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3 out of 5 stars
By
ronx59
on
04-02-13
five stars for book, two stars for reader
If someone utterly mangling an accent is an irritation to you avoid this audio book. Why would you decide to make an audio book by an Irish writer with a complete cast of Belfast characters and not employ a reader who could manage the accent? This is a wonderful story but I have had to abandon it halfway through and buy a paper version. The narrator's style is, for me, so deeply irritating. These things are very subjective and he is clearly a very frequently used actor for audio books, however I have sampled his style twice now, on this book and on the wonderful 'Some KInd of Fairytale' where his cod generic 'rural' voice was also irritating but here it was literally unbearable. He also has a way of representing female voices in a kind of high, breathy, sing song delivery that manages to communicate a sense of patronising parody. Come on audible, cast your net a bit wider and get your readers the performance skills they deserve for their money. This was insulting.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful
4 out of 5 stars
By
lou58
on
12-10-14
Evocative descriptions of Amsterdam
Feel I must review this book if only to disagree with previous reviewer! I thought the performance perfect and enjoyed his Belfast accent. It is extremely hard for male narrators to depict female characters without sounding too camp and John Lee does a sympathetic rendition. The story lines are a bit depressing but the descriptions of Amsterdam are evocative and bring the city to life.
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