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Earthly Powers

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Earthly Powers

By: Anthony Burgess
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

Kenneth Toomey is an eminent novelist of dubious talent; Don Carlo Campanati is a man of God, a shrewd manipulator who rises through the Vatican to become the architect of church revolution and a candidate for sainthood.

These two men are linked not only by family ties but by a common understanding of mankind's frailties. In this epic masterpiece, Anthony Burgess plumbs the depths of the essence of power and the lengths men will go for it.

©1980 Anthony Burgess (P)2014 Audible Studios Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Witty Middle Ages

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Critic reviews

"Crowded, crammed, bursting with manic erudition, garlicky puns, omnilingual jokes... which meshes the real and personalised history of the twentieth century." (Martin Amis)
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I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but it has proven to be one of the finest audiobooks that I have ever listened to - in both content and performance. I saw a couple of poor reviews and feel that these critiques are persnickety and do not give credit to the outstanding performance and pacing of the speaker. Absolutely fantastic.

Fantastic

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I first read this novel some twenty years ago and loved it. It's a better version of Any Human Heart (and preceded it). Burgess had an extraordinary mind and it is very much on display in this book. I like the narration, but it is rather spoiled by technical issues. You can hear where the narrator has re-recorded sections (sometimes within a sentence). The technical side of the recording seems very unprofessional. I wish it could be recorded again, but properly this time.

A classic. Well read, but with recording issues.

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To start with I wasn’t keen, but once we got going it turned into a riveting yarn. So good to read a properly grown up book ably read by a serious narrator. Bravo,

Wonderful

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Sadly, the reader is appalling. If I had not read the book already and did not know how good it is I should have turned it off. Painful.

Poorly read

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I read this book in the late 80s, I think, and it became one of my favourite books. I’m weaved historical events with a fictional life in literature. When I saw it available as an Audible title I eagerly purchased it. The reader captured perfectly my idea of the protagonists’ voices. I enjoyed every minute of this title. It is long, involved and thought-provoking but worth it.

Amazing story and performance

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