A good listen with nice historical detail

If you could sum up A Summer of Discontent in three words, what would they be?

Historical + detective = interesting

What did you like best about this story?

The mystery, although slightly predictable, was nevertheless interesting, in some places amusing and the interplay between the two main characters had depth. I feel as if the author has finally got into her stride and, having already listened to the newly published books, this is the first book I can say I thoroughly enjoyed all the way through.

What about David Thorpe’s performance did you like?

Thorpe does a pretty good job of Bartholomew but has a strange interpretation of some of the other characters, especially female voices and one of the monks who is small in the previous book. Nevertheless, in A Summer of Discontent this is one of Thorpe's better performances.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not a comedy but there were moments between Bartholomew and Michael that did make me laugh, other than that it was an interesting read/listen.

Any additional comments?

If you have found the earlier books hard to get through then start with this one as both the books and the narrator get significantly better from here on in.

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2 people found this helpful

Excellently researched & read Medieval who done it

Another great story and brilliantly read tale of 14th century Cambridge. Matthew Batholomew and Brother Michael once again have to unravel the tale behind a number of murders. I enjoyed reading the book myself, but David Thorpe's reading brings another very satisfying dimension to this novel.

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3 people found this helpful

Another medieval murder mystery

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Easy listen, frequent summaries of the plot makes it easy to keep track of what's happening if you get distracted.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I guessed the ending, so many people get killed it isn't too hard to work out.

Any additional comments?

The Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles are pretty formulaic. Someone gets killed, Matthew and Michael investigate, more people get killed and then Matthew eventually works out who did it. Every so often Matthew reviews the plot so if you've drifted off you get a reminder about what's going on. I thought the body count was a bit too high in this one meaning that there weren't too many people left who could have committed the crime at the end.

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Fabulous if a little predictable

love these stories. the narrator is amazing. despite this being a great tale, I did think the protagonists and their motives were telegraphed quite obviously throughout, so the result was not a great surprise. however, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

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GREAT BOOK

loved it .Great writer , great narrator .really enjoyed this audible book , David Thorpe really brings the characters to life .

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The narrator was outstanding: his versatility of voices was amazing, and really brought the story alive.

Although it was certainly a good story, I’d formed a good idea of who the murderer was fairly early on.

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best of the series so far

I really like this series and while admittedly they can be a bit long winded they are well written. some are not as good as others but that is so very subjective but what is undeniable is that the narrator is brilliant so much so i have brought other books simply because he is narrating. would definitely advice reading in order.

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3 people found this helpful

A great listen

Really enjoyed this one even though the ending wasn’t really a surprise. Fantastic characters and good historic context.

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Summer of mayhem!

Lots of murders and overall mayhem, as usual, on a background of historical authenticity. Another excellent and thoroughly enjoyable tale from Susanna Gregory. Added to this, a brilliant interpretation of various characters by the superb narrator; Michael is absolutely perfect! Together with Matt, they (as brought to life by David Thorpe) make me wish I could go back in time. The interrogation in the Infirmarium of the deaf Roger (interspersed with shouts of war from another patient) was absolutely hilarious! Brilliant series, great characters, awesome narration.

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

David Thorpe is excellent as always and brings the characters to life! Great Series.

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