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Inside Story

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Inside Story

By: Martin Amis
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This extraordinary novel gives the listener the heart-to-heart testimony of one of our finest writers - a wonder of literary invention and a boisterous modern classic.

His most intimate and epic work to date, Inside Story is the portrait of Martin Amis' extraordinary life, as a man and a writer. This novel had its birth in a death - that of the author's closest friend, Christopher Hitchens. We also encounter the vibrant characters who have helped define Martin Amis, from his father Kingsley, to his hero Saul Bellow, from Philip Larkin to Iris Murdoch and Elizabeth Jane Howard, and to the person who captivated his 20s, the alluringly amoral Phoebe Phelps.

What begins as a thrilling tale of romantic entanglements, family and friendship evolves into a tender, witty exploration of the hardest questions: how to live, how to grieve and how to die? In his search for answers, Amis surveys the great horrors of the 20th century and the still-unfolding impact of the 9/11 attacks on the 21st - and shares all he has learned on how to write.

The result is one of Amis' greatest achievements: a love letter to life that is at once exuberant, meditative, heartbreaking and ebullient, to be savoured and cherished for many years to come.

©2020 Martin Amis (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Biography Heartfelt Witty Thought-Provoking

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All stars
Most relevant
Alex Jennings narrates this book so well, you can feel Martin Amis, the Hitch, Saul bellow eve Philip Larkin... I felt enriched by the depth of love and richness of language and intelligence. Thank you

I feel enriched by this book

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Inside Story takes you to the heart of writing with beautiful prose, insightful observations, , appreciation of other great authors and thoughts on friendship and loss. I found myself making notes as I read.

Like attending a creative writing class.

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At times Amis’ strange tale of the poet, the novelist and the essayist is absorbing but at times laboured. It can read like an “in joke” from the literary equivalent of the “Ken and Em” luvvies. He writes beautifully, but it is a long work, and can be a challenge. The narration is fabulous and, frankly, kept me going. Amis has created a piece that is more to be admired than to be loved. It’s technically splendid but that can make it at times feel almost cold as a blueprint rather than warm like oil on canvass. If you love Larkin, Bellow, Hitchens, or all three, you’ll enjoy Amis’ reminiscences. Recommended.

Riveting yet self-indulgent in equal measure

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Splendid reading of some of Amis’s most intimate and tender offerings. A generous goodbye to a life well read.

Beautiful

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One of the best Audible stories I’ve listened to. Amid fascinating and on his game, and the narration is simply superb. He even sounds how I imagine Amis would sound. Highly recommend this book, if something that makes you think as you listen is what you enjoy…

Faultless

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