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Number 11 cover art

Number 11

By: Jonathan Coe
Narrated by: Jessica Hynes,Rory Kinnear
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Summary

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Number 11 by Jonathan Coe, read by Rory Kinnear and Jessica Hynes.

This is a novel about the hundreds of tiny connections between the public and private worlds and how they affect us all. It's about the legacy of war and the end of innocence. It's about how comedy and politics are battling it out, and comedy might have won. It's about how 140 characters can make fools of us all. It's about living in a city where bankers need cinemas in their basements and others need food banks down the street.

It is Jonathan Coe doing what he does best - showing us how we live now.

©2015 Jonathan Coe (P)2015 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about Number 11

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Get listening to this Jack-in-the-box satire!

Coe's 11th novel is a sort of follow-up to his anti-Thatcherite 1994 'What a Carve Up!' but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one, as it also stands alone. This is our society right now, illustrated by interlocking narratives crammed with characters representing various aspects of our broken Britain. It's like a box bursting with pop-up stories ready to smack you like a leering jack-in-the-box. By turns it's as savage as Swift, poignant, laugh out loud funny and the characters who jump out may incite our heartfelt sympathy, outrage or loathing. Above all it's wonderfully entertaining, although the conclusion flies into the realm of horror film. Degenerating into the realm of fantasy rather undermines the impressive force of the reality built up all the way through. But I can see it's Coe's last laugh.

Every unpopular aspect of Austerity Britain is slaughtered here - whether it's George Osborne's hypocritical whopper about the Cuts, 'We're all in it together' when the mega-rich untouched by everyday grind fly out to one of their multiple-million homes on the other side of the world, whilst a librarian on severely reduced hours spends the afternoon riding round Birmingham on the bus to keep warm; or whether it's a grandfather's life not considered cost-effective to prolong with the expensive drugs which the mega-rich tax-avoiders can afford to buy for themselves. I like the swipe at our plethora of lavish Prizes - the Prize for the best Prize and I would have laughed if it weren't so likely to be true at the Eastern European woman who decided paying taxes was taking up too much of her earnings, so became a dog-walker in Chelsea with 10 unloved trophy dogs at a time @ £20 cash an hour from her unseen employers locked behind security gates. Those houses in Chelsea either stand empty silently appreciating for their overseas owners, or have become mines (with the occasional unheeded fatal casualty amongst the workforce) as the owners order the mineshafts to make basements for swimming pools (with a high diving board and palm trees) and storage for rarely driven Lamborghinis.

The opening scenario of young Rachel (who grows up through the novel) with her older brother in a spookily locked church is brilliant and hooks the listener absolutely. Another outstanding section is poor one-hit-wonder-in-the-Sixties Val who is lured to take part in I'm a Celebrity Get me out of Here and suffers cruelly as a consequence. Old, plain and unknown, she's made the hate-figure of the show, her conversations are 'shopped' to make her out a nasty villain, the appallingly mindless Ant and Dec characters revel in torturing her with insects and spiders, and her life is destroyed by outrageously vile Trolls.

The two narrators keep up the fast pace of all this and provide a considerable variety of accents and shades of voice for the multitude of characters. Get Listening - it's teeming with life and Coe's intricately meshed narratives and his play on the Number 11 are ingenious! Highly recommended.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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‘Austerity Britain’ or ‘Business as Usual’

This is my first Jonathan Coe book so hopefully I can be forgiven for expecting this to be a political 'Yes Minister' type satire. On commencing the story I thought there must be some mistake. I didn’t expect a gothic story of two children being frightened by a crazy bird woman and I thought there might have been some sort of digital mix up. I did however stick with it and on the whole I was rewarded with a mesmerising story of modern Britain and the austerity measures we are all supposed to be living under. The ill treatment of the poor is a given and the injustices were effective rallying calls. But what is very clever is the way in which the lucky ones, the very rich, are portrayed as being trapped in almost hellish meandering lives, roaming the world visiting their increasingly vulgar properties, siring children they despise and devising schemes to hold onto the money they neither need or can spend on anything worthwhile. The limitations of extreme wealth are hilariously portrayed. It may enable you to excavate the pointless 11th level of your depressing and claustrophobic basement extension but it cannot entice the lions to come out to play when you safari in Africa.

In a way this is basically a story about revenge and the bizarre way in which it is enacted didn’t really work for me. I did however relish the journey of the three main characters, Rachel, Alison and Val, and regrettably I know that there really are people like Freddy out there.

The narration from Jessica Hynes was outstanding and a real credit to the material. I note from reading reviews that Jonathan Coe fans do not see this as his best work. I thought it was very good /excellent and this will certainly lead me into reading more books from him.

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7 people found this helpful

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wow!

I loved it! the acting was amazing! the story was beautifully interwoven. A novel for our time.

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book of the year?

wow. excellent storytelling, dazzling and reminiscent of David Mitchell while acting as a sequel to What A Carve Up. delicious.

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Cleverly Written and Performed

If you could sum up Number 11 in three words, what would they be?

Of Our Time

What was one of the most memorable moments of Number 11?

The art exhibition in Switzerland.

Have you listened to any of Jessica Hynes and Rory Kinnear ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but I'll be listening to more.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoyed listening to this over a couple of weeks, beautifully crafted, could almost be listened to as short stories.

Any additional comments?

This wouldn't have been half as good if I'd read it myself, an excellent tale brilliantly performed.

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4 people found this helpful

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Mesmerising. Astonishing performances.

Characters so distinct - exceptional performances. Probably a much better listen than a read - and that's a huge compliment to the performers, as the narrative is so strong and intriguing. Wonderful.

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A brilliant novel, excellent narrators

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A wonderful book comprising various interwoven stories. Each one Absorbing and entertaining. Strong social and political themes throughout, but Jonathan Coe always writes with warmth humanity and humour. The narration is perfect and I couldn't imagine it being read any better.

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I wish I could write like Coe!

If you could sum up Number 11 in three words, what would they be?

absorbing, intelligent, compelling

Who was your favorite character and why?

Impossible to say - they were all compelling.

Which character – as performed by Jessica Hynes and Rory Kinnear – was your favourite?

Again, I don't really do favourites. I would want to say that the performers were outstanding, delivering a range of accent and dialect in realistic, distinctive and engaging manners.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and no. I was interested enough to, practically it is too long to do so for me. Equally, I enjoyed it so much I wanted to eke it out.

Any additional comments?

I am a Jonathan Coe fan, I enjoy his subtle and not so subtle satyr, the intricacy of the web he weaves throughout a book, and this book delivered to the standard I've come to expect. The commentary on the state of the nation and the bankers that shape it is astute as ever. Coe's characters are separately and specifically introduced, and each has a story to tell. There is some excellent fiction faction, evoking characters we see on our TV screens as the opiates of the masses, referring with literary genius to significant events in the history and creation of up for grabs Britain. Narration makes or breaks with a good book, this narration was excellent. The book takes some sharp twists and my only uncertainty is a twist late on and how it sits. Clearly, well enough, as I was enthralled to the end.

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Oooooeeeeer!

Having just finishedlistening I'm speechless. Narrators, especially Jessica Hynes, are superb. Unclassifiable, spellbinding, thoughtprovoking fun.

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Like a mesh

Would you listen to Number 11 again? Why?

I think so, when I had time to let it lie. I think a second listen would help to appreciate the connections more.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I would say the main character Rachel. She was interesting, and well written, I wanted to see what was going to happen with her.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I think the one that struck a chord was doing the circle on the bus, but there were many interesting scenes.

Any additional comments?

I liked the way it jumped about. It seemed to work really easily, but I imagine it was very difficult to do so well. Scenes happen, then different scenes happen, and you think "Oh! That ties to that, that ties to that." The further you progress the more it is properly tied together.

I would also like to say that Jessica Hynes did a splendid job. I've not heard her before but after this I shall see what other books she has narrated, a good reader can really lift a book.

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