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Noughts and Crosses
- Noughts and Crosses 1
- Narrated by: Syan Blake, Paul Chequer
- Series: Noughts and Crosses, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Children's Audiobooks, Literature & Fiction
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Summary
Sephy is a Cross – a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a nought – a ‘colourless’ member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood. But that’s as far as it can go. Until the first steps are taken towards more social equality and a limited number of Noughts are allowed into Cross schools… Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum – a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger…
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What listeners say about Noughts and Crosses
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- AshA
- 18-09-19
whitewashed in it's audiobook!
the most powerful thing about the story and it references to diversity is lost in casting Sephy in what sounds like a poncy white Jane Austen era voice and the lack of diversity in the character voices. it's strange to have the 'crosses' aspire to and take on the accents of thier former slaves rather than develop their unique voices and have it the other way round.
it feels like someone's tried to make it palatable by erasing real 'cross' voices. the story is lost and the subtle returning of the narrative to the status quo is such a disappointment.
35 people found this helpful
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- M.D.
- 14-04-13
Very engaging
This worked fantastically well as in-car listening to, from and during our holiday in Cornwall last year. It is accessible both to adults and to teenagers, and we often sat in the car at the end of a journey to finish a chapter. The story is based on an interesting twist on our traditional notions of racism, but this is in no way labored, but rather provides the backdrop for the human stories we encounter.
7 people found this helpful
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- PIERRE
- 19-06-17
Fantastic Story Dull and Annoying Voice Actors
What did you like most about Noughts and Crosses?
Fantastic Book, well written very interesting with many twists.
What didn’t you like about Syan Blake and Paul Chequer ’s performance?
Tone, and boring speaking voices. Really not a fan.
10 people found this helpful
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- AMAZONUSER0776
- 08-04-17
A very thought provoking book
Loved it and couldn't wait to be able to find time to listen to more
2 people found this helpful
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- Chris-Ann
- 24-11-16
Loved it !
One of my favourite books of all time , it was read beautifully throughout .
2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-05-13
Loved it
It was great fantastic
I loved it a great story, great narration ( It was perfect I like it when the different characters have different voices which is the case for this book.)
For me it was a perfect book.
It is great for teenager or older children, because I loved it, adored it and I'm 14 and my sister too she is 12
Hope my review helps you with your choice.
I had 100% satisfaction with my purchase and hope you do too
Jodie 14years old
6 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 13-03-13
Essential YA
The scenario is compelling, the drama powerful, and the echoes of Romeo and Juliet beautifully ironic, but the language marks this title out definitively as a YA novel: not one to pick if you're on the trail of lyricism, or an arresting turn of phrase. The reading is generally effective, but Paul Chequer brings to Callum's narration a sneering tone that I hadn't expected and didn't enjoy.
6 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-06-20
Great book awful voice actors
Read this book as a kid and revisited recently, the voice acting made the book close to unbareable, it's a real shame as the book is great!
1 person found this helpful
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- Yasmin
- 25-06-16
Not what I was expecting.
I thought it was going to be predictable but it wasn't. Suitable for older teenagers and adults only. No swearing but adult themes.
2 people found this helpful
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- jenna
- 05-04-22
Brill Author
Fantastic book. Completed in two days. I'm still crying. Brill story,line interesting characters. A good read.
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- Cynthia H.
- 23-06-21
Racial Romeo and Juliette
Good read; easy listening. Reveals bumps and mountains faced by individuals because of societies differences.
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- MISS S J PARFITT
- 21-07-20
Brilliant and relevant
Fantastic book, both voice actors were excellent and emotes well, the subject matter is important. White people should read this book, and learn something from it.
Malorie Blackman knocked it out of the park again.
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- JennyB
- 11-05-19
So arresting!
Such an arresting story! It left me breathless, and eager for the next installment. Tragic, yet hopeful characters.
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- Patrick
- 27-04-19
A good book but it felt a bit off sometimes.
It was a good book, but in a few parts it felt like whip lash. Some of the twists could be spotted a mile away but all in all a good story and well written characters. Just not my cup of tea.
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- Erasmus B. Darwin
- 12-11-18
Amazing
A work of art! brilliantly told and eminently readable.. I can't wait for the sequels to be audio-booked.
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- N
- 28-12-16
Kept me listening
The story was overall good, I'm a fan of dystopian/alternative history ya books, so this seemed like a great fit. I listened to it in one day not wanting to stop. I loved Callum and his narration . I also enjoyed the character of Sephy but I found myself annoyed by how fast her narrative was, I thought at one point that I had the speed turned up. My only real confusion with the story regards Sephy's reaction at one intense point of the story, any logical person would expect her to be angry and need a lot of convincing to forgive, but instead she is easily overcome by lust. This would have fit fine earlier in the novel or with more build up, but seemed super awkward timing to me.
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- Wieke
- 26-06-12
Confronting story
Would you listen to Noughts and Crosses again? Why?
No, once was nice, but also enough.
What did you like best about this story?
It confronts you with your views and makes you think about the stereotypes you have.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
It was nice that there were 2 narrators for the 2 main characters. However, the girl was a bit overdramatic every now and then (Syan Blake) and the boy was a bit difficult to understand here and there (Paul Chequer).
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The ending: unexpected!
Any additional comments?
Listen to the sample first before you buy. If you like the narrators, this is definitely a story worth listening to.
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- Meikie
- 08-02-18
Powerful, tragic and true to life
I read this book many years ago, so listening to it was a real shock, as if I'd never read it before. It took off and never let up right through to the tragic ending.
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- Amazon Customer
- 24-12-17
Romeo and Juliet continued
It starts with a kiss and ends with a birth of a child. What happens in between must be read, not told or retold.
Great plot, wonderful language and beautiful story.
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- Dona
- 21-05-14
Terrific YA Book
I chose this book because one of my students was reading the book and needed some help understanding it since English isn't her first language. I am so pleased that I did! It was a terrific book that kept me engrossed all the way through it. I could relate to it on many levels. I was a teenager during the American Civil Rights Movement. I could remember the Black Panther Movement. I was reminded of the IRA in Ireland. Now living in Australia I could see a relationship with the struggles of the Koorie population.
I am recommending this book to be put on our Year 10 reading list! I can see lots of discussions with the students.
My one annoyance is that the rest of the series is only available in abridged versions. The first book ended in such a way that I wanted to get right into the next book. Looks like I will have to buy the printed or e-book versions.