Definitely worth listening the unabridged version.

I read these books in my early teens and decided to listen to them again as fragments of them remained in my memory. Howard should get far more literary praise than she currently receives. They are beautifully written books.

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2 people found this helpful

Excellent narration and great family drama

What made the experience of listening to The Light Years the most enjoyable?

Enjoyed the narration and the story starts light and and happy, but becomes darker and more complex as the character relationships are explored in detail.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Light Years?

The sense of war looming builds through the book.

What about Jill Balcon’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to, well articulated. Good sense of character voice.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Swan song for a bygone era.

Any additional comments?

Great storytelling. Captures a different era and the mores very well. Class distinction, adultery, incest, looming war. Easy to become immersed in a different world.

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1 person found this helpful

Meet the family?

The Cazalet saga been highly recommended for years, so I took a double plunge, buying the book and Audible and constantly switching between them. The book proved vital, with the list of characters and the family tree at the start - Audible would have been more difficult without those at hand. Overall I found it a little disappointing but suspect this was our introduction to the characters before the action starts. I already have the second book and I may add Audible to that too. Looking forward to more.

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Nice story

A nice story, nicely narrated, although I did need to keep flicking back as there are so many characters I did keep getting a little mixed up at times. Would definitely read more books by Jane Howard.

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A Story To Entrance You

Absolutely wonderful! This first episode of The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard deals with the years just approaching the Second World War. I t is a delightful period piece with a wonderful, varied, cast of characters. The story deals with the children of the family as well as the adults, and this makes the novel well rounded. You focus on different family members, each coping - or trying to cope - with their own problems, some serious, some apparently trivial. Jill Balcon is the perfect narrator for this novel, her wide range and talent gives a believable voice for each character. I cannot praise The Light Years highly enough!

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10 people found this helpful

Family life

What made the experience of listening to The Light Years the most enjoyable?

The subject matter, life before the war

What did you like best about this story?

The Characters, each slowly developing

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

No I haven't

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No...this is best kept to relaxation and listened to in chapters. There is alot to digest

Any additional comments?

A really good insight into the middle class family situation before the war. The begining can seem complicated but as you get familiar with the family it comes together well once the story gets under way. I loved the atmosphere the book delivered. An absorbing peek into a family that seems to have it all. Loved the narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

Family saga

A charming introduction to the Cazalet family just before the outbreak of WWII.
Jill Balcon's reading is clear,well enunciated and she achieves a variety of identifyingly different voices. This is important as this is a novel all about characters, their interactions and inner lives.
This is not a book for those who are looking for action or plot .

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A delight

It was probably a year between listening to the first chapter and running away screaming with boredom and starting again. This time I found the minutiae of the described lives completely absorbing. EJH is even handed in entering the thoughts of every character who enters the flow of narrative so that every corner is lit up brilliantly. She is particularly skilled at reminding us of the thoughts, motivations and growing understanding and changing perceptions of children. Completely wonderful. Beautifully and evocatively read by Jill Balcon.

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A book packed full of detail.

Read it twice and now quite interested in reading the rest of the saga. I like to have a book in the background while doing other stuff so this style of writing ,with many characters and micro detail, is pretty good accompaniment to sewing or drawing. In itself the book gives an excellent insight into a particular strata of society in pre war England and also tackles a number of issues peculiar to females .

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Hours of pleasure

I have read all the EliZabeth Jane Howard books before. It’s a mighty multi cast story of a family who all move down to their grandparents house in Sussex. Each character is fully realised and it’s funny and complex and sad and brilliant. Really well read by Jill Balcon

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