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The North Water

A major BBC TV series starring Colin Farrell, Jack O'Connell and Stephen Graham

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The North Water

By: Ian McGuire
Narrated by: John Keating
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Summary

 A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES STARRING COLIN FARRELL, JACK O'CONNELL AND STEPHEN GRAHAM

A ship sets sail with a killer on board . . .

1859. A man joins a whaling ship bound for the Arctic Circle. Having left the British Army with his reputation in tatters, Patrick Sumner has little option but to accept the position of ship's surgeon on this ill-fated voyage. But when, deep into the journey, a cabin boy is discovered brutally killed, Sumner finds himself forced to act. Soon he will face an evil even greater than he had encountered at the siege of Delhi, in the shape of Henry Drax: harpooner, murderer, monster . . .

'A tour de force' Hilary Mantel

'Riveting and darkly brilliant' Colm Tóibín

'One of my favourite books ever' Richard Osman Drama & Plays European Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense World Literature Fiction Polar Region Adventure Scary Exciting Sailing Mystery
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Critic reviews

'A stunning achievement, by turns great fun and shocking, thrilling and provocative. Behold: one of the finest books of the year' (James Kidd, Independent on The North Water)
'McGuire delivers one bravura set-piece after another . . . The North Water has, in places, a Conrad–Melville undercurrent, but for the most part it is Dickens’s influence that is most keenly felt . . . This is a stunning novel, one that snares the reader from the outset and keeps the tightest grip until its bitter end' (Financial Times on The North Water)
'Horrifically gripping. Such fine writing might have been lifted from the pages of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick’ (Independent on Sunday on The North Water)
'Terrific, seamed with pitch black humour and possessed of a momentum that's kept up to the final, unexpected but resoundingly satisfying scene ... Inspired' (Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail on The North Water)
'As a storyteller, McGuire has a sure and unwavering touch, and he has engineered a superbly compelling suspense narrative . . . As a stylist, too, McGuire is never less than assured . . . a writer of exceptional craft and confidence' (Paraic O'Connell, Irish times on The North Water)
'Raw and compulsively readable . . . think The Revenant for the Arctic Circle' (The Millions on The North Water)
'Terse, grisly...Henry Drax, chief harpooner on board the Volunteer, is the dark presence around whom the novel revolves and what a presence. One thing’s for certain: like Moby Dick, this book is not about the fish.'
'This book is quite a ride . . . The powerful story and the riches of the setting do not romanticise the past' (Erica Wagner, New Statesman on The North Water)
'The North Water has exceptional power and energy' (Nick Rennison, Sunday Times on The North Water)
'A vivid read, full of twists, turns, period detail and strong characters . . . An enjoyable contrast to most literary fiction' (Robbie Millen, The Times on The North Water)
'Brilliant, fast-paced, gripping. A tour de force of narrative tension and a masterful reconstruction of a lost world' (Hilary Mantel on The North Water)
‘Riveting and darkly brilliant . . . The North Water feels like the result of an encounter between Joseph Conrad and Cormac McCarthy in some run-down port as they offer each other a long, sour nod of recognition. McGuire has an extraordinary talent’ (Colm Toibin, New York Times on The North Water)
'A novel that takes us to the limits of flesh and blood. Utterly convincing and compelling, remorselessly vivid and insidiously witty. A startling achievement' (Martin Amis on The North Water)
All stars
Most relevant
It has a marvellous plot - compelling and credible. The harsh life of whalers and the hard characters are evocatively described. The amoral Henry Drax is probably the most frightening fictional characters I've come across.
The quality of the prose is first rate and original. Some of the descriptive phrases are really memorable.
The narrator's voice does this great work justice.
superb

Gripping. One of as the best books I've read

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An excellent historical expose of the hardships of the time. Great language and great characters

A Great book

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Ian McGuire’s narrative captures the toughness (and desperation) of a declining whaling industry with this engaging tale of ship borne murder. The language, life and business of whale men is tough, but the story drives forward and kept me riveted: an excellent audiobook.

A riveting listen

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The voice actor struggled with the English local accents, although he's Irish his Irish voice seemed a parody of an Irish man speaking (as if the voice was done by someone pretending to be Irish for comic effect). It was annoying more than a distraction from the story. Its a common theme that people complain about the voice in audible books, unless you get a big BBC type production its always going to be an issue with some of the listeners

Cracking Old Fashion story telling

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There is much to disgust here but also to enthral. Excellent atmospheric narration. Very good.

Disgusted and enthralled

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