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So Many Ways to Begin

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So Many Ways to Begin

By: Jon McGregor
Narrated by: Matt Bates
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About this listen

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

David Carter cannot help but wish for more: that his wife Eleanor would be the sparkling girl he once found so irresistible; that his job as a museum curator could live up to the promise it once held; that his daughter's arrival could have brought him closer to Eleanor. But a few careless words spoken by his mother's friend have left David restless with the knowledge that his whole life has been constructed around a lie.

©2006 Jon McGregor (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Science Fiction

Critic reviews

‘Extraordinary’ Daily Mail

‘Subtle, clever and affecting’ Independent on Sunday

‘A homage to ordinary people and ordinary things, to the parts of our lives that often go unspoken … moving and honest’ The Times

‘A book about the search for greater meaning in the strange dance of chance’ Independent

‘McGregor’s meticulous syntax melts into a hot flood of words … An intimate tale with penetrating things to say about the wider history of twentieth-century Britain’ Sunday Times

‘An absorbing and unexpectedly uplifting novel … It will leave you thinking long after you have put the book away on the shelf’ Irish Independent

‘A close reading of ordinary lives … tender and often
beautifully poetic’ Stephanie Merritt, Observer

‘Both compelling and convincing. A deeply rewarding read, serious and often beautiful’ Good Book Guide

‘McGregor is a brilliant prose stylist, and here he excels at
making the provincial and the ordinary seem extraordinary’ Sunday Times

‘This is a wonderful novel; low-key but beautifully paced,
scattered with extraordinarily intense moments’ Independent on Sunday

‘This is an unforgettable novel' Daily Telegraph
All stars
Most relevant
I love Jon McGregor’s writing. He captures so much of the human experience in the smallest gestures of his characters. So Many Ways to Begin has a wonderfully light touch, tracing an ostensibly ordinary life in a way that feels quietly profound. I found myself empathising deeply with the character’s challenges, and moved by how much is said without ever being overstated.

Beautiful gentle writing

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I couldn't wait to read this after enjoying Reservoir 13 but sadly, this novel did not appeal half as much. The technique Jon McGregor uses was perfect for Reservoir 13 but there, I found it immensely dull. There is just not enough action/character/description to hold my interest. I found the characters feeble and the casual 'realistic' speech patterns tedious, especially when delivered in the narrator's rather monotone nasal voice. His whine of characters constantly bleating 'I don't know' became really wearing. A shame, as the other novel was great.

Rather tedious

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I love the way this man writes. A gentle story beautifully narrated in the perfect calm voice it needs. Not an action thriller, no great drama, just a wonderful amble through the lives of some ordinary folk.

Descriptive language

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