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Small Pleasures
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
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Small Pleasures
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Summary
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
A BBC 2 'BETWEEN THE COVERS' BOOK CLUB PICK
'Wonderful' RICHARD OSMAN
'Perfect' INDIA KNIGHT
'Beautiful' JESSIE BURTON
'Witty and sharp' DAVID NICHOLLS
1957, the suburbs of south east London. Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape. When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and - possibly - happiness.
'Gorgeous . . . I could not recommend it more' PANDORA SYKES
'Remarkable . . . Small Pleasures is no small pleasure' THE TIMES
'Irresistible . . . wry, perceptive and quietly devastating' MAIL ON SUNDAY
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What listeners say about Small Pleasures
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
- Anonymous User
- 17-08-21
A story well told
This story of a good woman, trapped by her circumstances and forced to lead a life of dull routine until her life is changed by an unusual letter, is what library readers a generation ago would have called a “good book”. Set as it is in the 1950s, the author’s fluent story-telling and skilled character creation would have enthralled readers of the time. They are qualities that work every bit as well now, although the ending is clearly more of this time. Here a good book becomes even more engaging when enhanced by the exemplary reading it gets in this audio book version.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer Jefferson
- 23-06-21
Sad
I didn’t enjoy it very much…too gloomy for me.
I found the narrators intonations weird at times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 31-07-20
Realistic characters and a fresh plot
I really wanted to know what would happen next! The characters are plausible and relatable: the suburban context familiar. There was a slight tension between the author's modern take on love and life and my understanding of 50's Britain but this really provided the intrigue.
The narration was a little distracting ; her male voices sounded like the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk but managed to get over that znd yo really enjoy this story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-08-21
Unbearable narrator
I suffered through this as I don't like to leave a book unfinished. The narrator was truly awful, giving the end of every sentence a frustrating intonation which left me unable to fully focus on the story which would have otherwise been enjoyable despite a slightly unsatisfactory ending. I will avoid any further books with this narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- K Clarke
- 14-07-22
A lovely intimate story
I loved all the little details in this story. The characters all felt very real.
I did struggle with the ending as it related to a less central character and that made it feel like the story for everyone else (all women) just stopped.
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1 person 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J Garth
- 04-06-21
A beautiful, and evocative story of love, loss, duty and endurance
This is a beautiful book, which evokes the 1950s, that hinterland, not long after the war, and before the more ‘swinging’ time of the 1960s. The 1950s, where small pleasures of domestic life, such as setting your hair in curlers and making do and mending your well worn clothing, was as exciting as it got for many women. This forms the rich background of Clare Chambers’s story. Narrator, Karen Cass, brings to life the cast of sympathetic characters in a moving tale of love, loss, duty and endurance in which The protagonist, Jean, investigates the story of a woman who claims to have had a virgin birth. It’s a great listen. I found myself completely immersed in the era, and caught up in the drama and emotions of the characters. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-03-21
Very touching
really good book and endearing story, but for the computer generated narratives. would recommend. lovley.
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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
- mishmish
- 04-08-21
Absolutely loved it !
Really liked this book loved the character descriptions and empathised with the characters. A book that surprised me by its unusual storyline. Great narrator will definitely read more by this author.. very glad I chose this book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- vicka
- 03-10-21
Terrible narration
The dialogues were ok but the rest, oh my, it's like listening to a robot talk. Her intonation was awful, while listening to the story I was just thinking about how this read was even approved. Such a shame. I'll pick up the book now and I hope that won't remind me of this terrible experience of listening to this monotonous sound.
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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
- Ms. B. Renton
- 03-08-21
loved it
really loved this book such an interesting story and I liked thst it was set in the 50s weird attitudes back then
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