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Ancestral Vices

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Ancestral Vices

By: Tom Sharpe
Narrated by: Griff Rhys Jones
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About this listen

When Lord Petrefact hires Walden Yapp, Professor of Demotic Historiography at Kloone University, to write a scurrilous family history Yapp finds plenty of material in Buscott village, where Frederick Petrefact is running the Mill and adding new vices to the family collection. If Yapp can lay his hands on the Petrefact Papers in the Buscott Museum he may be able to expose the multi-national capitalism of the Petrefacts to the whole world. Unfortunately when he takes lodgings with the Coppetts of Rabbitry Road and encounters the peculiar charm of Rosie, a woman of large body and little mind, he sets in motion a train of events which are to lead to his undoing.

©1980 Tom Sharpe (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Fiction Funny Witty Feel-Good
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Enjoyable romp in keeping with his other novels. Not quite a wilt or Blott on the landscape but still excellent.

Another strong book by Tom Sharpe

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I love Griff Rhys Jones and I really enjoyed Tom Sharpe books when I was a teenager but I just cannot listen to this.

Perhaps it hasn’t stood the test of time for me but I think it’s the style and speed of the narration I dislike. I often increase the playback speed so was not put off by the other critical reviews, however the narration still turned out to be too fast and also too infused with Griff’s own strong character.

Couldn’t hear past the narration

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Ancestral Vices is a very funny novel. It is made even funnier by the utter brilliance of Mr Jones. His accents, and there are numerous accents on display, are brilliant, whether upper class or working class, male or female, all are a pleasure. As I am near the end of this book now, I intend looking to see if Griff Rhys Jones has read any more books, especially by Tom Sharpe, so that I will have something else to look forward to. Outstanding book and narration and highly recommended.

Sharpe and Jones - A perfect match

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Not the best of work but well worth a read /listen. There are classic rip roaring moments of absolute brilliance that are classic Sharpe

Plods through

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A fast-paced and hilarious farce...! Tom Sharpe is a master-craftsman who creates great characters, places them in seemingly unconnected and ridiculously funny situations - then pulls the threads to bring the whole thing together.... Brilliant...!

Hilarious...!

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