The American Boy
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The American Boy
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Narrated by:
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Alex Jennings
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By:
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Andrew Taylor
About this listen
England, 1819. Two enigmatic Americans arrive in London and soon after, a bank collapses. A man is found dead on a building site; another goes missing in the teeming stews of Seven Dials. A deathbed vigil ends in an act of theft and a beautiful heiress flirts with her inferiors. A strange destiny links each of these events to the American boy Edgar Allen Poe, brought to England by his foster father and sent to the leafy village of Stoke Newington to be educated. Soon the intrigue enmeshes a poor schoolmaster, Thomas Shield, who struggles to understand what is happening before it destroys him and those he loves.©2003 Andrew Taylor (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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Critic reviews
A Richard and Judy Book Club selection
"Jennings reads with such enormous variety that we are consumed by his characterizations.... The listener becomes completely absorbed with the persona of the novel." (AudioFile)
What listeners say about The American Boy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A.Mac
- 01-11-22
An incredible insight
Found this fascinating - particularly the addenda
Can’t quite work out how Tom got so involved and could have walked away but … minor point. Interesting representation of society and life in the early 1800s
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 07-01-25
Worthy of Wilkie Collins or Dickens at his Best
This is a substantial novel; excellent, well plotted and richly told. The sure hands of Andrew Taylor insist that listeners are carefully taken through the multi-layers of mystery, colourful characters, awful characters, teasing characters and earnest characters. Alex Jennings is exceptional in creating the world of the novel and his voice characterisations are faultless. Listeners will chill at the voice created for Carswell, for example. After enjoying several of his novels, I have come to regard Andrew Taylor as one of the most reliable writers producing fiction today. Whatever the world of any novel, Andrew Taylor makes it believable, real enough to feel that you are there. With an author like Andrew Taylor you begin to worry that the novels will run out; thankfully his list is long. Audible represent his work very well, but it would be good if some unrecorded novels could be added to the list.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Ben The Cat
- 11-02-11
Wilkie Collins is not dead...
... but back here in the modern form of Andrew Taylor. It was a compelling mystery that I'd recommend to any fans for Conan-Doyole or Collins - not to mention Poe of course!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kent Bird Lover
- 03-08-19
Really enjoyable - echoes of Wilkie Collins
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I bought it. I was attracted by narrator Alex Jennings who is such a superb actor. He doesn't disappoint as we're led through a labyrinthine tale of early 19th century England. not exactly a thriller or murder mystery, it has the feeling of The Woman In White. loved it!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Louis
- 10-05-22
Informative historical fiction
This is a beautifully written, well researched and brilliantly narrated book.
Will look out for this author.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kirsty Mackay
- 31-07-22
Not the best Andrew Taylor book
rather a long drawn out story I have certainly read better Andrew Taylor books
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J.F.H
- 17-02-23
Bravo! Great quick paced tale .
I’ve listened to nearly 200 audiobooks and this is in my top 10. It’s a well written story which unfolds with many twists. Enjoyed the narrators performance. Going to look for more books by this author .
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Vicuña
- 25-09-20
Long winded and occasionally dreary
I found it difficult to remain engaged with this book. It’s a complex and sometimes dark tale of love loss and murder.
Because I struggled to listen I found it confusing at times and had to repeat sections to get the gist of the plot. It’s a twisting tale and fortunes go up and down. Well narrated.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sarah
- 08-06-15
Interesting but leaves me wondering.....
Why did the boy have to be Edgar Alan Poe? It didn't seem to have any greater relevance to the story. Was it to attract Poe enthusiasts?
I think the epilogue was unnecessarily long. I wasn't that much bothered about what had happened afterwards,, and it didn't add anything to it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- R. J. Gladden
- 13-01-17
The jury's out....
This book took an age to listen to and I'm still not sure it was worth it in the end. The plot was confusing as was the huge range of characters. I kept having the overwhelming urge to grab the main character and shake him til his teeth rattled, he seemed so utterly spineless and accepting of his lot throughout so much of the novel. The performance by Alex Jenkins lifted the experience but I can't help but think that the whole book could have been condensed in half the time.
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1 person found this helpful