Not Good At All

Far too long. Annoyingly correct and plummy English narrator spoiled it for me. Not good

8 people found this helpful

An incredibly frustrating listen

The storyline itself, once untangled from all the fluff and the personal and political crisis of the man in character , was interesting and well thought out. But it gets lost amongst endless interpersonal conflict, and drawn out questions about the police as an institution.

Basically it's far, far to long. But the most frustrating part was having a bland narrator, with pompous interpretations of the characters voice with little consideration of the cultural nuances of the characters and structure. Why some of these characters sounded in part like Only Fools and Horses/ The Sweeny- I'll never understand. If this has been read by a person with an accent and understanding appropriate I would have enjoyed it far more.

4 people found this helpful

Wonderful

It's a struggle to get into, the Japanese names and the regional British accent Burnip gives to them doesn't quite fit, it's also very dense almost an examination into the Japanese police system, however at about the 5 hour mark it clicked and turned into something quite special and unique. It also takes a direction that I never saw coming. Outstanding

8 people found this helpful

Gripping Story right to the last pages

If you could sum up Six Four in three words, what would they be?

It was hard at first to get all the characters names because they were Japanese.But the story was one not to put down. You wanted to know what was going to happen next. Being a true story and asking my Japanese Pen Friends it is really a big book and film. I would love to see the film too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the detective who had been given a new roll as the Press Director. The character is great all the way through the book.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I enjoyed the ending but will not say what happens. But it is not what you expect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes the problems the Press Director went through with father of the kidnapped daughter and the problems he had with his own daughter.

Any additional comments?

It is hard work but worth the read. You will get into the characters and remember the names.

3 people found this helpful

Wow

If you could sum up Six Four in three words, what would they be?

Slow fast awesome

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mikami, whose decency and honour shone

What about Richard Burnip’s performance did you like?

Laboured

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

I felt happier at the end

Any additional comments?

It's dreadfully slow and I nearly gave up, but if you can hang on through the relentless tedium in the first half, the story is suddenly intriguing and then more stuff happens and I found it hypnotic. I'm so glad I stuck with it.

3 people found this helpful

Couldn't finish

I couldn't finish this I'm ashamed to say. Could be the cultural differences but I found it hard to get into the mindset and get emotionally involved with the characters. I got really fed up of the political stuff as it felt very repetitive. I also struggled with keeping track of who was who, however that could easily be down to the fact that I am unfamiliar with the style of names.

3 people found this helpful

surprising

I wasn't to sure if this was for me but after only a short spell I was intrigued and interested until the end. Will read again I expect

3 people found this helpful

Simply the Best Crime Novel I've Ever Read

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

This is a 'Marmite book' I would need to do a psychometric assessment first.

What other book might you compare Six Four to, and why?

I liked this more than 'The Goldfinch' which is saying something.

Have you listened to any of Richard Burnip’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Very good. Narrated with the paucity of emotion that I would expect from a policeman native of Japan.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

On the far side of a dark river

Any additional comments?

OK, this isn’t the easiest book to follow with a seemingly endless list of characters with names that all sounded alien and disturbingly similar given there were no familiar identifiers such as Origami, Kawasaki or Sushi. Very early in the plot I felt the need to draw up an organisation chart to keep track. As the burden increased I transcribed to Powerpoint as approximately 50 individuals were finally identified.

This is a slow-burner and sometimes it felt like damp leaves were being added to a peat fire as the police politics were described in minute detail. But it was all very much worth it. It was worth if only for the last couple chapters when all the threads were deftly pulled together in a deeply satisfying, cleverly intimated, conclusion.

2 people found this helpful

Struggled to get into it

Its read very, very slowly so first impression is that its boring. Just couldn't get in to it

5 people found this helpful

Disappointed...

Had looked forward to something different but found it to be a relatively slow and sometimes confusing 'political' study rather than a 'crime thriller'. Perhaps something was lost in translation but...

2 people found this helpful