way better than the TV series

so much better than the TV show, I'm going to have to read the other now!!

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The TV dramatisation is better.

Too much focus on sex and violence at times, but moderately interesting. The narrator was OK.

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Great story, leaves you wanting more

This is a great book/audio. very well written. Great characters. leaves you wanting more at the end

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Lacks everything the women bring to the TV show

After the TV show, it was rather crushing coming to find how one note airport novel this book was. The combination of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's writing and the performances of Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer breathe something real and dark and funny to what, frankly, comes off as a male masturbational fantasy and competent, but unexciting, criminal action mystery.

It has power cishet dude vibes with a slightly chaste malegaze fascination with Villanelle's lesbian experiences and an utterly jarring and disgusting moment when a character talks about falling for a trans woman, which the book seems to suggest appeals to the character because he doesn't really like men or women. This character, seeming so very in love with this woman after one night, uses slurs against her when thinking about her. At least the book and character keep up the correct pronouns for her, but imagine if he had slept with any other marginalised woman? Would the author be so quick to have the character throw around other epiphets?

Honestly, if you've watched the show, just watch it again and read something new, and/ or save this for a last minute grab at an airport, which is really what this is. I have the next one and no intention of getting to it any time soon.

I am all the more in awe at what they managed to do with the TV show after reading this. Bravo to them. Meh to this.

Narration is decent, though some of the accents, particularly the London and Northern gents are rsrhwy ropey.

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the TV series is better than the book

I left that the TV series has better character construction and is less OTT. I feel some of especially Villanelle's scenes are just so exaggerated that they become a bit ridiculous. Also, although the narrator is generally good, there's a lot of foreign words in the book and I'm Italian-French and feel a bit annoyed that so many are mis-pronounced. I completely understand it's very difficult to pronounce foreign words, but I felt like there hadn't been enough attention/research to how they are supposed to be pronounced and instead it was kind of just 'winging it's but putting on a French or Italian accent (I can't comment on the Russian since I don't speak it!). I literally rather hear an anglophone prononciation of an Italian word than a trying-to-pull-off-sounding-Italian-without-checking-how-to-say-this-word attempt. This happens in so many audiobook to be fair and it's frankly a bit insulting. it's particularly obvious in this mover because of how many words there are.... I feel it's worth while having a translator work closely with the narrator to get the pronounciation right, or just stick to how one would just say it in English. thanks

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61 people found this helpful

"Unputdownable"

Really good audio narration, storyline is richer and different to the BBC Drama. Keeps you gripped and not wanting to stop. Could have listened to in one go if ordinary life didn't get in the way, would be perfect for long travels.

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8 people found this helpful

Love it

Grear book, great listening. I can't wait to listen the other ones. I recommend it.

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Good, well written. Narrator is no RC Bray though

I really enjoyed the story, and if you like the TV series, this fills in a lot of the back story and adds real depth to the characters.
Overall, the narrator gives a good performance, but there are a number of instances where it is apparent that she is just reading the words and hasn't actually done any research on what she's talking about. For example, that famous firearms manufacturer Heckler and Coke. She also says aluminiun (with an n) a number of times, is not so good at the male accents, and pronounces 'gauche' as 'gorsh'. It detracted a little from the overall enjoyment for me, as it was a bit grating and distracting.

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Not as good as the TV series

I wanted to get into something different and since I really enjoyed the BBC TV series that was inspired by this book, I decided to give it a go.
The story was ok in itself but the performance was a let down for me. This is a purely personal thing for me as I speak several languages and the reader was killing the French and Russian to the point of being unrecognisable.
I will also caution some people about the fact that the story includes quite a few steamy sex scenes between Villanelle and other female characters. I tend to listen to my audiobooks while driving or potting around the house. I used earphones with this one.

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Buyer beware

I loved the tv series( I dont watch much but this had me gripped) and the book does not disappoint in fact it is better than the tv series.
However be aware this is only half a book and ends abruptly, dont get me wrong I love a cliff hanger but now I have to buy book two and at almost £20 each that seems excessive. I guess you can use credits but I still think to use 2 on was is effectively one book is a bit much.
The book is fantastic, the pricing is not!!!!

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47 people found this helpful