A wonderful and engrossing story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is a nearly contemporaneous account of the attitudes of a sector of Victorian society which has strong parallels in our own times. We are familiar with dramas of the "upstairs, downstairs" style, involving the upper classes and their servants, or Dickensian explorations of the injustices of the age. This story is of the upper middle classes, lawyers, architects, landlords and auctioneers. The authenticity rings through, and links those times with our own.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Old Jolyon Forsyte, whose humanity and love for his son win out in the end over the judgementalism od his peers.

What about Neil Hunt’s performance did you like?

Neil gives a dry, quite clipped performance. I could see that it might not be to everyones taste, but it was definitely to mine. The book is written in a very concise way, such that every word counts, and yet invites the reader to consider the values on display by the Forsytes. Neil conveys this, and ultimately his performance is all the more moving because of this.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Ownership or Love

Any additional comments?

I found it hard to get into the book, and ended up listening to the first chapter several times over. Every detail needs to be listened to and absorbed. Once the details of the cast of characters sank in and I knew who was who, I was then firmly hooked.

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4 people found this helpful

Excellent reading of a fantastic book

Neil Hunt brilliantly brings the Forsytes to life. A fantastic and touching story with unforgettable characters.

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1 person found this helpful

Odd choice of narrator

Would you listen to The Forsyte Saga again? Why?

I might.

What other book might you compare The Forsyte Saga to, and why?

I wouldn't.

Which character – as performed by Neil Hunt – was your favourite?

There are a lot of characters and Neil Hunt's performance doesn't help distinguish them.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I wouldn't make a film about anything - it's not my line of work!

Any additional comments?

The narrator is an odd choice - he sounds English yet pronounces some words like an American would; I can only assume he is actually American. (eg: vase = 'vayce', leisure = 'lee-sure', dubious = 'doobious', z = 'zee'.) If you can get past this, he's not bad - and thankfully such words don't crop up very often. I do wonder if a little less staid narration would be better, but the story is about hopelessly staid people so maybe he's ideal in that respect. I just don't understand why an apparently American narrator was chosen.

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5 people found this helpful

enjoyed it

fascinating historical perspective. strongly male biased but still with some empathy towards the women in the story. good narration.

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Deeply satisfying

Galsworthy’s writing is so detailed and Hunt’s reading so expressive and fluent that I felt involved in the Forster family saga.

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Much better than expected

Why did nobody ever tell me how good this book was. I wish I'd read it years ago. In terms of the audio book itself, the narration was spot on, clear, expressive with a convincing range of voices. A few times there was an American pronunciation (eg vase and leisure) but as it was only may be 5 times over the whole book, I can't really complain.

as well as "a man of property", the book includes "an Indian summer" so don't go searching for a separate download for that. There's no other way to describe "an Indian summer" other than beautiful.

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2 people found this helpful

Great writing, and a fascinating insight into the society of the time

Great writing, and a fascinating insight into the society of the time. Characters are complex and the story touches on a number of difficult issues, with subtle and wise moments. Real classic. A very old tv serial my parents used to watch really didn’t do the book any favours.
Recommend

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Quite wonderful!

Wow! What a wonderful book. Beautifully written and superbly narrated. What a joy! What an absolute treasure.

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Fabulous prose, Great story

Really enjoyed this. Download a family tree as there are so many Jolyons in the Forsyte family and lots of relatives.. Dry wit, remarkable social commentary, rich character build and some very amusing characters.

The prose is beautiful, Many sentences and quotes worthy of note.
Long sentences but an easier & more gripping read than Henry James.
Similar style, subject and era to Trollope but a much smoother and more accessible read.

A classic gem of English literature, often overlooked.

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