Strange little book

Bit wacky, dark and pretty funny at times. Reader felt like the exact right voice for it

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2 people found this helpful

Unusual

Reading other reviews, it is clear that this novel is very well received. The feelings about the narration is where the reviewers differ hugely.
As many others, I was sceptical about the translator reading the novel, and at the start I thought she was terribly stilted and her voice forced.
However, I soon grew accustomed to her voice and ended up thinking it had the perfect pitch. Even her male voices were the character’s (not the reader’s) attempt to imitate them in her head, invariably making fun of all these guys she loathed.
In all I thought it was a unique and surprising story with credible characters.

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Stellar performance

The story is highly evocative and I found myself swept up in the rich characters and the twisting plot. Well worth a listen.

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Detailed, Dark and Funny!

I really enjoyed the story and felt as if I was there, which doesn’t happen with a lot of stories. I liked the narrator. I was glad of the outcome too!

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Surrender to it.

Surrender any expectations of what you like. Meet the story and narration on their own terms and by the end you will love it.

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3 people found this helpful

A brilliant book!

A fantastic story and brilliantly read! You really absorb the main character through the reader.

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Narration gets in the way.

I understand the narration is an artistic choice, but in this case it makes the writing hard to take in. It’s great writing too, which makes it all the more frustrating the narrator sounds like a knock off Miss Marple. A shame.

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Quirky and atmospheric

The storyline was very quirky and original - quite unexpected murder mystery. I loved the characters, especially the narrator. I also loved the descriptions of the settings. The performance was great, just how I imagined the narrator to be.

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Brilliant

I loved this book. Clever, brilliantly written, thought provoking, darkly funny, completely engaging. This is the first Olga Tokarczuk book I have read (listened to) - very pleased to have discovered her and I will definitely be reading more.

As most of the negative comments are on the narration, I will focus on that.

For me, the narrator was perfect for the character and the book overall - although I will admit it took me a while to see that, so I wonder if reviewers who gave up early might have formed a different view if they had continued.

Many reviewers who dislike the narration specifically comment on the fact that the narrator is the translator of the book. I wonder if this coloured their perception - she is not an actor (but do we know that?) and should have stayed in her lane? She should have left it to an expert?

Or maybe it’s more general that that. She sounds like a batty older lady who has bitten off more than she can chew? She doesn’t know her limits? Her male voices sound like a woman badly imitating a man? But these are all exactly what is required for a first person narrator of this fascinating character - why do the critical reviewers assume that this is a failed performance rather than a brilliant one?

Anyway, I suspect it is thoughts like these that underlie some of the critical reviews. If so, this is precisely what makes her *the* perfect narrator for this book, given its subject matter. I couldn’t imagine it being read by anyone else and I think the narration enhanced the themes and subject matter of the book brilliantly. Maybe it is not a coincidence that so many reviews focus on the narration?

Incidentally I found the translation excellent - natural and unobtrusive while retaining a strong sense of place and culture.

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3 people found this helpful

Loved the narration and the beautiful writing.

I've seen a few reviews complaining about the narration of this book, but I absolutely loved it and thought it was a brilliant, perfectly fitting reading of a great story.

The narrator was definitely a big factor in my enjoyment of the book, in fact I will likely listen again, which is something I don't do with many audiobooks.

I will be reading more by the author. I loved her style. Very intelligent and beautiful writing.

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