. Could just be me though!
A recommended read for sure.

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12 people found this helpful

Haunting and powerful

This book is both a haunting, meditative examination of the question of whether human life and endeavour can ever leave any permanent trace, and a gripping and frequently unnerving almost-thriller. Lizzie, the central character, is pulled between opposing poles of fanaticism: her driven, obsessive husband is fixated upon the idea of creating a magnificent residential terrace above the Avon Gorge, while her radical, charismatic mother and her circle dream of revolutionary uprising. In each case, the central question is one of legacy: when we die, how will we be remembered? What mark will we leave upon those who loved us, and upon the wider world?

Helen Dunmore can be relied upon for elegant prose, and Birdcage Walk is no exception. It is an accessible and enjoyable read, with clearly drawn characters and a lucid narrative voice. It is also beautifully, poetically written, challenging the commonly-held perception that good writing should always be 'difficult' or 'challenging' to the reader. The book perhaps held a particular resonance for me because I have lived in and around Clifton as a student for several years now, and have always loved both the great Georgian terraces whose genesis the novel describes, and Birdcage Walk itself (the novel's name is taken from a small, overgrown and very beautiful churchyard in Clifton). It was wonderful to listen to the story while walking the same streets and terraces in which it was set. But this was only an added bonus; the novel should appeal to anyone with an interest in time, place and history.

Some reviewers here have noted that the performance felt rushed to them; I can see what they mean, but I largely enjoyed the reading and certainly didn't feel it took away from the story.

Several months ago, and not long before her death, the author wrote a very moving article for the Guardian about this novel, and about her own illness and mortality (Facing Mortality and What We Leave Behind, 4th March 2017). For anyone who enjoyed this book, I would recommend that article as a powerful companion piece to it. It is terribly sad that this was Helen Dunmore's final novel; however, this clever, poignant study of literary legacy is a fitting conclusion to her fine career.

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1 person found this helpful

A book I have wanted to listen to for some time

I found the style and tone of the narrator somewhat off-putting The story could be modern in the style it adopts and I expected more of a historical tone to it That said the story is interesting and held my interest to the end although it was not one which made me want to listen to find out what happens to the characters

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1 person found this helpful

Birdcage Walk

I wasn't quite half way through until my interest was piqued.
From the.n on i found the book fascinating. A very thoughtful and disturbing story.
Like several other listeners i found the reader was mischosen for this story. I can image her reading a Lisa Jewell book. Something contemporary.
But her French was spoken with perfection
I would recommend this book.

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Excellent

An interesting story which has many parallels with the modern world. Beautifully narrated. Helen Dunmore is a sad loss to the literary world.

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At what price, liberty?

This cameo portrait of an under-privileged young British bride of the eighteenth century whose fortunes rise and fall with the political and economic effects of the French Revolution Is suffused with an unsolved mystery involving her husband. All is gradually discovered with increasing suspense keeping the listener entranced to the last word.

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5 people found this helpful

Very good story brought to life by Audible.

I loved this book. The story is believable and kept me interested until it's last word.

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