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The Innocent

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The Innocent

By: Ian McEwan
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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About this listen

The setting is Berlin. Into this divided city, wrenched between East and West, between past and present, comes 25-year-old Leonard Marnham, assigned to a British-American surveillance team. Though only a pawn in an international plot that is never fully revealed to him, Leonard uses his secret work to escape the bonds of his ordinary life - and to lose his unwanted innocence.

The promise of his new life begins to be fulfilled as Leonard becomes a crucial part of the surveillance team, while simultaneously being initiated into a new world of love and sex by Maria, a beautiful young German woman. It is a promise that turns to horror in the course of one terrible evening - a night when Leonard Marnham learns just how much of his innocence he's willing to shed.

©1990 Ian McEwan (P)2014 AudioGo Ltd. Published by Random House Audiobooks Espionage Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Surveillance Suspense

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All stars
Most relevant  
McEwan at his best. Superb, tightly written masterpiece that showcases the art of concise writing. Never using two words when one will do, McEwan tells the story of a naive Englishman fumbling his way through the world of espionage in West Germany in the fifties. Beautifully paced and tightly written.

Masterclass in concise writing

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What made the experience of listening to The Innocent the most enjoyable?

This is a well read book and the narrater does a good job in keeping your interest with his style of narration.

What did you like best about this story?

I am a fan of Ian McEwan and think I have read most of his books. They do vary and there seems to be something for everyone somewhere in his book list. This book, set after the second World War in Berlin gives a great impression of what the city and people were like in that time. I have never been a great spy or war enthusiast but this book was interesting and I really got into the main character.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

There are so many good characters here, the main character is believable and through the book you seem to follow his maturity and paradigm shift. Interesting perspective and so well written to show the development from shy geek to confident plotter.

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

This could certainly be a film but in regard to a tag line I really have no suggestion.

Any additional comments?

Its a good listen and well recommended.

A good read with a few turns you woldnt expect.

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Ian McEwan can be a fine writer when he doesn’t tangle himself up in over-researched and irrelevant detail (as, for example, in “Saturday”). What he really excels at is storytelling and this is one of his most successful examples. It is a tale of intrigue and passion set in the ubiquitously suspicious atmosphere of the ruined post-WW2 Berlin, and the story keeps you gripped from the start. It ends with one of McEwan’s favourite literary devices - the understanding provided by looking back over a long sweep of time. The narrator is competent, though his German pronunciation is pretty awful.

One of McEwan’s best

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Descriptions of spying are misleading. It is merely the framework around which a coming of age story is based. That being said, it is a good read. Reports of gut wrenching violence which people had to skip past are hugely exaggerated. By today's standards, it's nothing.

Not a John Le Carre but otherwise a good story

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If you enjoy the shadow world of espionage and mix it with domestic reality then this is a must listen
Humorous observations mixed with eye -watering pain and a very believable story….thank you!

Evocative and Brilliant

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a really fantastic narrative, brilliantly narrated, so unbelievably tense at points that I had to turn it off and take a break...

totally gripping

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nothing. its all good. well worth the time taken to listen to it. 10 out of 10

just read it. its bloody good.

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A generally good enjoyable read, would recommend as with most Ian McEwan books.
It did put me off my dinner at one point, but I’ll forgive.

Absorbing

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Pleasantly surprised - not quite the spy novel or the ending I was expecting.

I skipped the in depth gore as such things usually do not add anything for me. I still very much enjoyed the story.

Skipped the gore

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A fine thriller capturing both a time in Cold War Berlin and the joy and challenges of personal relationships. Well written and read, it became a classic audiobook 'page turner'. Engaging and satisfying to the end.

A fine read well read

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