Annoyingly incomplete and woeful accents!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'm afraid this audiobook was ruined for me by the unbelievably bad British accents of the reader. They wavered from vaguely Scottish to Irish, to Yorkshire, to Welsh, to Indian! I just couldn't take it seriously - and as for the imitations of birdsong - I know it's a tall order, and I doubt if I could do them either - but I was in stitches!

Would you recommend All the Birds, Singing to your friends? Why or why not?

No - I found it annoying that the book ended with me having an incomplete picture of the entire story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Caroline Lee’s performances?

Only if she sticks to her own accent!

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3 people found this helpful

Terrific

Would you listen to All the Birds, Singing again? Why?

Maybe. After along gap. Her writing is so powerful that it stays clear in the memory for quite a time.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters. I love the way Evie Wyld just feeds you little morsels at a time, so that your appetite goes on increasing. She creates raw people, all roughly hewn from life, and through her brilliant writing, breathes a life into them all that leaves you gasping.

Have you listened to any of Caroline Lee’s other performances? How does this one compare?

She was excellent.

Any additional comments?

I have read two of her books and can't wait for the next. I think she is a contender for the place in Australian contemporary fiction that Tim Winton has been holding for some time.

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One of my favorite books from the past few years

What did you like best about this story?

The settings are so real, so beautiful and capture the character's struggle brilliantly. The narrator was great, I wasn't sure about the British parts at first but I decided that it added to the ambiguity of the location and went with it. Having loved the book when reading it myself I was more than happy with the narration.

Have you listened to any of Caroline Lee’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not but I will be looking out for her in the future!!

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tense and emotional

Would you consider the audio edition of All the Birds, Singing to be better than the print version?

The narration was very good and well paced

What was one of the most memorable moments of All the Birds, Singing?

I loved the what the story unfolded backwards and forwards. I loved the backwards narrative. Made it very tense

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lee – was your favourite?

Jake was such a multifaceted character - so much depth

Any additional comments?

Don't listen to this at bedtime. I had to stop as it was not helping me sleep - I got far too tense. There is a sense of horror building which makes it very compelling and dark.

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1 person found this helpful

All the birds singing

I hated the book at first but it actually becomes very enjoyable towards the end when finally some of the many questions are answered. The performance of bird noises and English or what I think is supposed to be a scottish accent is appalling and I really think they could have got someone else to do the voicing.
I am glad I listened to it and would read another book by this author for sure but wish more questions where answered and feel that the supernatural element at the end is a bit unnecessary. Each chapter flits from one time to another with very little explanation but overall a good listen.

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1 person found this helpful

Great story worst accents ever heard

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

No definitely not.I would tell them to read it or listen to a different version as it is spoilt by the narration.The story is well written and enjoyable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of All the Birds, Singing?

Sadly the terrible attempts at accents will be the most memorable.Otherwise poor Lloyd digging the hole.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She absolutely ruined the book for me!!!!The narration in her own accent was fine but when she attempted a " British" accent it was absolutely awful. The policeman on the island could have been in Jamaica, Pakistan, Newcastle, Scotland or Ireland in one sentence!Part of the intrigue of the book was to work out where she could be farming her sheep so remotely in Britain and there was no clue from Caroline Lee.I am a surgeon and would not attempt an operation I couldn't do. What a pity t the narrator doesn't share this view. Nobody died but it really spoilt my enjoyment of this otherwise great novel.I note that she has narrated some Kate Morton books which I have enjoyed reading and I would not now buy them on audiobook.She should listen again to her accents and either avoid narrating other than Australian or practice them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Moved to angry tears by Caroline Lee's terrible accent a few times.Eg I drove over to Don' (I'm thinking oh no her comes the Pakistani/ Carribean Geordie accent)I found the bit where there is a long bit of birds screeching near the end made me laugh. It should have been serious but I was so fed up of the narrator by then I could only wonder how accurate the birdsong was!

Any additional comments?

Please feed this back to Caroline Lee so she doesn't ruin other audiobooks with British characters in the future.

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