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Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I cover art

Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I

By: Rebecca Gablé
Narrated by: Douglas Booth,Miriam Margolyes,Alison Steadman,Finty Williams,Tracy-Ann Oberman,Raymond Coulthard
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Summary

Please note: This title contains explicit language and scenes of a graphic sexual nature.

This Original multicast drama blends history with fiction to tell the story of Jonah, a young apprentice from London who raises himself from poverty by wit and luck to become one of the most powerful merchants of the age. 

A rags-to-riches tale, Jonah's journey spans the breadth of human experience, from the intricacies of Edward III's political intrigues to the cutthroat world of international trade, from the triumphs of war to the agonies of personal loss - love, friendship, joy, heartbreak and glory. Set largely in London, the Scarlet City, the centre of medieval England, the Scarlet City trilogy is a thrilling portrait of the age and the people who made it so rich, colourful and extraordinary. 

London, 1330. Jonah Durham grows up in the household of his tyrannical cousin Rupert, and only his grandmother, the calculating Cecilia Hillock, recognizes his talent and intelligence. After her death he inherits a handsome fortune, bestowing him with both wealth and independence but also the wrath of his increasingly dangerous cousin. However, a fateful encounter with the young King Edward III is set to radically change Jonah's life and the future of English cloth production. 

Told in three parts, hear Medieval London come to life in this historical epic, Audible Original's most ambitious production to date. Narrated by Miriam Margolyes, OBE (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Romeo + Juliet, Mulan) and starring Douglas Booth (Riot Club, Loving Vincent, Shelley) as Jonah, and Alison Steadman, OBE (Gavin and Stacey, Orphan Black, Shirley Valentine) as Cecilia Hillock. 

Also featuring: Daniel Anthony, Josephine Arden, John Banks, Timothy Bentinck, Clare Buckfield, Beth Chalmers, Elliot Chapman, Trevor Cooper, Oliver Coopersmith, Raymond Coulthard, Gareth David-Lloyd, Richard Earl, Andrew French, Helen Goldwyn, James Joyce, Olly McCauley, Tony Millan, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Katarina Olsson, Steven Pacey, Nicholas Pegg, Nigel Planer, Siobhán Redmond, Christopher Ryan, David Schofield, Dan Starkey, Sarah Sutton, Alexander Vlahos, Niky Wardley, Finty Williams, Claire Wyatt. 

©2002 Rebecca Gablé (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfectly Formed Tale Hits the Sweet Spot

The short version of this review is that I have pre-ordered part two of this series already . . .

In slightly more words this is a sumptuous production of a very decent story. It's not quite my usual fayre but boy did this chase away the M25 blues on a long drive. You only have to look at the quality of the cast involved to guess how good some of the acting is. More than that it's the form of presentation that really seals the deal though. Having a narrator to push the story along makes such a positive difference compared to an out and out radio play where too often the dialogue is burdened by the need to carry the story and set the scene and so ends up sounding unnatural and stilted. Here the actors are left to play their parts with much greater authenticity. The music adds texture, the sound affects ambience and I even enjoyed the longer gaps between chapters which allowed key points of the story time to sink in - though I suspect they will possibly irritate some.

The story itself is an Edwardian Alan Sugar rags to riches tale and Jonah the lead really does have credulity-stretching luck in being in the right place at the right time which is key to his progress. It's an enjoyable romp and if you're willing to grant the author some license quite exciting too.

I'm very much looking forwards to this one continuing. It's a top quality production and it really does show in that the time spent listening to it passes very, very quickly. Audible should have a real hit on their hands with this one!

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139 people found this helpful

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

Part 1 of 3: An epic masterpiece ** fantastic **

You know when you’ve enjoyed something as you want more, and Scarlet City got me hooked with its fantastic story, voice acting and Miriam Margolyes as the narrator is faultless. Just like reading a great book, these ten hours flew by. It all adds up to a masterpiece, such a shame we’ve now got to wait until February ‘18 for the next part - please Audible bring the release date forward :(

Set in the 1330’s, but with modern language this audio drama has a perfect split between narration and audio play.

It really is completely brilliant!


Massive to all involved with making it. I loved it.

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56 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Content Warning needed

CW: Rape
I’m all for graphic stories, but it’s really boring when a novel introduces an outgoing and extroverted female character in the first hour of a book and then corners her in a powerless situation that leads to rape. I’m not sensitive, but I want to know what I’m signing up for when I buy a book. Shit like this turns my stomach.
Spoiler: when she gives birth later in the book, she sounds like she's having an orgasm, not writhing in agony.

Overall production of the audiobook is very well done. Good voice acting and ambient sound.

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45 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!!

Impressive performances and direction. Waiting for the continuing series.
Also Expect more of these kinds books from audible!

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

I Can’t wait for the next book, this was beautifully narrated by Miriam and wonderful actors.

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26 people found this helpful

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

dog walker sussex

Absolutely brilliant. The story brought to life in my living room . More dramas please.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Very badly written, full of cliches and one-dimensional characters

I thought this would be a bit of light historical fiction to listen to in the car. The cast looked good,and the general synopsis looked interesting. However, it started poorly (seriously, a 'dark and stormy night'?) and became progressively worse. Written for adults with a reading age of ten. I did actually wonder whether I'd mistakenly bought a children's book, that is until the rape scene (again, cliche ridden). Avoid if you value even half-decent writing and storytelling.

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18 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • AB
  • 14-02-18

Absolutely fantastic....!

Having read the various reviews on this, I decided to give it a try... Wow, I'm glad I did. A super story, along with some first class performances, a great accompanying soundtrack and great direction given by the narrator.
I really like what Audible have created here, and even ordered part 2 when I was half way through part 1!
Great effort all round, and well worth anyone's time spent listening to the first part of this masterpiece in the making...

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Can't wait to hear Part 2

Beautifully done. I enjoyed this so much I felt at a loss when I got to the end! When can we hear Part 2?

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • OT
  • 06-01-18

Overacted and obvious

Any additional comments?

Judging by the other reviews, I may be in the minority on this, but I found this very poor. The story, at least as far as I could stand it, is commonplace, the writing is clunky and the performances are overacted and unconvincing. Not recommended.

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15 people found this helpful