Engrossing

I have been working my way through the Jackson Brodie series. Enjoying it immensely. I look forward to listening to the next one in the series.

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worth investing time in

If you could sum up When Will There Be Good News in three words, what would they be?

long, complicated, satisfying

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favourite?

Reggie

Any additional comments?

I can't say enough about how good Steven Crossley's narration was. This book was ultimately very satisfying and I was sad to come to the end but I would have given up early on, because the number of characters was daunting, but the narration made everything clear.

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2 people found this helpful

Unsuitable reader.

Steven Crossley reads very well, but he is hopeless at women’s voices and Scottish accents. Since the majority of the main characters are female and from Edinburgh , wouldn’t it have made sense to have it read by a woman from Edinburgh? The quavery gentility of every single woman in the dramatis personae gets irritating beyond endurance. He also seems to think a Glasgow accent is just an Edinburgh one but growlier. Come on, Audible, we have plenty of people who can read in Scotland.

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Another classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

What can I say? Kate never fails to deliver. Made all the more intresting because I live in Cambridge where it is set.

What did you like best about this story?

A great twisty plot with lots of sub stories all slowly coming together.

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

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Buy it.

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3 people found this helpful

A great story, well told.

Despite the narrator's 'almost perfect' Scottish accents, and most of the principle characters being scots, he did a fine job. Atkinson's story is strong enough to hold. Besides, there's a way this narrator has of telling a story with just the right ear for the drama and the narrator's position.

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Totally...

This is by far my favourite of the Jackson Brodie novels - such brilliantly drawn characters, especially Reggie (the "beating heart" of the novel), and a storyline that grips you from the very beginning and never lets go. I found it strangely uplifting (much more so than its grim predecessor, One Good Turn), in the way most Kate Atkinson novels are, because her natural humour in the face of chaos and darkness is always apparent, and the conclusion is 'totally' satisfying: Kate Atkinson's writing is a firm favourite in our household!

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8 people found this helpful

Loved this!

This is a delicious, long, intriguing story with lots of twists and fantastic characters. Loved Reggie! I would love to see this as a tv drama. The reader did a superb job. Another amazing Kate Atkinson story.

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Utterly Brilliant in every way!

Brilliantly clever, so well constructed. Don't listen to this at bedtime because if you fall asleep, wake and carry on you will miss vital detail - and there is a lot of that. The lives of several characters are interwoven in complex and unexpected ways. Lots of hints - some of which I missed the first time round. It was a pleasure to discover them on my second listen some years later.

Steven Crossley's narration is truly excellent whether it be middle aged men, young women or children and his accents are extremely good.

This is a wonderful series of stories which I recommend you read chronologically but, if you don't they are fine as standalones, you'll just miss the fun of finding out how previous characters lives are progressing and be a bit confused about all the different relationships.

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Scottish accents very grating

All of the female Scottish characters had the same simpering, 'you'll have had your tea'-style genteel accent. The two most prominent, Reggie and Louise, are very different characters, and had the same silly accent. I really like this book, so it was very off-putting that a young, naive character would have the same silly accent as a hard-nosed woman in her 30s. I wish they'd worked it out before they started, or just picked a narrator who could actually do a Scottish accent.

Love the story though, as always.

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2 people found this helpful

Wonderful!

The story is so satisfying, with intricate and brilliant plotting. Every character is rounded and satisfying. The narration is excellent - lively without being obtrusive. Just loved this audiobook.

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