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Room At The Top

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Room At The Top

By: John Braine
Narrated by: Kevin Whately
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Braine's first and most successful novel of working-class 'angst' and the struggle of 'angry young man' Joe Lampton. Anxious to climb the social ladder by whatever means possible in post-war Britain, he is determined to make something of himself, targeting a high-paid job. He notices a young man with an expensive car and a pretty girlfriend and realises that this lifestyle and appearance is what he aspires to. The book centres on Joe's efforts to secure a future he can take pride in, but disaster and remorse are never far away either.

This 20th century classic has also been filmed and made into a TV series. The reader Kevin Whateley is a great British talent, affectionately known for his role as 'Lewis', who appeared first in Morse.

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Joe Lampton, doesn't want a mediocre life as a Town Hall internal auditor. He wants an Aston Martin and the class of girl that goes with it. But his plans get messed up when he falls in love with an older married woman. It's a brilliantly written story that was turned into an Oscar winning film staring Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret.

But there are two problems with the audio book. The first is that it is read by Kevin Whately (Neville in Auf Weidersehan Pet and Inspector Lewis). He is a good narrator, but the book is written in the first person, and the protagonist has a strong Yorkshire accent, whereas Whately is a Geordie. The second is that it is abridged. The book is not that long, so I don't know why they needed to cut it. It also means that many of John Braine's character developments and sharp observations on life in late 40's Britain are missing.

Missed opportunity with a classic book

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It's read well, but it removes much important background detail from the original novel. Joe Lampton's ambitions and 'love' life make more sense in the context of his wartime experiences.

Over-abridged

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