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The Passion

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The Passion

By: Jeanette Winterson
Narrated by: Daniel Pirrie, Tania Rodrigues
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About this listen

Henri had a passion for Napoleon, and Napoleon had a passion for chicken. From Boulogne to Moscow Henri butchered for his emperor and never killed a single man.

Meanwhile, in Venice, the city of chance and disguises, Villanelle was born with the webbed feet of her boatman father - but in the casinos she gambled her heart and lost.

As the soldier-chef's love for Napoleon turns to hate, he finds the Venetian beauty, and together they flee to the canals of darkness.

©1987 Jeanette Winterson (P)2015 Audible, Ltd Historical Fiction Heartfelt
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I loved this book but didn’t enjoy the voice of the Villanelle. It was too robotic.

Fantastic book

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The story was really interesting and original, but it felt like the women's voice lack passion. Ironically. At times it was as if she was reading a news broadcast.

Brilliant story not sure about the narration

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I didn’t know what to expect with this title, but was very pleasantly surprised. I’ve read some of Jeanette Winterson’s more autobiographical writing, which was very enjoyable but this is in another league again. Lyrically arresting in its elegance and poignant as a story, beautifully voiced by both narrators (although I found the changeover a jolt at first), definitely a standout among the audiobooks I’ve listened to.

A delight to the senses

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If you love Winterson at her best, you’ll love this book. The readers capture the dreamlike magic of her writing perfectly.

Classic Winterson

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This is one of my favourite books of all time
It's about humanity, love, what motivates us. How well we do or dont understand ourselves and each other.
Beautifully done through a historical context, with some fairy-tale like magical realism thrown in.

Beautiful, magnetic genius.

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