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Human Croquet cover art

Human Croquet

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Susan Jameson
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Summary

Once it had been the great forest of Lythe--a vast and impenetrable thicket of green. And here, in the beginning, lived the Fairfaxes, grandly, at Fairfax Manor, visited once by the great Gloriana herself. But over the centuries, the forest had been destroyed, replaced by Streets of Trees. The Fairfaxes have dwindled, too; now they live in Arden, at the end of Hawthorne Close, and are hardly a family at all.

But Isobel Fairfax, who drops into pockets of time and out again, knows about the past. She is 16 and waiting for the return of her mother--the thin, dangerous Eliza, with her scent of nicotine, Arpège, and sex, whose disappearance is part of the mystery that still remains at the heart of the forest.

©1997 Kate Atkinson (P)2014 AudioGo Ltd. Published by Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about Human Croquet

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Brilliant

An absolute joy! The combination of Kate’s writing and Susan’s narration is sublime. Hours of enthralling listening.

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7 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Well written but confused

The initial plot seems a bit like her first novel but with less focus. By the end more and more characters are added and I found myself lost in a careering plot. I suspect it was me not seeing the underlying subtlety but ai saw no reason the narrator changes from first person to third person and back again. At the end things seem summed up quickly and unsatisfactorily. A rather frustrating listening experience with bursts of vivid entertainment.

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4 people found this helpful

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Fabulous and thought provoking

A truly fabulous book that causes you to question the very nature of your conscious mind

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2 people found this helpful

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mystical, mundane and wholly marvellous!

loved this exquisitely written tale of loves, lives, truths and secrets all spun in a web of parallel reality. The narrator was just fantastic with a stunning array of accents. Kate Atkinson's story telling is unique, inventive and dazzlingly intelligent.

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2 people found this helpful

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Amazing

This novel is brilliant. It captivates and entrances! Each character is enhanced by every shift in the story and the story becomes a growing enigma. Despite the changes which occur in time and place, I never lost a hold on this amazing fantasy!

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1 person found this helpful

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  • 15-12-17

Cannot get enough of Kate Atkinson!!

What did you like most about Human Croquet?

The narration,utterly perfect for each character. Susan Jameson really does it an absolute justice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vinnie- her character and remarks absolutely creased me up! oooh and Mrs Baxter.

What about Susan Jameson’s performance did you like?

The characters voices really worked for me. I would absolutely listen to her again, fantastic actress and Narrator.

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Weird, illogical

I persevered with this as long as I could but eventually realised it was wasting hours of my life I will never get back

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  • Overall
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Sublime writing and narration

Kate Atkinson is a beautiful writer. Some sentences deserved listening to twice and thrice for the sheer elegance of their construction and the evocative nature of their description. The story moves backwards and forwards and from reality to fantasy. In less able hands it could be clunky or confusing but here it twists and turns and intertwines wonderfully. I cared about the characters and loved the little forays into history, evolution and science. And what a narrator Susan Jameson is. A wonderful performance (a ‘reading’ wouldn’t do it justice) and she nails every regional accent which is a rare treat. One of my favourite books and listens of this year, I highly recommend it.

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Probably a better read than a listen but very good in either form

WARNING:
If you take it to the beach you’ll probably forget you are on holiday

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

The book is an old favourite. Susan Jameson’s narration brings it to sparkling life.
Excellent

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