A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement cover art

A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement

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A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement

By: Anthony Powell
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

Anthony Powell's universally acclaimed epic encompasses a four-volume panorama of twentieth century London. Hailed by Time as "brilliant literary comedy as well as a brilliant sketch of the times," A Dance to the Music of Time opens just after World War I. Amid the fever of the 1920s and the first chill of the 1930s, Nick Jenkins and his friends confront sex, society, business, and art.

In the second volume they move to London in a whirl of marriage and adulteries, fashions and frivolities, personal triumphs and failures. These books "provide an unsurpassed picture, at once gay and melancholy, of social and artistic life in Britain between the wars" (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.).

The third volume follows Nick into army life and evokes London during the blitz. In the climactic final volume, England has won the war and must now count the losses. Four very different young men on the threshold of manhood dominate this opening volume of A Dance to the Music of Time. The narrator, Jenkinsa budding writer shares a room with Templer, already a passionate womanizer, and Stringham, aristocratic and reckless. Widermerpool, as hopelessly awkward as he is intensely ambitious, lurks on the periphery of their world. Amid the fever of the 1920s and the first chill of the 1930s, these four gain their initiations into sex, society, business, and art. Considered a masterpiece of modern fiction, Powell's epic creates a rich panorama of life in England between the wars. Includes these novels: A Question of Upbringing, A Buyer's Market, The Acceptance World.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Anthony Powell's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Charles McGrath about the life and work of Anthony Powell – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.©1951 Anthony Powell (P)2010 Audible, inc.
Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction England Funny Heartfelt Inspiring Witty Thought-Provoking War

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Critic reviews

"Anthony Powell is the best living English novelist by far. His admirers are addicts, let us face it, held in thrall by a magician." ( Chicago Tribune)
"A book which creates a world and explores it in depth, which ponders changing relationships and values, which creates brilliantly living and diverse characters and then watches them grow and change in their milieu. . . . Powell's world is as large and as complex as Proust's." ( New York Times)
"Vance's narration captivates listeners throughout this outstanding examination of a life in progress." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The book is very well crafted and is in parts hilarious.

What other book might you compare A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement to, and why?

A Dance to the Music of Time is a counterpoint to C P Snow's Strangers and Brothers series of books, which covers the same period, was a great read, but did not have Powell's sense of humour.

Excellent description of its time

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Simlon Vance reads superbly this classic English saga. Powell is unsurpassable.
Don't miss this wonderful book.

Sublime

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I had tried in the past to read these books but got bogged down. Simon Vance brings it to life. His ability to voice each of the vast cast of characters is astounding. This is clearly a series of great comic novels. I listened to the four movements in succession over several weeks. I'm looking forward to doing it again at some point.
Thanks, Mr. Vance for revealing a masterpiece.

Great reading of great book

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REMOVE THE SPOILERS FROM YOUR DISCUSSION AT THE END OF THIS AUDIOBOOK WHERE YOU DISCUSS ALL THE FUTURE BOOKS IN THE SERIES

REMOVE THE SPOILERS IN THE DISCUSSION AT THE END

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I read these books in paperback twenty years or so ago. I loved them then, and have enjoyed rediscovering them now. I quite see the criticisms others have made, the snobishness, the smugness, etc. Even so, having been brought up in the England which pervades the books I recognise, and delight in the characters who people them, and I just love Powell's observation and analysis. OK OK, he's not quite up with Austen, but then, who is?

He shares her observation and humour, and his evocation of the zeitgeist of the fifties and sixties in England certainly rings true to me. If I have a quibble it is with the reader's pronunciation here and there. Mostly this is trivial, but nobody who had been to a performance of Siegried could possibly pronounce the name Mime as if describing one of those white faced pests who are inspired by Marcel Marceau. The name is pronounced 'meemer'. This confused me for a moment.

I can't be bothered to write reviews for each of the 'Movements' this will have to serve for the entire set of books.

Jane Austen for the mid Twentieth Century

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