Globe cover art

Globe

Life in Shakespeare’s London

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Globe

By: Catharine Arnold
Narrated by: Clare Staniforth
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About this listen

In Globe Catherine Arnold takes the listener on a tour of Shakespeare's London, looking at how they shaped each other. Acting turned into a trade, and troupes of touring players perfected their craft. Shakespeare's own company, the Chamberlain's Men, opened the Globe Playhouse on Bankside in 1599, creating a new focal point for the city.

But the story of the theatre and the men who created it was just as dramatic as any of the tales told on its stage. James Burbage carried timbers across the Thames to build the theatre among the brothels and beer gardens on the south side of the river at huge personal cost. It flourished, then burnt down during a performance of Henry VIII, before being rebuilt then destroyed again during the short reign of Oliver Cromwell, and was finally reconstructed in modern times.

In the background, Shakespeare's London was constantly threatened by riots, rebellions, and the plague. But its bustle and movement were a continual inspiration to the world's greatest dramatist, inspiring both his stories and his characters.

Globe is a brilliant recreation of one of the most creative moments in British history.

©2015 Catharine Arnold (P)2021 Tantor Art & Literature Authors Europe Great Britain England Shakespeare Middle Ages

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All stars
Most relevant
An enjoyable and interesting story, with some repetition and an unfortunate attempt at imagining situations unnecessarily.

Completely let down by terrible narration - pronunciation of the most common words was terrible - most notably 'Southwark' repeatedly being pronounced as 'Suffolk'. There was so many instances 'Berwick' pronounced phonetically, 'Loo-tenant', etc. I genuinely thought it was some kind of AI rendition of the text. I get that sometimes words are mispronounced , this is a professional narrator and the sheer number of completely spoiled what would otherwise have been an enjoyable book.

Great narrative - appalling narration

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Is the reader even human? Robotic reading that let's down a good book and excellent writer. Ill-served. Ill- advised.

poor reading of a good book

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Narrator has a very repetitive musicality to her voice that makes it very annoying to listen to which is a shame as the content is very interesting

Interesting but shame about the narration

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I was very excited to listen to a book written about this period and topic by a woman writer, but had to stop listening as the reader’s voice is grating , robotic and very unclear. The choice of reading style hinders the sense of the sentences and makes it all in all a very confusing and boring listen. It is a real shame for such a good book. I will read it instead.

Really disappointed with the reading of this book

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