Thoughtful writing

I enjoyed this as I do pretty much everything Sebastian Faulks writes. His studies of human nature, of what 'makes us tick' are insightful and revealing. I thought that the first two stories were more convincing than the last though, which started to drag a little; perhaps with too much detail of the songs and their writing.



Also, I think that the characters in the first story and the narrator in the second were engaging, whereas the narrator of the third I didn't really care about! A good read as ever though.

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A beautiful treat!

This is the first I've "read" from Sebastian Faulks and it has completely captivated me. I will have to spend at least one or two more credits on him in the near future. I never buy an audio book if I don't like the narration in the sample and this one was a bit of a gamble, as there's a different narrator for each story and you only get to hear one of the five in the sample. All five narrators, however, were excellent. Such amazing beauty, such insight and detail of characters, such compelling and vivid narration too from all the voices! Maybe with just one exception of the third story "Everything can be explained". I found that this one did not sound quite as convincing for me as the other four, some elements of it felt a bit contrived with the narration being a little dry. They could have got someone that can speak Italian and pronounce the names properly too. But in spite of all this, even here there was so much thought and such deep insight from different angles too, so it never felt dogmatic. And as for the other four novellas, I have simply not found any fault with them at all. This is the kind of read I especially like listening to and let myself be carried away by the amazing character in the voices and accents of the actors.

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3 people found this helpful

Good strong stories, except the last one

Initially very well written and evocative stories, making the characters come alive. But I found the book marred by the long drawn out last story of the singer and her companion, the narrator, undermined by scarcely credible slushy sentimentality, startling to me because it seemed so far removed from the convincing rest of the book. Not helped here either by the reader’s inauthentic accents. I was sorry that the book ended here, without a chance of redeeming itself.

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A Little Depressing

Five short stories all with the same theme, so possibly creating a whole. They were compelling and well narrated, but by the end I was thoroughly depressed! I think it fair to say that most people will experience a missed opportunity during their lifetime, but these handful of protagonists really made a meal of it. I prefer my reading to end on an up-beat.

Having said all this, I would still recommend this book, Sebastian Faulks is a superb writer, however, I wish I hadn't listened to them all in one go!

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9 people found this helpful

Seems to come together at ens

Love Sebastian Faulks' work. At first found sudden switch from one reader and life story to another confusing. But it does seem to come together by the end. Superb reading performances throughout.

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Rather typically doleful

Any additional comments?

You don't read/listen to Faulks to cheer you up. and yet I find him strangely life affirming - at least in this case. He has a penchant for the melancholic, but still manages to extract something from it that leaves me optimistic and cheered, and this collection of novelettes is no different. It took me some time to have a sense of the themes that link them, and yet by the end it was clear that they belong together even if I find it a little hard to explain why. Something to do with lost loves, lives that could have turned out another - more apparently positive way, and looking back on life and savouring it despite all the difficulties/ disappointments.Anyway, as my first experience of an audiobook (Apart from Harry Potter, and that really doesn't count as my - then young - daughter made me!), this left me thoughtful, hopeful and wanting more to help with my new, extended commute to work; and for me that seems like a pretty good recommendation.

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1 person found this helpful

Dark and haunting tales

Faulkes writes beautifully about war; he captures the inhumanity, the waste, the wanton cruelty and the senselessness of it all. The first of the stories that are loosely linked in the text, is an examination of war and its cruelty and I found it horrifying and disturbing. Having read Birdsong I knew his ability to place his reader in the event, but this story had an even greater impact. The move from story to story is quite abrupt and this is a disadvantage to lstening to this text rather than reading it.

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Fascinating

The writing is just magnificent. Didn’t want it to finish!
Must revisit his other works.

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An excellent and entrancing collection

I have been a Faulks fan since first reading Birdsong some many years ago. Since then he has never disappointed and this particular work raises his already brilliant bar even higher. This is a collection of life narratives that is enthral long and captivating from beginning to end. An absolutely excellent novel that brings the characters to life and immerses you in that life.

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Melancholic and beautiful

I wasn't sure about the idea of the short stories as one of the things I love about audio books is many hours of listening. I was entirely won over though. I'd find it hard to articulate exactly the complex existential themes are which link the stories, but this format renders them very subtle: the individual stories themselves are engrossing, but there's this thought-provoking undercurrent which I only really engaged with when I'd switched the story off. It'd be a great choice for a book group! I just loved it. The narration is moving, the writing beautiful, the atmosphere melancholic. It is perfect for winter listening.

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2 people found this helpful