Roger Allam at his best.

I've had difficulty reading Conrad before and this was the perfect way of getting through it!

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Performance

One of the greatest short stories, brilliantly narrated, full of intelligence, humour, drama, and respect for the descriptive brilliance of the prose.

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Well done Roger

Excellent narration from Roger Allam. Really enjoyed his different accents and characters, think he does an Irish and Scottish accent very convincingly. Quite poetic language used to describe the typhoon, its effects etc. I quite like the characterisation, no one is perfect, all have their own faults and foibles. Probably a better book to listen to than read, took me to and from a conference, perfect length!

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5 people found this helpful

Stunning.

Everything about Typhoon is gripping and fabulous and superbly read. You can even smell what’s going on in that steamship

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not enough. tension

The story sounded, from the description as if it might be pretty good. As it turned out it was just the opposite. it ramvled and the narration was too slow. A literary account with an attempt at a twist at the end but not much to say for itsellf really and the accents were appalling. Don’t waste your time. never judge a book by its title that’s the lesson to be learned from this one.

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Vintage excellence.

Conrad served on board such a freighter and this is where he perfected his English. This book reeked of seawater, the impression of being in a storm was realistic without actually getting wett.

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Good Short Story

A good short story about a boat in a storm. Classic Conrad prose. Very well performed!

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Very well read, but offensively racist text.

A top performance of an adventure story on the high seas. The characters are highly nuanced too. Well, the white western crew are. The Chinese "coolies" on board are portrayed in a way that made me sick to the stomach. Like animals at best, or some sort of sub-human species that exhibit all the worst aspects to be found in humanity. It's very much a book of its times in that respect. And one that should probably stay there.

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A joy for your ears.

Contrad's words, Roger Allam's narration a true pleasure. Yes, the words Conrad used to describe the Chinese are racist, but it is of it's time, which in itself gives a further historical insight.

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Awesome

No risk of a spoiler here .... the plot is of a ship in a storm ! .. but Conrad’s ability to relate this short story well is awesome. The writing is of a period with racial prejudices that would be unacceptable to publish today and there s a small cast who are credibly characterised .
What’s notable are his descriptions - whether of the ship, or specifically the storm which are intense, very detailed with good prose, capturing the event graphically and amazingly, avoiding repetition. Conrad as a seaman experienced scenarios, ships and sailors like this and it’s reflected in a real sense of authenticity. The narration is excellent, with accents not overdone and overall for those who enjoy a good yarn (and Conrad) this is “unmissable”

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2 people found this helpful