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Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I
- An Audible Original Drama
- Narrated by: Douglas Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Alison Steadman, Finty Williams, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Raymond Coulthard
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
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Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I
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Summary
Please note: This title contains explicit language and scenes of a graphic sexual nature.
This Original multicast drama blends history with fiction to tell the story of Jonah, a young apprentice from London who raises himself from poverty by wit and luck to become one of the most powerful merchants of the age.
A rags-to-riches tale, Jonah's journey spans the breadth of human experience, from the intricacies of Edward III's political intrigues to the cutthroat world of international trade, from the triumphs of war to the agonies of personal loss - love, friendship, joy, heartbreak and glory. Set largely in London, the Scarlet City, the centre of medieval England, the Scarlet City trilogy is a thrilling portrait of the age and the people who made it so rich, colourful and extraordinary.
London, 1330. Jonah Durham grows up in the household of his tyrannical cousin Rupert, and only his grandmother, the calculating Cecilia Hillock, recognizes his talent and intelligence. After her death he inherits a handsome fortune, bestowing him with both wealth and independence but also the wrath of his increasingly dangerous cousin. However, a fateful encounter with the young King Edward III is set to radically change Jonah's life and the future of English cloth production.
Told in three parts, hear Medieval London come to life in this historical epic, Audible Original's most ambitious production to date. Narrated by Miriam Margolyes, OBE (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Romeo + Juliet, Mulan) and starring Douglas Booth (Riot Club, Loving Vincent, Shelley) as Jonah, and Alison Steadman, OBE (Gavin and Stacey, Orphan Black, Shirley Valentine) as Cecilia Hillock.
Also featuring: Daniel Anthony, Josephine Arden, John Banks, Timothy Bentinck, Clare Buckfield, Beth Chalmers, Elliot Chapman, Trevor Cooper, Oliver Coopersmith, Raymond Coulthard, Gareth David-Lloyd, Richard Earl, Andrew French, Helen Goldwyn, James Joyce, Olly McCauley, Tony Millan, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Katarina Olsson, Steven Pacey, Nicholas Pegg, Nigel Planer, Siobhán Redmond, Christopher Ryan, David Schofield, Dan Starkey, Sarah Sutton, Alexander Vlahos, Niky Wardley, Finty Williams, Claire Wyatt.
What listeners say about Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. J. G. O'neill
- 23-01-18
Best Audible book ever
This was a full production and so enjoyable to hear. The cast and narrator bring the story to life. I much prefer this format to the usual unabridged single reader books I’ve had in the past.
Now I’m craving the next instalment and more productions of a similar format. Well done Audible!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ms. Lisa M. Melbourne
- 15-07-19
Lost in translation
The first thing I must say about this book is that it is a dramatisation rather than an audio book read by an actor. This is an important point since it is the dramatisation that carries this book. Since this has been translated from the German I can only assume that much of the complexity and nuance that would otherwise be present in the original has been lost, or else it would make for a very poor read indeed as whilst the dialogue is passable, the narrative lacks both for descriptive and atmosphere.
Saying that, the story itself is excellent, if a little predictable in places. That I managed to complete all three books is a testament to the acting skills of the cast and narrator and given all that I have said, I would still recommended this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kendall Ward
- 07-02-18
My new obsession!
have really enjoyed. it reminds me a lot of pillars of the earth which is a huge compliment. The dramatization is fun, and have immediately started part II and pre-ordered part III. I hope Audible continues to do these Original productions!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dawntreader54
- 23-01-18
Looking forward to part 2 and 3
Enjoyed it very much. Excellent story and production. lookingforward to the next instalment. Already preordered
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr Caterpillar
- 25-04-21
Greensleeves not included
I recently wrote a scathing review of a War of the Worlds sequel because of the inappropriate music that drowned out the narration. (It did make me appreciate how well Jeff Wayne found the balance, though.)
There is music in Apprentice, but by contrast it really enhances the experience. While I don't recognise any of it, I found it occasionally reminiscent of some of my favourite bands - Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and one or two Prog Rock bands - as well as the traditional sort of harp music you associate with King Arthur or Middle Ages stories. No Greensleeves, though, which is just as well as Henry VIII is far in the future during this story.
There is a certain Young Adult feel about the story, despite the sex and violence, and Jonah's career is so dependent on lucky coincidences and being at the right place at the right time that even the characters comment on the fact. Yet this doesn't detract from the story at all.
Rebecca Gable's books are not available in English, so it's not obvious how "true" this adaptation is to the original (I read somewhere that the original Jonah is a lot less likeable) but as a dramatisation it works exceedingly well. Everything from crowd scenes to creaking doors and clipclopping horses evokes the atmosphere brilliantly, while at the same time Miriam Margolyes's narration ensures we can visualise it all as if we were watching a film.
The sense of history is conveyed very well even if it does feel a little like a "history brought to life for schools" at times.
I've bought the remaining parts of the trilogy, but I expect to return to this again and again like a favourite Genesis album.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Marsh
- 27-02-18
Great listen, story tends to move and then end to
really enjoyed the listen, a great set of characters and I love the historic feel.
but the story seemed to hurry end too quickly.
another one on the way maybe
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Lawton
- 23-04-19
Excellent.
Great sense of time and place with well rounded characters and a good storyline. Once I had got used to the staged production, I began t o appreciate the presentation and enjoyed the different narrators; especially Miriam Margolye,who spun the tale in her beautiful rich voice. It must have been good as immediately on finishing, I bought the next in the series.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine
- 25-03-19
Totally engrossing story!
The actors and actresses brought to life! Music added an authentic touch! Great production and story!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Plamen
- 23-08-19
Promising Start
Not bad. This is what they call a full audio experience. The narrators are great. The story is interesting. Nothing remarkable, but quite good, nonetheless. Great listen for when you don't want to commit to a massive complex novel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-05-18
Fantastic production all round
compelling story, strong voice acting and a great soundtrack on top. the quality of the drama makes this worth considering even if the history element doesn't appeal
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