Well researched. Terrible narration.

The book is a harrowing insight into the life, not just of Hindley, but Brady as well. It's well researched and very interesting.

The author details the futile appeals for parole and Hindley's so called rehabilitation as well as the horrific murders.

All in all a very informative book.

BUT.............

I have never heard such appalling narration! Poor old Maggie Mash seems to think that she has to try and speak in the native dialect of everyone who has been interviewed in the book. So when Hindley's words are being read, we get generic North of England accent. When Brady's words are being read we get Scottish accent with a slightly husky voice. There are some really bad accents on display. There is possibly the worst attempt at an Irish accent I've ever heard!

Unfortunately this, for me at least, detracted terribly from the events in the book lending it an unwitting air of comedy. What on earth possessed the narrator to think this was a good idea is beyond me. It seemed to belittle the very serious and, at times, upsetting subject matter.

28 people found this helpful

Certain flaws

It's certainly a well-researched account and could even be said to suffer from an excess of information. Quotes pepper the text to such a degree that 20 minutes can go by without a full sentence from the author being read. A page of information could have been summarised in a paragraph without any loss of accuracy. That being said it's clear that the background information has been meticulously collected and is presented in a logical narrative.

This brings us to the narration. It appears to suffer from the same striving for authentic detail as the text and as such the narrator attempts to characterise each individual with the appropriate vocal characteristics. Unfortunately she lacks the ability to do this. Every male character speaks with gruff, sinister undertones in the manner of an untrustworthy cartoon dog and the accents are quite unaccountable. One character, Dave, has a stammer which astonishingly the narrator attempts to replicate for all Dave's quotations, some of which span many pages. The result is that the canine growling is delivered in a sort of staccato regurgitation reminiscent of a concussed Dalek. The result is so infuriating it's almost impossible to bear.

17 people found this helpful

Upsetting but informative

A disturbing true story well written and investigated by the author. It has some graphic details which can be upsetting though it helps you understand the state of minds of the killers ,evil or not, a chilling account well read.

11 people found this helpful

Harrowing

This is by no means a comfortable read- some of the details, particularly the transcript of the tape of Leslie Ann Downey's suffering, may give sleepless nights. However, the author stays true to her stated aim of giving the victims and their families a strong presence in the narrative and the book is really touching in parts for this reason. Hindley and Brady come across as truly revolting and the author manages to write about them as multi dimensional without ever excusing or justifying their crimes. It works pretty well as social history too though not intrusively. Quotes from the writings of the child killers musings and writings actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times- what a pair of pretentious, faux intellectuals they were- Hindley being offended by Brady's comparison of her prose style to Barbara Cartland is a gem. Narration is excellent- never too ponderous which would have made listening too harrowing...though I could have done without the cod Jamaican accent attributed to the sole black character. Recommended.

6 people found this helpful

Terrible accents

How could the performance have been better?

It's an excellent book but why did the narrator feel she had to do *every* accent mentioned in passing? Russian, French, American and some awful Mancunian ones.
There was no need to assume accents when reading the transcript of the killing of Lesley Anne Downes. A bit tasteless really.

6 people found this helpful

Can anyone ever know the truth?

What did you like most about One of Your Own?

I liked the attention to detail, even at the start it clearly states that it endeavoured to be an accurate account. I liked how it presented Myra, good and bad.

What about Maggie Mash’s performance did you like?

I think having her do the voices helped to bring the characters alive.

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

The story was very compelling and I wanted to know what exactly would happen next. I did listen to this for sometimes more than an hour at a time, but at 18+ hours in one go, I don't think so.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book, it brought to my attention many facts about the cases that I was not previously aware. I thought it gave a reasonably balanced view of Myra, declaring her neither a beast, nor a feeble woman who was under the spell of a man.
I would recommend this to anyone with a strong stomach, as some of the descriptions of the assaults on the children are quite explicit- There is one section where the narrator reads, in character, a transcript of a tape, made by Myra and Ian during the assault of a victim; this was quite harrowing.

6 people found this helpful

Compelling but disturbing

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

Yes, if they were interested in the Moors murder and knew something about it. Plus Myra Hindley's character becomes much clearer as the book progresses. I always thought she must have been vile to commit the crimes she did, but thought that Brady was probably the real villain. I am not so sure now, since her manipulation of so many people (some of whom, one cannot help thinking, should have know better - i.e. Lord Longford and David Astor) showed her for the heartless and self-absorbed creature that she was, without a shred of pity or compassion. Worse, she obviously expected everyone to feel as sorry for her as she was for herself over her prison incarceration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One of Your Own?

Difficult to say, but was pretty relieved when she died in prison!

Would you be willing to try another one of Maggie Mash’s performances?

Absolutely not. I read other reviews complaining about terrible narration and to begin with I didn't think it was too bad. By half way through the book I had to grit my teeth each time I realised we were about to have another sortie into yet one more dreadful voice and accent.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me very angry. I am about the same age as Myra Hindley so lived through the horror everyone felt at the time when they were caught. However, as I said earlier, I was prepared to allow that she was so taken up with Brady she lost all sight of reality. I now feel, after having heard the book, that she was every bit as evil as she was made out to be. A thoroughly nasty piece of work.

Any additional comments?

I think I would probably have preferred to read the book as it seems exceedingly well-written. The narration detracts from it.

10 people found this helpful

A worth while listen!

Such a sad topic but well worth the listen. Very informative and wonderfully narrated. My views on Myra have remained the same! An evil woman who knew exactly what she was doing. It was good to have a true insight into that woman and hear first hand witness accounts etc. I hope one day they find the missing boy Keith, Myra, I think did know where he was buried. An evil Woman right to the end!!!!

3 people found this helpful

Well researched.

This is probably the best book I have read on this subject. I changed some of my opinions about Myra Hindley too which I did not expect.

The narration was a bit hit and miss - her ordinary voice was great but the accents were sometimes awful and her depiction of David Smith downright irritating. It’s a shame as it took some of the enjoyment out of the book for me.

2 people found this helpful

Factual Account

This book provides a factual account of the life of Myra Hindley. It doesn’t sensational or trivialise her crimes. As a student of criminology it leaves the listener to decide if she was ever remorseful.

2 people found this helpful