Reviews by Greg

Very disappointed with this version of Dracula; I was looking to spend a credit wisely, but was regretting it within 30 mins. What could possibly go wrong? A stellar cast, the promised restitution of the horror and power missing in so many other productions, and all the 'campiness' and creepy music erased. For me, however, much of the narration seems decidedly lacklustre, rather careless even, lacking the much vaunted drive and tension in numerous sections: in short it seems to lack direction. To me, it seems not to have been directed at all but 'divvied up' and then reassembled. One of the female characters speaks throughout in the same simpering and numbing three-note cadence, while one character accent, from the North East of England sounds suspiciously as if modelled on Daphne out of 'Frasier'. Editing choices militate against any build in tension: pauses are chopped out, sentences butt up against each other as if there was a shortage of 'tape'. Wish I'd gone for one of the single narrator versions or the BBC dramatized version.

I struggle to imagine a better audiobook. Firstly, it's a great novel by Dickens and has two fantastic narrators. I don't see how Bleak House can be satisfactorily read by one reader now I've heard this version. Sean Barrett and Teresa Gallagher reading Esther Summerson's narrative are both superb. I looked forward to my daily commute eagerly and felt rather bereft when it was over. Sean Barrett is a master of characterisation, not putting a foot wrong throughout the story. His Joe the Crossing Sweeper is a particular highlight!

I read Barnaby Rudge many years ago and I remember struggling with it a little. In Sean Barrett's hands everything is made clear, all the characters brilliantly delineated. It is a great Dickens novel, one of his early ones, and it is masterfully brought to life in this rendition. Highly recommended.

I read Le Carre as a teenager and loved it. The BBC series, with Alec Guinness and Michael Jayston (and Beryl Reid) is breathtakingly good television drama. 30 something years later and I've discovered Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a fantastic audiobook; I put it on my Kindle, which is another discovery. The plot requires you to pay attention but Michael Jayston is a great narrator - a great actor and effortlessly carries you through it. His George Smiley is clearly a spot-on tribute to Sir Alec, and he delineates the rest of the dramatis personae with unshowy expertise; unlike many another audio narrator he doesn't over-colour the text with grating characterisations, OTT accents and pyrotechnics; he just tells the story. In short, it's a great book brilliantly read. Those expecting Ian Fleming should try Ian Fleming!