a tangled web but comes together beautifully

Addictive. Great readers. Modern life critique. The masters and the slaves.
Really enjoyed the way these separate stories take on life as a menacing whole. (pun intended)

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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

Number 11

Excellent writing and a story that will make you listen for hours to get to the end. Totally gripping story . Beautifully read

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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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3 people found this helpful

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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3 people found this helpful

was this a p*ss take?

really don't know what to make of this. I am a huge fan of JC, What a Carve Up is one of my favourite books. But this just seems like an exercise in jamming together as many literary styles as possible under the umbrella of a common theme - how the rich demonise the poor to distract from their own crimes - which is ladles on so thickly that it gets I'm the way of the storytelling and characterisation. There were just too many 'but people don't behave like that' momentd for me to immerse myself in the novel.

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We are not all in together; a foolish thought

‘Number 11’ is not meant to be a straight sequel to ‘What a Carve Up’ – I think. Time has moved on. Here Jonathan Coe weaves stories with numerous characters that are believable; and sometimes deplorable too. Coe shows far more compassion than in ‘WaCUp!’ and binds the reader to their stories. There have to be mechanisms to link stories and he manages this well. He also speaks out to all those people who will have witnessed news stories of horror in the way that people are enslaved overtly and more subtlety. People are hurt regardless. There are comedic moments though. I am naturally sympathetic to Coe’s mining of his childhood past when the limited offer of terrestrial TV meant that there was more of a common experience than on these splintered times. The last, drawing things together might test some listeners, but this is fiction. What is absolutely certain is that Coe demonstrates conclusively the lie that in terms of a British Society we are not ‘all in this together’. I am better for having listened to this novel. The audio-book is excellently performed and produced and will disappoint few if any.

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Fabulous performances but story faltered

Very enjoyable audiobook, largely due to the fantastic narration. Superb performances from both Jessica Haynes an Rory Kinnear. The story was however rather disjointed and, in my opinion, a bit unsatisfactory.

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Fantastic

Totally loved it. Couldn't stop listening in the end. Gripping, interesting, current. Also good women characters for a change.

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Just brilliant! Coe at his best!!

Political, caustic, engaging,one of my fav books! Makes sense of everything unjust about Britain, loved it!!!

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