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Earthly Powers

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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

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 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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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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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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Fine, thought provoking novel. Beautifully written and beautifully read. I totally disagree with the previous reviewer who castigates the narrator. To my ear he was clear, all words pronounced according to Received Pronunciation, except for dialect, and foreign words annunciated correctly: just perfect!

Fine work beautifully performed

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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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