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The Black Dress
- Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
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The Black Dress
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Summary
Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no one to fill it.
In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but...it doesn't sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn't. She's gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was - oddly - a laugh, and more excitement than she's had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I'm all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don't want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No one will challenge her - and what harm can it do?
Critic reviews
"Moggach is at the height of her powers." (Sunday Times)
"Full of warmth and humour, as well as blistering truths." (Daily Mirror)
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What listeners say about The Black Dress
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Avid listener
- 31-07-21
So, so worth a listen
I Loved it! A brilliant story & a fantastic narrator, utterly engaging from start to finish.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 22-12-21
Narrator was off putting
I think I would have enjoyed the book had it not been for the narration of the book. The narrator was extremely annoying and took away from the actual story
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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
- Anon
- 04-08-21
Game of Two Halves
I enjoyed the book but I wished I'd read it in hard copy. I found the accent and speech of the narrator distracting on occasion and sometimes positively off-putting.
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2 people 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
- Christina Grey
- 02-03-24
Wonderful Unreliable Narrator
Prue is a hotchpotch of ladies of a certain age living in Muswell Hill who have read far too much of The Guardian and mistaken it for reality. Absolutely hilarious and l enjoyed it immensely. Loved the plummy voiced narrator having been told by a friend the book was awful! But then she lives in Chichester!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- VickyB
- 02-02-23
Not sure about the narrators voice.
I liked the story but not sure about the sort of simpering voice. It was a bit annoying.
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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
- anasta
- 08-09-23
A hoot!
Lose all incredulity and enjoy the romp....!
The story is far-fetched but such a tonic.
Good performance by the narrator...just right.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SERA Bluefalcon
- 01-11-22
Great ending 👏
there was a bit of a struggle with the rich suburb life, it was grating. but once Pru's mad life took form I was well away. love the twisted plot points and how calm Pur is on the weird side.
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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
- Rachel Redford
- 02-08-21
How true are truths?
Just before her 70th birthday, Pru's husband Greg leaves her to go on a 'spiritual journey' and she is comforted by her friendship with her rather zany old friend Azra. Too much has been made of Pru gate-crashing funeral wakes in her little charity shop black dress with the intention of hooking a 'fresh' widower. This part verges on the offensive (see what you think when Pru's in the marital bed with one of them with incontinent pads hanging out of the wardrobe) - but it is a very small part of the book which improves greatly.
Pru's desolation, loneliness, sense of betrayal and feelings of uselessness are minutely observed with a mix of aching pity and sardonic humour as you'd expect from Deborah Marigold Hotel Moggach. Old age is a dark presence - even the flower food attached to a bouquet of flowers is like 'a little colostomy bag'. Pru's adventures into sex and relationships maintain this balance between poignancy and slightly sick comedy. I can't give more detail because it's essential that all the packed-in twists and turns and variations of the truth which make for utterly compulsive listening are not spoiled. The gradual teasing out of truths and non-truths and perhaps-truths keeps you intrigued and puzzled.
BUT I think the final section on Pru and Azra is entirely and seriously misjudged and spoils the whole. When you listen you'll know which element I'm referring to and you may well feel the same. I felt badly let down by the author! All the same, it doesn't prevent the whole from being a great listen.
BUT again - the narration! I really hated the hammy, gushing, exaggerated, irritating way in which it was read. Had I not really wanted to listen to it as I like Deborah Moggach, I'd have sent it back. Just AWFUL. There's drama enough in the story without injecting such a false, over-the-top tone which diminishes the strong insightful, human element of the book. I wonder what the author thought of the narration.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucyw82
- 10-10-21
easy listening with some surprises
Deirdre was not a pleasant voice but the story was engaging and end satisfying.
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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
- Geecross
- 25-10-22
Story seems good but Narration Awful
I am into my 3rd chapter.. I am liking the story but I can't listen anymore the Narrators voice is so grating The pitch there is no change in tone which is a shame as I think the book would be good
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