Try an audiobook on us

The Missionaries

By: Owen Stanley
Narrated by: Gabrielle Miller
Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
5 out of 5 stars (1 rating)
Free with 30-day trial
£7.99/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime

Summary

The Missionaries is a story of the collision of three cultures. A brilliant tale of ineptitude, self-righteousness, and human folly, it combines the mordant wit of W. Somerset Maugham with a sense of humor reminiscent of P. G. Wodehouse.

When Dr. Sydney Prout is named the head of the UN mission to Elephant Island, he believes he is more than ready to meet the challenge of guiding its primitive inhabitants into the post-Colonial era and eventually full independence. But neither his many academic credentials nor the Journal of Race Relations have prepared Dr. Prout to reckon with the unrepentant bloody-mindedness of the natives or anticipate the inventive ways their tribal philosophers will incorporate the most unlikely aspects of modern civilization into their religious lore and traditional way of life.
©2016 Owen Stanley (P)2018 Owen Stanley

More from the same

Author

Narrator

What members say

Average customer ratings

Overall

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Performance

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Story

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Audible.co.uk reviews
Audible.com reviews
Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available
Sort by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mark K.
  • 02-07-18

Favorite Book of The Year

Had a lot of fun listening to this one. Wasn't expecting something with a title like this to be as funny as it was. Great story and characters. Fletcher for President!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Judy
  • 19-06-18

Kiss PC good-bye

First requirement for appreciating Stanley's masterful writing of The Missionaries is to kiss good-bye any self-concept of PC-ness. It's brutal and disturbing, witty, global political noir and alternatively entertaining and totally OMG. Looking for clear-cut heroes? Not the listen/read you're looking for. Stanley's depiction of the cost of 20th/21st century imperialism/paternalism on both indigenous people and their "civilized saviors" is devastating. Not an easy listen, but one well worth the time and credit.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Kindle Customer
  • 31-12-18

where was the humor?

The description mentioned PG Wodehouse, so I was expecting humor, but other than japes at the UN and bureaucracy gone amock....none was in evidence.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Gordon Scott
  • 08-06-18

Good book rendered even better by great narration

I'd read Owen Stanley's The Missionaries when it was first published and loved it. But when it finally became available on audio, I was a bit suspicious of a female narrator. I was wrong to be. Gabrielle Miller does an amazing job of bringing the story to life. Her characterizations are not just spot-on, they're uncanny. She has an incredible feel for the subtle and accurate humor at the heart of this book.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful