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The Illusions
- Narrated by: Anna Burnett
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
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The Illusions
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Summary
At a time of extraordinary change, two women must harness their talents to take control of their own destiny . . .
Bristol, 1896. Used to scraping a living as the young assistant to an ageing con artist, Cecily Marsden's life is turned upside down when her master suddenly dies. Believing herself to blame, could young Cec somehow have powers she little understands?
Meanwhile Eadie Carleton, a pioneering early film-maker, struggles for her talent to be taken seriously in a male-dominated world, and a brilliant young magician, George Perris, begins to see the potential in moving pictures. George believes that if he can harness this new technology, it will revolutionise the world of magic forever - but in order to achieve his dreams, he must first win over Miss Carleton . . .
As a group of illusionists prepare for a grand spectacle - to mark both the retirement of legendary master The Professor and the announcement of his successor - Cec, Eadie and George's worlds collide. But Cec soon finds herself facing the fight of her life to save the performance from sabotage - and harness the element of real magic held deep within her . . .
THE ILLUSIONS is a captivating novel from the much-lauded author of THE GIFTS. Inspired by real-life illusionists and early film pioneers, this astonishing story of women and talent, magic and power, sweeps you into a world where anything is possible and nothing is quite as it seems . . .
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What listeners say about The Illusions
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- EB
- 12-02-24
Very enjoyable listen
An engrossing novel, made for excellent commuting soundtrack! Lovely narration too. I would recommend to fans of Victoriana.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- mirf
- 14-07-23
A solid 4.5 stars – great, uplifting storytelling
Liz Hyder is a champion storyteller. I am completely hooked on her work. Her YA debut Bearmouth was staggeringly brilliant and original, and I loved her general fiction debut The Gifts. Both clear *****.
In The Illusions, she explores the fascinating world of conjurors, mediums, tricksters, showmanship, photography and moving pictures, all brilliantly interwoven with love, friendship, kindness, sibling love, blackmail, betrayal, bluffing, double-bluffing, loyalty and forgiveness. Set in Bristol in 1896, it's a hearty, enjoyable, uplifting listen, and we are rooting for our merry band of main characters all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Hyder is a master storyteller and knows exactly how to craft a gripping story, full of twists, turns and intrigue. She's great at character and dialogue, and there's never a dull moment in any of her books.
The Illusions features genius, ingenuity and wonder, with a strong vein of feminism running through the novel (as in Hyder's other books). Like The Gifts, it also features a really nasty baddie, a Machiavellian figure motivated by unbridled ambition – and the whole way through, you can't wait for him to get his comeuppance.
The way people use star ratings nowadays, this is really a 5-star read – as in, I really enjoyed it and rate it and definitely recommend it. It's a strong, enjoyable story with brilliant characters and the plotting is perfect. The Pygmalion aspect is also satisfying. For me, 5 stars is exceptional and near perfect. Really, it's mostly minor aspects of language and authorial device that drop half a star for me, but that's being finicky. A few phrases felt hackneyed for such a talented writer, a few words reappeared repeatedly and for my taste, it would have felt tighter and trimmer with fewer adverbs. Also, one or two plotting elements felt a tiny bit contrived to me – to fit the story and for example keep having Eadie and George misunderstand/misread each other to make it more of a convenient finale. For me, a couple of these felt there to serve the story (which of course they were) than felt authentic, but clearly the story is queen and Hyder knows and respects this. She's certainly a wizard of story mechanics.
An excellent, enjoyable read with a colourful cast of characters and a real feel for Bristol at the end of the 19th century. Uplifting too, which is a joy between more depressing reads. Hyder's characters are first-rate entertainers and Hyder is, too. The whole book felt so visual and the subject matter so rich, I can see a fight for the film rights. In the hands of a great director and producer, it would make an excellent film. Bravo, Cec, Eadie, George, Valentin, Harri, Louis, Chaplin etc. And bravo, Liz Hyder.
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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
- Julie-Ann Amos
- 03-10-23
Loved it
Slightly confusing at first until I had got my head round all the different characters. But loved it
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