Pleasantville cover art

Pleasantville

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Pleasantville

By: Attica Locke
Narrated by: J D Jackson
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About this listen

It's 1996, and in Houston a mayoral election is looming. As usual the campaign focuses on Pleasantville. Axel Hathorne, former chief of police, was all set to become Houston's first black mayor. But his lead is slipping thanks to Sandy Wolcott, a defence lawyer. And then, just as the competition intensifies, a girl goes missing, apparently while canvassing for Axel. And when her body is found, Axel's nephew is charged with her murder.

©2015 Attica Locke (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Mystery

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Critic reviews

"Genuinely unnerving....subtle, complex questions of identity, family and history." ( Daily Mail)
All stars
Most relevant
Too many characters to follow the several subplots running in parallel with the main plot, which itself is tenuous. Much repetition and I found it difficult to empathise with the protagonist Jay, who I felt was two-dimensional, unlike the accused Neil.

The narrator struggled to change his voice to accommodate at least twenty people, but did his best and I enjoyed listening to the timbre of his voice. This alone kept me going!

The experience has not put me off Attica Locke, but I think I’ll read her novels in future.

Too Many Characters

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What a great book. Beautifully written and beautifully read, I was hooked from the outset. Attica Locke is a fine writer, keeping a masterful grip on her storyline and maintaining a steady level of intrigue. The lack of any gratuitous violence and bad language was a surprising bonus, just proving that neither is necessary when the plot and writing are this good. J D Jackson did a fine job in his narration, beautifully nuanced and pleasingly consistent. I will definitely be reading more from this writer.

Excellent

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Any additional comments?

If you like a sophisticated murder/police/whodunnit type of book then give this one a try. Beautifully written and with a great plot,this kept me listening for hours at a time. A great story and well told by the narrator.
Pleasantville deserves all of the hype it has received and I'm not surprised that it made the longlist for the 2016 Baileys Prize for fiction.

Law, Politics & Murder in Houston, Texas. 5*

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just took many attempts to listen to . it was a struggle to finish .

slow

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