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Morality Play

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About this listen

It is the late 14th century, a dangerous time beset by war and plague. Nicholas Barber, a young and wayward cleric, stumbles across a group of travelling players and compounds his sins by joining them. Yet the town where they perform reveals another drama: a young woman is to be hanged for the murder of a 12-year-old boy. What better way to increase their takings than to make a new play, to enact the murder of Thomas Wells?

But as the actors rehearse, they discover that the truth about the boy's death has yet to be revealed.

©1995 Barry Unsworth (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Historical Mystery Crime Fiction Murder
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It's one of the books I'll be returning to again and again. An exquisite blend of story and performance.

Exceptional

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Would you listen to Morality Play again? Why?

Yes. Even though you know the outcome I feel that re listening you would find nuances you missed the first time around as the story sweeps you along at a fast pace the further you go through the story. I couldn't put it down. I needed to find out what happened and was listening until midnight on one occasion.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the well written, well rounded characters and the interaction between them. I enjoyed the descriptions of the formulation of the play, and the way in which the body language of the characters was construed so that the reader could follow their meaning.

What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

for me Michael Maloney truly embodied the character of Nicholas Baker as well as the voices of all the other characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The second performance of the play where they had gathered more information about what really happened . Where the action in the play and characters they were performing took them over and the actors became the people they were playing without the need for rehearsal.

Any additional comments?

The time in which the book is set is stated within the synopsis of the book but is never made clear in the narrative itself.

Very good historical crime fiction

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excellent story and excellent voice talent. I recommend it. too short I wish it were longer

very good

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Very original story encapsulating a medieval whodunnit,and interesting story about players and general society .

Great story and performance

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I originally read this novel many years ago so it was comforting to listen to it being read. As soon as I heard the sample I knew the narrator's voice was perfect for this book and so it turned out. Recommended.

Excellent narration

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