BRILLIANT!

If I could give this book 10 stars I would - what an amazing story, and so well read - I usually prefer male narrators, but Harriet Walter (an amazing actress!) does this justice, and more. Because the story is so long I HAD to put it down, but would have much preferred not to... Highly recommended.

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15 people found this helpful

Intriguing Story

If you are not a speaker of danish and not aware, as i was not, that the pronunciation is not correct, then the delivery of this captivating story is near perfect. It is unfortunate to give such a quality novel and beautiful reading an average rating of three stars, as the previous reviewer did, on a point which will be irrelevant to most listeners. One of the best Barbara Vine stories read with feeling.

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12 people found this helpful

It all depends ...

It all depends on if you can say r?dgr?d med fl?de. Harriet Walter has played Hedda Gabler in the past, so that may explain the Norwegian lilt but not the mispronunciation of Danish names and places. It wouldn't matter so much if there weren't lots of references to the language in the book. I expected better from such a good actor. This is Barbara Vine at her best and it's unabridged. It should have been an all time favourite, (especially for someone with Danish roots) but I can only give it 3 stars.

If you don't know Danish from Dutch and it's all Scandiwegian to you, then it won't matter and you can get on with enjoying the book.

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7 people found this helpful

Unputdownable!

Beautifully read by Harriet Walter, this book takes you on a journey lasting almost a century . Walter's reading of the diary entries is exquisite. Highly recommend

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5 people found this helpful

Not her best but still good

Any additional comments?

I bought this after listening to Dark Adapted Eye, which was amazing.
This is good but you struggle to identify with the eponymous Asta.

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4 people found this helpful

What a twist at the conclusion!

I loved it! The period details and drama, surprising ending ... thoroughly recommended. So glad I have found this author.

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2 people found this helpful

Fantastic murder mystery, missing person

Such a suspenseful delve into the intricacies of personal relationships and thinking you know someone well until you hear their own words. Family mysteries come to light and just when you think you've learned all the secrets another clue comes to throw you off course. Wonderful performance!

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2 people found this helpful

Reeks of poor quality writing and dull too

Would you ever listen to anything by Barbara Vine again?

Definitely not

Have you listened to any of Harriet Walter’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes, Harriet Walter's reading is wonderful and was the reason I chose the book (plus some very positive reviews which I am sorry to say must have been written by people with a very different idea of good writing from mine)

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Asta's Book?

Nearly all of the first half of the book could be cut. It is utterly dull and fulfils little purpose other than to create a feeble and overly drawn out suspense for what is to come

Any additional comments?

When I read a book I get a strong feel for whether it is intelligently and carefully written. I have an open mind and love to find the best in a book but this one gave me bad feelings all the way from the beginning until half way through when I returned it to audible. It has a poor quality feel full of trite remarks and cliches; in particular the diary, despite the best efforts of poor Ms Walter, didn't feel at all authentic.

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2 people found this helpful

An absorbing book

A beautiful amalgamation of a whodunnit and a family saga. It examines women’s lives over 3 generations, with a crime at the precipitating event but not the heart of the story…the character of Asta is the heart of the story. A mother, wife, and free-spirited person living in a time when she could only really be free in her diaries.

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1 person found this helpful

Quite the Danish family saga!

Like most Barbara Vine novels, read Asta's Book shortly after it's publication in 1993. Over the intervening decades had forgotten how slow the story's beginning was, listening, begun to wonder why I recall rating it so highly, then suddenly once more I was totally engaged in this book within a book with it's time leaps between Asta's diary and her grand daughter Ann's narrative.
There's so much to enjoy, the Danish & early 20th century social elements from the diary, the twists & turns in the mystery concerning Swanny's true parentage, the Lizzie Roper murder case, the missing little girl Edith; and it's all beautifully resolved in the very final chapters.
Since the author was part Danish (as well as part Ruth Rendell), feel this work was particularly close to her heart, and think she would have approved of Harriet Walter's narration.

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1 person found this helpful