#Feature: Audiobooks and me… a year of listening (Part Two) #audiobooks #listening #veryshortreviews

As promised, this is my second post rounding up the audiobooks I’ve listened to (and mostly enjoyed!) last year – in yesterday’s post (you’ll find it here if you’d like to catch up!), I had a quick gallop through January to June.

So, June – and I started with The Secret River by Kate Grenville, narrated by Paul Blackwell – the choice of my book group…

In 1806 William Thornhill, a man of quick temper and deep feelings, is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife, Sal, and their children he arrives in a harsh land he cannot understand. But the colony can turn a convict into a free man. Eight years later Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury to claim 100 acres for himself.

 

Aboriginal people already live on that river. And other recent arrivals – Thomas Blackwood, Smasher Sullivan, and Mrs Herring – are finding their own ways to respond to them. Thornhill, a man neither better nor worse than most, soon has to make the most difficult choice of his life.

Another one shortlisted for the Man Booker prize (back in 2006), so approached with some trepidation – someone chose it as their “bring your own book” on Between the Covers (the excellent book programme on BBC2 – you’ll find past episodes on the iPlayer), and my group thought it was one they’d like to try. First in a trilogy too – and I remembered that I’d read one of the others, Sarah Thornhill, back in 2012 (enjoyed the writing, but gave it three Goodreads stars, wrong book wrong time).

I have to say though, I thought this one was truly excellent – richly detailed descriptions, deeply atmospheric, an emotional and compelling history lesson, and one of those books that really swept me away. A small story in a way, with its focus on a family – but an enormous one too about Australia’s dark past, much of which was wholly unfamiliar to me.

Between the Covers introduced me to my next listen too, my own choice – Metronome by Tom Watson, narrated by Christine Hewitt.

Not all that is hidden is lost.

 

For 12 years, Aina and Whitney have been in exile on an island for a crime they committed together, tethered to a croft by pills they must take for survival every eight hours. They’ve kept busy – Aina with her garden, her jigsaw, her music, Whitney with his sculptures and maps – but something is not right.

 

Shipwrecks have begun washing up, and their supply drops have stopped. And on the day they’re meant to be collected for parole, the Warden does not come. Instead there’s a sheep. But sheep can’t swim….

 

As days pass, Aina begins to suspect that their prison is part of a peninsula and that Whitney has been keeping secrets. And if he’s been keeping secrets, maybe she should, too. Convinced they’ve been abandoned, she starts investigating ways she might escape. As she comes to grips with the decisions that haunt her past, she realises her biggest choice is yet to come.

A really original concept, and quite beautifully written and narrated – haunting, atmospheric, emotionally convincing, powerful and unpredictable, with superb characterisation, and so claustrophobic it was sometimes difficult to draw breath (not ideal when you listen while walking!). The only thing I wasn’t so sure about was the ending. Anne Cater has written an excellent review of this book on her blog Random Things… (you’ll find it here), and said that “the reader is left with a sense of both sorrow and hopeful joy” – I’d agree, but it left me feeling slightly empty too. But definitely one I’d recommend to others.

My next choice was The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, narrated by Tamaryn Payne, Bea Holland and Dominic Thorburn…

In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea, a baby is awake in her cot. Well-fed and cared for, she is happily waiting for someone to pick her up.

 

In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses. Close to them is a hastily scrawled note.

 

They’ve been dead for several days.

 

Who has been looking after the baby?

 

And where did they go?

 

Two entangled families.

 

A house with the darkest of secrets.

It’s far too long since I read a book from Lisa Jewell – she did lose me a bit with her change of style (my personal favourites were from the time of The House We Grew Up In and The Third Wife – links are to my reviews, and you’ll find a few more if you pop her name into my search bar), but I’ve always wanted to give her more recent books a try.

You might think that audiobooks aren’t really your thing – I have to say that this might just be the book to change your mind. With its multiple narrators, it really was more like a radio drama, and so compelling that I listened to the whole thing within a few days (yes, even when sitting down!). And although the audio narration is important to enjoying a book, the writing needs to be strong enough to wrap you up and carry you away too – and this book really was quite wonderful. Wonderful characterisation, dark and compelling, disturbingly real and believable, I really loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much that my next listen was the sequel, The Family Remains, narrated (or should that perhaps be “performed”?) by Eleanor Tomlinson, Dominic Thorburn, Bea Holland, Hugh Quarshie, Josh Dylan and Thomas Judd.

LONDON. Early morning, June 2019: on the foreshore of the river Thames, a bag of bones is discovered. Human bones.

 

DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene and quickly sends the bag for forensic examination. The bones are those of a young woman, killed by a blow to the head many years ago.

 

Also inside the bag is a trail of clues, in particular the seeds of a rare tree which lead DCI Owusu back to a mansion in Chelsea where, nearly thirty years previously, three people lay dead in a kitchen, and a baby waited upstairs for someone to pick her up.

 

The clues point forward too to a brother and sister in Chicago searching for the only person who can make sense of their pasts.

 

Four deaths. An unsolved mystery. A family whose secrets can’t stay buried for ever…

And it certainly didn’t disappoint – if anything, this one was even better. Almost a full cast dramatisation this time, and I raced through it in a few days – the characters are just superb, the red herrings and bits of misdirection gloriously disorientating, the outcome entirely unpredictable and deliciously unexpected. Don’t try to listen to this one as a standalone – you’ll enjoy these books best as a pair, and I couldn’t recommend them more.

I’ve been enjoying myself too much, haven’t I? A book club choice again next – A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini.

On September 3, 1939, the day of the Spanish exiles’ splendid arrival in Chile, the Second World War broke out in Europe.

 

Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life – and the fate of his country – forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile.

 

When opportunity to seek refuge arises, they board a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to Chile, the promised ‘long petal of sea and wine and snow’. There, they find themselves enmeshed in a rich web of characters who come together in love and tragedy over the course of four generations, destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world.

 

A masterful work of historical fiction that soars from the Spanish Civil War to the rise and fall of Pinochet, A Long Petal of the Sea is Isabel Allende at the height of her powers.

I could remember struggling my way through The House of the Spirits way back in the dim and distant past (when I liked to think that I had a preference for literary and somehow more worthy fiction) – and I’ll admit I approached this one with a rather heavy heart. But how wrong can you be – this was a simply fascinating story, entirely engrossing, and a whole slice of recent history about which I knew shamefully little.

It follows the lives of a small and well drawn cast of characters, the focus shifting from the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to the refugees’ new lives in Chile. And while I loved the story, and its often contemporary relevance, the narration was a major contributor to my enjoyment – gentle, softly accented, perfectly paced. There were a few conceits to the writing that irritated me a tad (she has a tendency towards lists, more noticeable when listening – slightly bizarre), and there were times when I wanted to get on with the story rather than wade through background and aimless conversation. But overall, I have to say I really enjoyed this one – who knew, eh?

My next choice was a personal one – Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan, narrated by Maya Saroya. I’d seen the author interviewed by Linda Hill at the Deepings festival, been particularly impressed (and really liked him), and wanted to give one of his books a try. And I was expecting great things, having seen that this book won the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger and was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year.

Bombay, New Year’s Eve, 1949

 

As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city’s most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India’s first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.

 

And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country’s most sensational case falls into her lap.

 

As 1950 dawns and India prepares to become the world’s largest republic, Persis, accompanied by Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, finds herself investigating a case that is becoming more political by the second. Navigating a country and society in turmoil, Persis, smart, stubborn and untested in the crucible of male hostility that surrounds her, must find a way to solve the murder – whatever the cost.

I can’t put my finger on why, but this really wasn’t the book I’d hoped it would be – and I rather wish I’d read it rather than choosing to listen. And that’s not a criticism of the narration – that was excellent. After an earlier attempt when the story just failed to engage me, I started again – made it to the end, and did quite enjoy. I really liked Persis’ character, was fascinated by the time and setting, the historical context, the characterisation and relationships were well drawn (although some individuals blurred for me a little), and the central mystery and investigation did have me hooked – but it just didn’t work for me as an audiobook, listened to in instalments, and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to putting my headphones on for a while. Sorry, Vaseem – perhaps I’d enjoy the Baby Ganesh books more.

Time for light relief again – The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, narrated by Fiona Shaw. My first thought was “oh no – it’s not Lesley Manville” – but I guess she must be finding it difficult to find time to narrate audiobooks these days…

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal.

 

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart.

 

To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed…

 

While Elizabeth grapples with her conscience (and a gun), the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But can they catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

And, of course, I really enjoyed it – perhaps not quite as much as the second book, but I really wouldn’t put that down to the change of narrator (Fiona Shaw was excellent). I really love Joyce’s voice, have a particular soft spot for Ibrahim, and am a little in love with Bogdan – the plotting is so clever (if slightly insane), and the writing frequently makes me laugh out loud. I needed the light relief – and this was a book that entirely delivered.

My next listen was a book club choice – Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, narrated by Marin Ireland and Simon Jones.

When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive

 

How do we weather the end of things? Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.

 

Constantinople, 1453: an orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.

 

Idaho, 2020: an impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans?

 

Unknown, sometime in the future: with her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance.

 

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself. Like its predecessor All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is a tale of hope and of profound human connection.

I still haven’t got round to reading or listening to All the Light We Cannot See, but I’ve certainly pushed it further up my “must listen” list after this one. For the first couple of outings, I honestly thought I might have to give up – the extracts from Diogenes, the plot shifting from 15th century Constantinople (with two distinct story lines) via present day Idaho (and dipping into the main character’s earlier life) and onto a spaceship sometime in the future. If I’d been looking for a listening challenge, you could certainly say I’d chosen well – rather too well. And then, something clicked – I became really emotionally invested in several of the story threads, realised how impressed I was both by the mind behind the book and the strength of the storytelling, relaxed into its rhythm, and really, really enjoyed it. Not for everyone maybe – but it certainly more than rewarded every moment of that early effort. And at heart, it’s a book about books – and who couldn’t love that?

And that brings us up to date – other than sharing the audiobook I’m currently halfway through, another book club choice. It’s A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, narrated by Vikas Adam – another Booker prize shortlistee (in 1995), and on just about every other book award list going…

India, 1975. An unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency. Amidst a backdrop of wild political turmoil, the lives of four unlikely strangers collide forever.

 

An epic panorama of modern India in all its corruption, violence, and heroism, A Fine Balance is Rohinton Mistry’s prize-winning masterpiece: a Dickensian modern classic brimming with compassion, humour, and insight – and a hymn to the human spirit in an inhuman state.

Call me shallow (yes, you really can!), but the main reason I’ve never tackled this book before is its sheer size – just short of 26 hours’ listening or over 700 pages if I tried it on paper. And although it’s taking me an eternity to complete – must go for a walk shortly, knock another chunk off those outstanding hours of listening – I can fully understand why one of our number said it was the best book he’d ever read. What an amazing book – and, without question, the one book about the real India that everyone should read. It’s a tapestry of heartbreaking, moving and uplifting individual stories set against a canvas so rich in detail that it really takes your breath away – lots of tears, moments from which you might want to look away, but my goodness, what a read.

So, that’s my lot for 2022 – and it’s been a pleasure to share my listening experience with you. Plans for next year? The book club reads did rather take over, but what a wonderful introduction to so many books I’d never have dreamt of picking up had I not been painfully aware that I needed to have at least a few opinions before our next meeting. I think I’m right to treat the listening and reading as separate entities – the romance and lighter end of fiction are what I enjoy reading (and reviewing), but the audiobooks allow me to veer away and flex my reading muscles a little, and that feels good to me. The only thing I’d like to do rather more of in the year ahead is listen to more thrillers and crime fiction – if there are any you’ve particularly enjoyed in that format, do please let me know. And I’ll try and remember this year to do the occasional catch up post, every quarter or so – otherwise, there’ll be another couple of these posts again next January!