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  • When Will There Be Good News

  • (Jackson Brodie)
  • By: Kate Atkinson
  • Narrated by: Steven Crossley
  • Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (539 ratings)
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When Will There Be Good News cover art

When Will There Be Good News

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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Summary

In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime.Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.

In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.

Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is an old friend, Jackson Brodie, himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

©2008 Kate Atkinson (P)2014 AudioGo Ltd. Published by Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about When Will There Be Good News

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story spoilt by pantomime voices

I love Kate Atkinson and have read all her books. Although this story was good (not as good as her others) I felt the narrator spoilt the whole experience by using silly women voices that sounded like bad pantomime. Louise Munro and Joanna Hunter especially. They sounded more like Widow Twanky. Although the story has some comic moments, it is not a comedy but it was narrated so badly that it was rendered silly. The other narrators who read 'A God In Ruins' for example was exactly 'right'.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally...

This is by far my favourite of the Jackson Brodie novels - such brilliantly drawn characters, especially Reggie (the "beating heart" of the novel), and a storyline that grips you from the very beginning and never lets go. I found it strangely uplifting (much more so than its grim predecessor, One Good Turn), in the way most Kate Atkinson novels are, because her natural humour in the face of chaos and darkness is always apparent, and the conclusion is 'totally' satisfying: Kate Atkinson's writing is a firm favourite in our household!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • A
  • 08-07-17

Simply splendid

I have read and listened to all of the books in the Jackson Brodie series so far. I love the different plots in the books and this one is another super plot with a lot of humour and a few unexpected turns. But it is the characters in these books that have kept me captivated. Steven Crossley really brings the characters to life and I love his different voices for them. Overall, just a thoroughly pleasant and easy going book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish it.

I was gripped for the first 2 chapters. But it went downhill from there. The story just spiralled into a mishmash of different people talking then thinking then backtracking and remembering. There were too many unbelievable extra people and coincidences to feel any connection to anyone. I wanted to know how it ended for one or two of the characters but couldn't be bothered wading through the inconsequential minutia of non significant characters to complete the book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book - fair narration

Would you consider the audio edition of When Will There Be Good News to be better than the print version?

Seems a odd comparison to make - I like both equally!

What other book might you compare When Will There Be Good News to, and why?

All the other Jackson Brodie books and those written by Kate Atkinson. I love her writing style.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Steven Crossley?

Probably not as there are several words he mispronounces e.g. Lidl came out as liedle (to rhyme with idle) and he said corral sheep as coral from a reef! And those are just the ones I remember! I was constantly correcting him!! However he has learnt how to say Jacksons sister's name Niamh (Neve to rhyme with Steve) he had it wrong in 'one good turn' and Jameson had it wrong in 'Case Histories',

Some narrators make you want to listen to their voice again so you try other books they read e.g Dan Stevens, Amanda Ronconi and Patricia Rodriguez, but Steven Crossley is not one of those!

Any additional comments?

The story is brilliant the characters are people you want in your life! I miss Reggie I feel like I want to phone her and find out how she's getting on!

Overall this is a very good use of a precious credit!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good holiday read

Nicely constructed story with some interesting characters. I had read this before and couldn't remember any of it - so not a book to leave a lasting impression! But good enough if you want a detective story with a few twists.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

What can I say? Kate never fails to deliver. Made all the more intresting because I live in Cambridge where it is set.

What did you like best about this story?

A great twisty plot with lots of sub stories all slowly coming together.

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

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Buy it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Scottish accents very grating

All of the female Scottish characters had the same simpering, 'you'll have had your tea'-style genteel accent. The two most prominent, Reggie and Louise, are very different characters, and had the same silly accent. I really like this book, so it was very off-putting that a young, naive character would have the same silly accent as a hard-nosed woman in her 30s. I wish they'd worked it out before they started, or just picked a narrator who could actually do a Scottish accent.

Love the story though, as always.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

worth investing time in

If you could sum up When Will There Be Good News in three words, what would they be?

long, complicated, satisfying

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favourite?

Reggie

Any additional comments?

I can't say enough about how good Steven Crossley's narration was. This book was ultimately very satisfying and I was sad to come to the end but I would have given up early on, because the number of characters was daunting, but the narration made everything clear.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Self parody

By this Jason Brody, Kate Atkinson is a parody of herself. Outrageous coincidence. Scattered sentimental feel good elements. Over over complicated - to the point where at times all momentum is lost. Points of learning dropped in like hundreds and thousands. Just one train crash after another. All her usual tropes - can she be using this one again? Disappointed. There is quality in there struggling to get out of the formula.

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