• Harlequin

  • The Grail Quest, Book 1
  • By: Bernard Cornwell
  • Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
  • Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (68 ratings)

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Harlequin  By  cover art

Harlequin

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
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Publisher's summary

The first book in Bernard Cornwell's bestselling Grail Quest series, in a bright and bold repackage.

The year is 1342. The English, led by Edward III, are laying waste to the French countryside. The army may be led by the King, but it is the archers, the common men, who are England's secret weapon. The French know them as Harlequins.

Thomas of Hookton is one of these archers. But he is also on a personal mission: To avenge his father's death and retrieve a stolen relic. Thomas begins a quest that will lead him through fields smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crécy.

©2000 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Crackling with good deeds, fine characters and sparkling set pieces, it confirms yet again Cornwell's reputation for masterly historical novels" ( Daily Mail)
"It is all spectacular, rattling good stuff: war and torture; love, lust and loss" ( The Times)
"The battle scenes, as always, are masterful; and the vignettes of everyday living, in times of extreme hardship, have the ring of simple truth" ( Sunday Telegraph)
"A very fine writer" ( Economist)

What listeners say about Harlequin

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

No emotions

I loved the narration for the most part, but it is really lacking on emotional moments :/

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

GeI at battle scenes and delving into history.

Narration was excellent, took you into the heat of the cobflict but also able to bring empathy to the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great narration, with greater narrative!

Loved the book and the narration is amazing, really immersive.
Anxious to read the next one!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

good but not memorable

As usual, Cornwell does an outstanding job when describing battles, and this book is filled with these exciting and highly detailed chapters. However, the plotline struggles to develop in a rewarding way for the reader. By the end of the book I was left with the feeling that the main characters had not accomplished much. Having just finished listening to the Warlord Chronicles, I'd say the Harlequin is good, but not memorable.

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