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Westward Ho!

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Westward Ho!

By: Charles Kingsley
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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About this listen

 From the coral reefs of Barbados to the jungles and fabled cities of the Orinoco and on to the great sea battle with the Spanish Armada, this vibrant novel captures the daring spirit of Elizabethan adventurers who sailed with Sir Francis Drake.(P)Blackstone Audiobooks Action & Adventure Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Romance Middle Ages

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The narrator's languid and urbane delivery is as completely at odds with the notion of a vibrant and daring tale of Elizabethan derring-do as can be imagined. It might be perfect for PG Wodehouse or Evelyn Waugh, but is completely miscast here. I gave up after about an hour. Very disappointing.

Westward Ho, Jeeves!

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Having tried to read the book 3 times, I decided before attempting again to listen to it, so as to gain knowledge on how the language works and how it should read, and the reader does it justice. Brilliantly read, wonderful story in North Devon surroundings that I know and love. A great way to get through this fantastic story.

Easy way to get through this epic classic!

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Working, as I do in (assume a flighty high camp tone of voice) the white town of Bideford in the fair county of Devon...aye m’gentlemen...I felt I should read this. What an absolutely painful ordeal it has been!

Was I sickened more by the cod Kenneth Williams-style Devonian accent of the narrator, that sounded more Irish than anything else, or the putrid anti-Catholic, pro-colonialist muscular Protestantism of the vile Kingsley? Hard to say but I did feel very sullied at the end of it all.

The Torridge estuary area is full of references to this beleaguered novel whilst not a single resident of the town of Westward Ho! that I spoke to has read it! Perhaps most poetically-satisfying of all is that the local Wetherspoons is called The Rose Saltern.

I understand this particular narrator was very popular back in the day!!! If listening to Larry Grayson’s Generation Game quips and asides for 21 hours floats your boat then this recording will grab you hook, line and sinker. For my part I would stick the snivelling little Kingsley in the jaggers and keelhaul the atrocious narrator.

Keelhaul the blackguard!

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I’ve nothing much to say about this audiobook because, after simultaneously reading a physical copy and listening to this recording, I gave up after two pages and returned the title. Why? I wanted to hear the complete text. The image accompanying this audiobook may say “unabridged” but, believe me, it very definitely is quite heavily abridged.

Don’t be misled - this is an abridged reading.

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