An opportunity spurned

I don't like to be negative in my reviews but this was a desperately disappointing letdown for me, and as such I feel duty bound to warn others. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is one of my all-time favourite books, and you would expect the person most qualified to do any great novel justice in its narration would be the author himself. Sadly this is not the case. I have learned that reading a story out loud is a skill that requires a sense of the dramatic and a degree of acting ability, and this is why my favourite purchases from Audible all involve professional actors. Unfortunately David Nobbs reads this as if he's pitching a script for the sitcom to a committee. It's as if he's expecting to be interrupted at any point by someone saying 'Thank you Mr Nobbs, we'll be in touch.' I must confess I've only just passed the safari park scene at the time of writing, and maybe if I persist with it his narration will either improve or grow on me, but I rather suspect this is destined to become one of those audiobooks that remains forever unfinished.
Sorry David, I have been in awe of your writing brilliance for more than thirty years, but you really should have got somebody else in to create the audiobook. I can think of several actors who would have performed this superbly (although my ultimate choice of Leonard Rossiter would of course have sadly been impossible). This should have made it into my top five but instead it will go down as money wasted.

9 people found this helpful

Poiniant witty and thought provoking

Would you listen to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin again? Why?

A compelling tale of an executive's slide into a mental breakdown and his subsequent realisation that he still loves his wife, there are several insights into Reggie's decent into madness, the storey lines are strong and the comedy is subtle and the situations believable well worth visiting again.

What did you like best about this story?

It follows the television series closely but adds a great deal of incidental detail to the characters.

Which character – as performed by David Nobbs – was your favourite?

Reggie, David brings a warmth and depth to his characterisation of the lead in this book

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

It was a wonderful easy listen and next time I will do it in one go.

3 people found this helpful

I didn’t get to where I am today listening to Audible

I remember repeats of Perrin from childhood, and always enjoyed Leonard’s Rossiter’s performance. The novel is a different proposition. You’ll find the jokes from the telly series, but really it’s the poignant story of a midlife crisis. Perrin, a long-serving executive at Sunshine Desserts, fears he’s losing his mind. The daily commute is driving him mad. He hits upon a plan to escape his humdrum existence ... this is smart comedy, with poetic moments. The best one-liner is Perrin’s observation that he has a good marriage — and he isn’t going to let his wife spoil it. Nobbs manages to poke fun, without dehumanising his characters. The suburbia he satirises is also lovingly depicted... yes, it’s stifling, and full of crushed dreams and simmering frustrations. But Nobbs doesn’t look down on any of the people he writes about (well, maybe CJ, Perrin’s insufferable boss...) The narration, by Nobbs himself, takes some getting used to. Nobbs isn’t a natural narrator: he’s too quick, and doesn’t make much effort to differentiate between voices. But eventually I ‘tuned in’, and within a couple of hours I was hooked.

1 person found this helpful

Great, Super

Having recently rewatched the 1976 first series of the Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin starring the genius, Leonard Rossiter, I felt I owed to myself to reread the first novel in the series written by David Nobbs that I first read several decades ago. It was great, super in fact. The book is perhaps more of a steady recognition of Reggie's midlife crisis than the manic and funnier depiction by Rossiter. However, as Nobbs adapted his book for TV it is write that he tweaked, condensed, pruned and honed his creation. Even so, the book still stands up, more so now that I am ten years older than the protagonist, rather than being twenty years his junior when I first read it.

Still crazy after all these years...

I read this book (and later the sequel) way back in the 1970s, before - if I remember correctly - seeing the television series. It has really stayed with me over the years, so much so that I have always recalled many passages and phrases, and welcomed them as old friends when listening to these audiobooks. I found the stories just as amusing and insightful now as then, and while much of the detail of everyday life is necessarily dated, the way in which Nobbs gets under the skin of the British psyche holds true. The mild mannered yet oddly anarchic character of the books still comes through.
Some readers questioned having David Nobbs reading the books himself. I was a bit dubious at first but soon forgot that and thoroughly enjoyed his narration.

So good

At least as good as the TV version. Pure joy from start to finish. The late David Nobbs narrating his (probably) finest work added to the poignancy of his subject, the everyman who sees the absurdity of life, commuting, meeting targets - the World in general. As relevant now as it was in the 70s. Don't read this review, listen to the book!

Poignant, funny, characterful, charming

I really enjoyed this book for all the reasons in the title. Also probably because I work in an equally soul-devoid dessert factory and can relate to the character's feeling of emptiness and his endurance of stifling management tactics. It made me LOL too. Thank you David Nobbs.

Still great!

I remember watching repeats of this when I was younger, so I was already familiar with the story. It feels a bit slow at times and the writing isn't always stellar, still it's entertaining, comical and well worth a listen. If I'm honest, I won't get the others in the series because it didn't quite grab me enough. I did enjoy this though.

Still a good read if a little dated

Can't listen to this book without having the late great Leonard Rossiter in your mind. Its an old book so is dated but don't let that put you off its still a great listen.