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Publisher's Summary

Exclusively from Audible
Chesterton's allegorical masterpiece is a surreal, psychologically thrilling audiobook that centres on seven anarchists in turn-of-the-century London, who call themselves by the names of days of the week.
The story begins when poet Gabriel Syme is recruited as a detective to a secret anarchist division of Scotland Yard by a shrouded, nameless person. Syme infiltrates a secret meeting of anarchists who are intent on destroying the world and becomes known as 'Thursday', one of the seven members of the Central Anarchist Council.
Narrator Biography
Formerly half a double-act with Bill Bailey, actor Toby Longworth left in order to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. Now a specialist in voiceover, his prominent work includes roles in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). He has appeared in audiobooks such as The Wolf Trial and The Lubetkin Legacy. He has also narrated documentaries for the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who DVD range; several of Games Workshop's Black Library audiobooks; and voiced the main character in the video game Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. His television work has included roles in BBC's Extras (2006) and Not Going Out (2013-2014), as well as Channel 4's The IT Crowd (2006).
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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Critic Reviews

" The Man Who Was Thursday is not quite a political bad dream, nor a metaphysical thriller, nor a cosmic joke in the form of a spy novel, but it has something of all three...it remains the most thrilling book I have ever read." (Kingsley Amis)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
5 out of 5 stars
By Jay Kuykendall on 09-30-07

Witty and mysterious

If you too find yourself pondering the words behind words, this book may be one you’ll enjoy. It seems hard to admit, but I occasionally enjoy inferring the "thesis" out of a book. I am already enjoying the work again. Unremarkable phrases mysteriously offer subtle clues. Or do they? Such is the enjoyment of a work whose soul is never quite explicit. The work stuns and turns and grows mysterious.

To some, the quixotic nature of the work may be troubling, but few would argue that it fails to capture your attention. The problem, if you indeed see it as one, is the eventual realization that the work is allegorical.

While the allegory may not suit many readers, the work is well written and well read. The sentences seem to possess an unnamed beauty, and the wordplay is engaging.

All of this, to me, is one big recommendation for a work that is not likely to grow stale the moment you’ve finished it.

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16 of 16 people found this review helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Darwin8u on 02-11-13

A clever Christian allegory

A clever Christian allegory filled with fantastic dialogue and Chesterton's wonderful inversions and paradoxes. I might not always agree with how Chesterton sees the world, but I think my vision is improved by looking through his literary lens.

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24 of 26 people found this review helpful

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
5 out of 5 stars
By Amazon Customer on 01-10-08

The Man Who Was Thursday

I only knew GK Chesterton's Father Brown stories before I listened to this. This is a great read. I found it funny (especially with the different voices given to the characters by the narrator) and fast paced. Thoroughly recommended.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Michael on 06-26-11

I need hardly say there was a collision.

This is excellent and one of my favourite books. Subtitled A Nightmare, it follows that dream logic in which the rational world is twisted kink by kink until you are running for your life. Surely too some seeds of The Goon Show and Monty Python spring from here. Toby Longworth's reading is a joy, clearly revelling in the comic absurdity, witty lines, and giving terrifying voice to the Man who is Sunday.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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