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  • The Foundling

  • Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance
  • By: Georgette Heyer
  • Narrated by: Peter Noble
  • Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)
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The Foundling cover art

The Foundling

By: Georgette Heyer
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

The shy, young Duke of Sale has never known his parents, Instead, his Grace Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware (Gilly for short) has endured 24 years of rigorous mollycoddling form his uncle and valet. But his natural diffidence conceals a rebellious spirit. So when Gilly hears of Belinda, the beautiful foundling who appears to be blackmailing his cousin, he absconds with glee. No sooner has he entered this new and dangerous world than is he plunged into a frenzy of intrigue, kidnap and adventure....

For over 50 years, Georgette Heyer was the undisputed queen of historical, romantic fiction. The Foundling shows all of her wonderful talents at their best and how she won a huge audience that continues to this day.

©1948 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Foundling

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully good but must be played at speed 1.1

Audible nearly ruins this by a technical failure (Audible's quality control is often poor, they plainly do not have anyone whose job is to listen before release). Fortunately, in this case the mistake is easily fixed: just play it at speed 1.1 and you will hear it as Peter Noble must have recorded it, and you will hear an outstandingly good reading; clearly well prepared by him, with excellent and consistent different voices for the characters. If you listen at the default speed, as offered by Audible, Peter Noble sounds robotic because there is an artificial gap between every word.
As for the story, it is excellent; one of Georgette Heyer's best-written, though it may not be everyone's favourite because the love story is not the main thread in the plot. 5 stars.

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7 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Spoiled by the reading

I have had to give up on this because Paul Noble puts strange breaks into every sentence he reads. I could tell this from the sample but I like the books very much and thought I would get used to it – I can’t. I see Paul Noble has won many awards, so what do I know? But I would strongly recommend listening to the sample first.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unrelenting pleasure and surprise

I have not read this nor heard the audiobook version of it before. Oh oh oh….my favourite of authors! Georgette Heyer is a genius. From one twist surprise shock delight to another. Unputdownable… or in my recent case my earphones were virtually glued to my ears!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Turn up the speed

Good story, but had to listen to it at least 1.1 speed to make the narration bearable, otherwise from the description at the beginning of Chapter 1, you'd think you were listening to a textbook rather than a novel.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another joy from Heyer

Great story very well narrated. Our unassuming hero triumphs and his heart throb cousin, Gideon, should be the hero of his own book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I'd forgotten what a joy this book is...

...not least because it's read so beautifully here, with each character so exactly as I'd always imagined them to be. My favourite so far of the re-records

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

I love Georgette Heyer, and bought this audio book without having read it before or really knowing the story. the start was a bit slow but once it got going it was a highly amusing and exciting tale with plenty of twists and turns. the poor Duke really does get himself into some messes. it's delightful

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must to hear

Loved this wonderful and hilarious story of Georgette Heyer.
So many twists and turns.
What a triumph.
The narrator was superb!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story and narration

Variety of characters and portrayal outstanding. Although lower on romance still ,GH at her best

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Speed it up for an excellent listen

Great story, great narration, great escapism. Witty, well-paced and full of interesting characters and absurd situations.
Highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful