The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Awful.

Any additional comments?

Thought I would identify with the subject matter because my father served in Burma in WW2, but really couldn't engage with this at all. Persevered for 20 chapters and I am rarely beaten by a book, felt like I was stuck in an endless traffic jam, relief to admit I want to return this one!

18 of 19 people found this review helpful

Annoying voice

What would have made The Narrow Road to the Deep North better?

A professional voice.

What did you like best about this story?

it seems to be really well written and about a subject matter I find fascinating. it's just the read that lets it down

What didn’t you like about Richard Flanagan’s performance?

Unbelievably slow and laborious. Almost without emotion.

Any additional comments?

I will read this book instead of listening to it.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Listen to a sample of the audio before you buy it

How did the narrator detract from the book?

As far as I could tell there was some nice clean prose and a good story struggling to get out, but some one should have explained to Richard Flanagan that it was time to hand over his baby to an actor capable of infusing some life into the narrative. I gave up after the opening and, on the basis that I do think there may be a good book there, have ordered the kindle version instead.

22 of 24 people found this review helpful

The Narrow Road to the Deep North: a Life

What did you like most about The Narrow Road to the Deep North?

This is not an easy story, but it is very absorbing and moving. The listener experiences a life's journey through the sufferings of WWII as a Japanese POW and the dissatisfactions of the return to 'normal life.'

What did you like best about this story?

The emotional involvement and the engaging story was the best part of the story.

Did Richard Flanagan do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

Some effort needs to be given to differentiate between each of the characters, particularly at the beginning. One criticism I have is that the names of the characters are rather unrealistic and become a little annoying.

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

I did listen to this all in one sitting and this was how I would advise you to listen to it.

Any additional comments?

The author is an excellent writer, but a poor narrator. The monotone of the reading, in a thick Tasmanian accent, is soporific and does not help the listener. For such a, now, prize-winning novel, I would advise Audible to re-record this with a more engaging narrator.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Weary narration overcomes incident

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Sharper editing and a professional narrator. This is an example of how the writer is sometimes not the best reader of his work. Flanagan narrates in a dull weary monotone which is only sometimes appropriate for the character of Dorrigo. It put me to sleep, lost my interest when driving no matter how dramatic the subject matter. Mispronounciations annoyed me: maybe an Australian 'antimacassar' is said with the stress on the third syllable but I don't ' think a hat is worn 'rakkishly' even Down Under. The writing is very uneven, especially in the Australian sections: longwinded expositions of unconvincing emotions, wince-making descriptions surely qualifying for entry in The Bad Sex Award ( lots of 'short pants'). The Burma railway chapters are vividly imagined and I was especially moved by the exploration of the Japanese officers' situation, more chilling and intense than the catalogue of the POWs' horrors. I look forward to reading the novel to judge for myself why it was selected for the ManBooker list to as I felt unable to stuck with the audio version beyond the arrival of the much-vaunted letter in Part 3, and while mildly curious to know the outcome, valued my will to live too much to carry on listening.

Would you recommend The Narrow Road to the Deep North to your friends? Why or why not?

Not in this version.

Would you be willing to try another one of Richard Flanagan’s performances?

No

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Really thorough research and convincing exploration of the Japanese viewpoint.

Any additional comments?

Only the second audio novel I have given up on in eight years.

29 of 33 people found this review helpful

Poor narration of a good book

This is likely to have been a good book. However, the narrator was monotone and and draggingly slow in his reading. I even tried to speed up the reading on my iPod to x1.25 in the hope of a more enjoyable listen but this also turned out to be tedious. Such a pity. For the record this would have been my 32 audiobook so I am not a novice.

If it is released with a different narrator I would try again.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

A good story but not a good listen

Would you try another book written by Richard Flanagan or narrated by Richard Flanagan?

I might be tempted to try another book by this author so long as the author is not the narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Narrow Road to the Deep North?

I found the experiences of the PoW inmates and that of their Japanese captures interesting, inspiring and heartbreaking.

How could the performance have been better?

This really did need a professional actor who could separate and bring to life each character. Richard Flanagan's narration was monotonous and lacked passion.

Did The Narrow Road to the Deep North inspire you to do anything?

This book is a lesson for the the whole of mankind on the evil of war and the depts of cruelty and evil that one group of people is capable of inflicting on another.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book that has sadly been very let down by the narrator.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Had to quit. Awful narration.

Any additional comments?

Despite the previous negative review I read, I thought I'd give this book a go all the same, I took a risk with it. Besides, any booker good enough to win the man booker award surely can't bas a narrated as poorly as it had been reviewed.. could it?

Well you know the answer. A real shame, I gave up after two hours. I could't stand the monotonous drivel that I was listening to, I could barely hear what he was saying as it was all mumbled. He sounded like a guy you would see hunched over a beer glass in a bar mumbling to anyone that will listen.

So disappointed as I wanted to give this a go. I couldn't bear to give the story rating any less than what It would have probably been with a decent narrator. Robert Glenister would be perfect!

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Its brilliance stands out!

This is a beautifully written book. The mellifluous flow of the language counterpoints the horror of the content. The author reads the book in a virtual monotone which entirely suits the subject matter. The words speak for themselves. It was heart rending, poignant and moving. My only gripe was the swipe made at British officers but I wasn't there so cannot really say if they behaved as badly as depicted or not. Certainly the later chapters dealing with the aftermath from the Japanese point of view showed that the author is even handed and fair so maybe we do need to revisit the British part played in this terrible theatre of war.
I had not heard of the author before but will be searching out his other works; along with many others I suspect as he recently deservedly won the Booker!

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Spectacular

Any additional comments?

Bleak, brutal, yet often warm and heartbreaking. A beautifully written novel of our helplessness ,the callousness of life, and the decades long memories of searing pain left by love, war, and lies.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful