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Hell and High Water cover art

Hell and High Water

By: Sean Conway
Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser
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Summary

Rain pelted down on the back of my neck, and saltwater rushed down my throat as I tried to breathe into a wave. A foghorn started booming from a lighthouse in the distance. For a moment I thought it was a rescue siren for me. Imagine if I got rescued on day two. That would be embarrassing.

In June 2013 Sean Conway set out from Land’s End in his bid to be the first person to swim the length of Britain. It was a challenge so extreme that not only had it never been attempted before, but most of the sponsors Sean approached turned him down, as they were worried that he would die trying.  

Landlocked Cheltenham - Sean’s hometown - isn’t really the ideal place to train for a long sea swim, and he managed only three miles in a local pool before setting off from Land's End. Once in the water Sean had to develop incredible mental strength to deal with the extreme cold and hours alone. He also needed to devise ways to take on the huge number of calories he needed to sustain him. On the support boat he and his three-man crew had to cope with storms, seasickness, and living in close proximity for months. After taking a few jellyfish stings to the face, Sean decided to grow a huge beard to protect himself.  

The physical challenge was gruelling but came with unexpected rewards. Sean swam with dolphins and seals and among stunning nighttime phosphorescence. He had a unique view of the British coast, discovering tiny hidden coves and exploring shipwrecks. When there were problems with the support boat, Sean and his crew met many kindly people who were willing to come to their aid.  

From the first person to complete a British triathlon - running, swimming, and biking the length of Britain - this is Sean's remarkable and funny story about how anything is possible if you truly put your mind to it.

©2001 Ebury Publishing (P)2018 Sean Conway

What listeners say about Hell and High Water

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

great but for narrator

a less plummy accent would have really been nice and appropriate surely but great story

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narrators prenounciations made me lol!!

Loved the story but the narrator was just awful. Has the author actually heard this?

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who chose this guy?

Amazing story - almost ruined by a narrator who sounds like a prototype satnav from the late 80’s

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story -terrible narration

Loved the story as I have done all of Sean's adventure books but I the narrator for this one nearly ruined it for me. Everytime I started listening again I had to get over the fake British super posh accent that sounded robotic to get to enjoy the actual book. However the way Sean tells his story and describes everything makes you feel like a fly on the wall - as fab as the others :)

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, shockingly bad narrator

the story is a good. Loads of drama, loads of adventure. Sadly this is massively let down by the narrator. Clearly someone who is not from England trying to put on an English accent. And failing. Sounds like a parody of an Enid Blyton story. Mispronounciation throughout. When he tries other regional accents it's even worse.

It made me dislike the characters even though they all seem great in the real world. I wish I had got the paperback to be honest.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great SC story, superb

As always, really enjoyed this account of a fantastic achievement and written in Sean's style with some humour and drama. A well told story and very interesting.

Only 3 stars for performance though as the narrator was hard work. an annoying mix of UK and US pronounciation and a weird accent (for the context) and bizarre intonation in places.

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

As usual amazing story by Sean

I love reading about adventures and Sean certainly does a few. The story was great, I particularly like all the little funny bits en-route that I can really appreciate. The team all sounded superb and there is a definite sense of disappointment when Sean is let down, or hears comments etc. but that’s what’s great, it makes you feel like you are really rooting for him whilst listening about these things. Not sure about the accents but it did make me laugh! And certainly makes the listening interesting. This is my second Sean book and I will be grabbing some more. 👍

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Poor narrator

As others have said, it's a great story but a dreadful choice of narrator who ruins the story. Should have stuck with the chap who narrated the running book

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

would recommend

would recommend listening to the sample as it's a bit of an acquired narrator but aside from that a brilliant and Inspiring story

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

Great adventure story

Great adventure story. Although, the voice did not seem to fit. I’d encourage people to read it.

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