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A Load of Old Bones cover art

A Load of Old Bones

By: Suzette A. Hill
Narrated by: Leslie Phillips,Simon Hurst,Grant Russell
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Summary

The curious amd murderous exploits of the Rev Frances Outerard as recounted by himself with interspersions from his cat Maurice and his dog Bouncer.   Leslie Phillips as a cat?  Inspired casting!  An enchanting tale full of fun, wit and insight.  Set in a delightful 1950s mythical Surrey.  The collusion between the cat and the dog to ensure their owner keeps out of trouble is hilarious.
©2006 Joyful Productions (P)2006 Joyful Productions

What listeners say about A Load of Old Bones

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hugely entertaining

I've lost count of the number of times we've listened to this audiobook. The vocals are spot on with honours shared evenly. The story is delightful - Maurice and Bouncer are the sort of pets we all wish we had and FO so singular that in the end we've all ended up rooting for him. Add to that the vaguely incompetent police, the worldly-wise piano tuner, the pompous bishop, the satisfyingly oily Nicholas and the very strong evoked sense of the fifties and you have an absolute classics. It's about the right length for a return car-trip to my daughter at university too!

A much loved favourite and we all look forward to hearing the sequel - soon please?

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

I can't get into this

I tried to listen to this several times, but I can't stand the way that Leslie Phillips reads his part. He's a lovely actor, but in this reading he drawls one minute and then races ahead in a most irritating and mannered way. So I've given up.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious!

This made me laugh. The supercilious cat, Maurice and his partner in crime, Bouncer, keeping their master in check and out of trouble, had me giggling to myself. Clever and funny, I highly recommend this.

A note, however, on the narration.

I initially found Leslie Phillips' narration of Maurice rather irritating - he has odd pauses, some strange pronunciations, and alternates between fast and slow in a rather inconsistent manner. I nearly stopped listening to the book as his part is the first part read, but I eventually got into his narration and thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I have to be honest and say that if he had narrated the whole book, I think I would have returned it and bought a hard copy rather than struggle through his reading, but fortunately, the reverend and the dog are narrated beautifully and this keeps Mr Phillips' part bearable.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Load of Old Bones

The wonderful story of a vicar, a cat, a dog and a (sort of accidental) murder. I loved the three narrators for each of the three parts. A comedy told in a diary form from the point of view of the vicar, the cat and the dog. I have also listened to book 3, which is also available on audible, and can highly recommend that one too. Fingers crossed that the other books in the series are recorded soon. They are just a joy to listen to.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Waiting for Bones in the Belfry

Have now listened A Load of Old bones for the third time and it won?t be the last! Just love Maurice and Bouncer who make me look at cats and dogs in a different light. Am longing to listen to the sequels Suzette A. Hill has written! When will they be available?

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Witty characterisations, splendidly read

Suzette Hill's first book with such clever and witty animal characterisations is made perfect by the brilliant portrayals by Leslie Phillips and Grant Russell. The perceptions of the two animals are an amusing foil for the vagaries of the Rev. Oughterard and parochial post-war village life. Beautifully-written, I had a smile on my face listening to every word of it!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Exactly that !

A load of Old Bones is a novel with a delightfully new angle!
A lot of us out there really do believe that animals communicate, but whether they actually go so far as to cover up for a murderer ......well.....!
Loved it....the narrators were well suited to their roles. Leslie Philips as a self-opinionated , egotistical cat, yep, I believed it !
Not a book to keep you gripping the arms of your chair but amusing and easy listening which keeps a smile on your face, and that has to be good, No ?

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun

A most entertaining listen. Enjoyed the narrators changing with the three main characters. To sum up in one word, fun.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Worth a listen

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

lovely story

My husband and I listen to audio in the car (via our ipod), and loved this one!
It's absolutely delightful and full of twists and turns and delightful characterisations, and Leslie Phillips as a cat is superb!!!
We only pray that they do some more of these stories...!

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1 person found this helpful