Listen very carefully as I shall say zis only wuns

The author's voice jars with the inexplicable pronunciation of the readers. Seems like the text was sent to two random people along with a dictaphone and no other instructions than to send it back the results asap. The rendering of the archived recordings reminded me of Allo Allo! I kept asking myself if I was missing some obvious rationale for this approach. The subject matter includes a re wash of the dirty laundry previously done in Charlotte Gray with a few of France's more recently soiled garments chucked in to make up a full load!

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16 people found this helpful

Terrible narrators

I had to enter a star for story in order to be able to post a review. But I made it through only the first two chapters because the narrators (who seem to alternate chapters) are truly terrible. The man mumbles, and the woman sounds like she's reading rather than speaking. I'm a big fan of Sebastian Faulks and may come back to this book, but for now I've got the new ones by William Boyd and Kate Atkinson, both of which appear to have excellent narrators.

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13 people found this helpful

Poor casting, poor production

I’m a huge fan of Faulks but struggled to get more than a few chapters into this appalling production. Why on earth Ehsas has been chosen to read as a Morocan teenager I cannot imagine - it’s like deciding someone with a strong Scots accent will portray a Chinese narrator perfectly. At least his chapters are reasonably well produced though - McBride sounds like she’s reading in a bathroom, and her consistently inconsistent French pronunciations drive one insane - either the character is familiar with a word or not; choosing to pronounce Place or Boulevard wrong consistently is one thing, but just every now and again smacks of poor preparation and a producer who just doesn’t care. You can also constantly hear movement of clothes or paper during her sections, as well as dreadful reverb. I expect better from Random House.

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5 people found this helpful

Decent enough story; terrible accents

The storyline really intrigued me initially but I have since found it very difficult to engage in the book as the narrators accents are so awful (almost comedic). I'm probably going to buy a hard copy, but fear that the accents are going to plague me and I'll still 'hear' me as each character 'speaks'...

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3 people found this helpful

Paris Past and Present

I really wanted to enjoy this book as Faulks is such a great writer and I was initially feeling a bit underwhelmed but realised there was no point looking for what was not there ie it is not a thriller so don't look for thrills, there is no jeopardy so don't look for rescue etc. What it is though is a very finely crafted look at the modern day immigrant experience from a certain perspective and a moving account of Paris during the occupation as recalled by an American researcher. How these two lives intertwine is interesting but the most fascinating part for me was the account of a particular Nazi concentration camp on French soil. That really moved me. There was also character dialogue about happy endings being something of a modern cliche but I'm not going to give anything away so you'll have to read or listen to find out where Faulks leaves our characters.

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2 people found this helpful

A disapponting testimony to Paris

The part of Tariq was interesting and seemed authentic and genuine. Hannah's part was less well-defined and empathetic. However, it was difficult to understand why both characters mispronounced French names when they were both supposed to have a knowledge of the language.

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1 person found this helpful

Paris, mon amour

I have not enjoyed a book so much for ages. The main characters are utterly engaging; their imperfections make them human and by the end I felt I had got to know two unique human beings. The philosophical debate about history permeates the book, but is never didactic nor intrusive- just truly thought provoking. The audio performances were excellent. Paris is the real hero of the novel. I now cannot wait to visit Paris... and to read more Sebastian Faulks.

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1 person found this helpful

Save your money, look elsewhere!

I have not read any Faulks books before, but I think this will be my last. I'd like to give it zero stars. The narration is terrible. My mediocre O-level French is enough to make me cringe at the mispronunciation, and the British accent is horrendous. I have never thought to write a review before, only ever having experienced amazing performances, so I assumed that the narrators in the Audible Library were always good! Just goes to show what a gifted actor Robert Glenister is. Just don't listen to him first...

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Bad pronunciation

I abandoned this book because the male reader’s inability to pronounce French was too frustrating. The character is meant to know French.

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TIRESOME PLUS PLUS PLUS.

What a let down after the superb Engelby.
Unexciting, Rambling, Pointless, Uninspiring , Sleep Inducing.

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