way better than the TV series

so much better than the TV show, I'm going to have to read the other now!!

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The TV dramatisation is better.

Too much focus on sex and violence at times, but moderately interesting. The narrator was OK.

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Great story, leaves you wanting more

This is a great book/audio. very well written. Great characters. leaves you wanting more at the end

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Lacks everything the women bring to the TV show

After the TV show, it was rather crushing coming to find how one note airport novel this book was. The combination of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's writing and the performances of Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer breathe something real and dark and funny to what, frankly, comes off as a male masturbational fantasy and competent, but unexciting, criminal action mystery.

It has power cishet dude vibes with a slightly chaste malegaze fascination with Villanelle's lesbian experiences and an utterly jarring and disgusting moment when a character talks about falling for a trans woman, which the book seems to suggest appeals to the character because he doesn't really like men or women. This character, seeming so very in love with this woman after one night, uses slurs against her when thinking about her. At least the book and character keep up the correct pronouns for her, but imagine if he had slept with any other marginalised woman? Would the author be so quick to have the character throw around other epiphets?

Honestly, if you've watched the show, just watch it again and read something new, and/ or save this for a last minute grab at an airport, which is really what this is. I have the next one and no intention of getting to it any time soon.

I am all the more in awe at what they managed to do with the TV show after reading this. Bravo to them. Meh to this.

Narration is decent, though some of the accents, particularly the London and Northern gents are rsrhwy ropey.

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great storyline

I loved the book but got a bit annoyed that Russian words were all pronounced incorrectly (I am Russian). Feel like the narrator should have put more effort into checking this out.

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3 people found this helpful

Not really an ending

I was thoroughly enjoying this and then it ended. Or rather, it stopped. Not even really what I would call a cliffhanger. So quite annoying. But it was fab roght up to that point.

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Didn't see the TV version

An ok story - good to escape real life but had to leave my brain at the door a good few times. Don't get me wrong, that's what action/adventure is for but just don't expect a classic. Suspect it might be better as a TV series

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Poor narration and loose story

Very disappointing. The story is ok, the TV series is much better and the narration is quite poor.
The narrator really struggled not only with the pronunciation of all foreign words but also with far too many English ones.- and even some very common English ones. It just takes you out of the story like a prompter shouting out in the theatre and sometimes it's happening every few seconds. You'd think if it's your profession you'd put a bit of work into making sure you get it right. She isn’t comfortable with the text so it is a reading not a performance and it was also rather flat.
The story isn't as tight as the TV series, the characters aren't likeable and there's no humour.
The story is also regularly punctuated by badly written soft porn which I could do without. It's added at regular intervals like clockwork to spice things up.
If you have come here after loving the TV seres you will be disappointed because the writing and the talents in the TV series have added to it and made it much more interesting.

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Disappointing...

Usually a top-selling book is way better than the film or series subsequently made from it. I enjoyed 'Killing Eve' TV series, so downloaded the book, 'Codename Villanelle' to Audible to listen to.
Big surprise for me, the book bears very little resemblance to the series except in the skeleton of its premise. The book is interesting, but not gripping... monochrome compared to full technicolour. The scriptwriting of the series, coupled with some brilliant acting, directing and production (Sandra Ho herself is associate producer!) are the key factors. Ditch the books and enjoy the series IMHO

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the TV series is better than the book

I left that the TV series has better character construction and is less OTT. I feel some of especially Villanelle's scenes are just so exaggerated that they become a bit ridiculous. Also, although the narrator is generally good, there's a lot of foreign words in the book and I'm Italian-French and feel a bit annoyed that so many are mis-pronounced. I completely understand it's very difficult to pronounce foreign words, but I felt like there hadn't been enough attention/research to how they are supposed to be pronounced and instead it was kind of just 'winging it's but putting on a French or Italian accent (I can't comment on the Russian since I don't speak it!). I literally rather hear an anglophone prononciation of an Italian word than a trying-to-pull-off-sounding-Italian-without-checking-how-to-say-this-word attempt. This happens in so many audiobook to be fair and it's frankly a bit insulting. it's particularly obvious in this mover because of how many words there are.... I feel it's worth while having a translator work closely with the narrator to get the pronounciation right, or just stick to how one would just say it in English. thanks

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61 people found this helpful