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Decline and Fall

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Decline and Fall

By: Evelyn Waugh
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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About this listen

 Expelled from Oxford for indecent behaviour, Paul Pennyfeather is oddly unsurprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle. Hi colleagues are an assortment of misfits, including Prendy (plagued by doubts) and captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives, and with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds and the young run riot, no one is safe, least of all Paul. Taking its title from Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Evelyn Waugh's first, funniest novel immediately caught the ear of the public with his account of an ingénu abroad in the decadent confusion of 1920s high society.©1928 Evelyn Waugh Classics Literature & Fiction Satire Comedy Funny Witty

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All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of Decline and Fall to be better than the print version?

Can't say as I haven't read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Decline and Fall?

All of it.

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

Michael Maloney is brilliant at capturing character, and the mood of the period, all of his voices are distinct and brilliant.

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

No

Brilliant narrator

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A short spiffy social commentary on public school education and the absurdity of life, often funny sometimes touching but always true. This is one of the rare gems of audiobooks where the performance is top draw and brings the book to life.

Pifffection

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If you could sum up Decline and Fall in three words, what would they be?

Quaint, clever, wry.

What did you like best about this story?

The narration is absolutely perfect and gave me so much more expressive characterisation than I'd have been able to conjure in my own head - thank you, Michael Maloney!

What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

It's honestly as if he wrote the novel himself, so perfectly does he capture each snort, sneer, grimace and tick - he narrates each character with a sort of audible physicality which makes it easy to visualise the characters, and it's laugh out loud stuff. It's ridiculous, it's over the top, and it's jolly good fun.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found it very amusing, diverting, and just what I needed to wind down to each night for a week. Waugh's not to everyone's taste, but if you like a class-based period comedy, boom, here it is. They don't make 'em like this anymore...

Any additional comments?

I read that David Suchet will be appearing in a new TV adaptation, and I can see that working very well; having seen him as Lady Bracknell recently, he can do comedy brilliantly.

Unsurpassable narration

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Don't listen to Waugh if youare easily offended: he is a racist, sexist old snob but he is of his time and deals in sterotypes to portray the simultaneously bright society stars and the gloomy shadows they leave.

Took me back to 'o' level days

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The storyline here is pretty daft and the characters hard to care much about, but Waugh is such a master novelist that it's still worth the read. The narrative is well-paced and the ending, at least, does give one pause for thought. His prose, as ever, is exquisite and Michael Maloney as reader is outstanding, bringing the book to life with a superb vocal performance. Overall time well spent.

No Brideshead but still ...

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