So disappointing

After the woodcutter I was eagerly awaiting this story even though it did have mixed reviews. unfortunately I found this to be quite tedious, whilst the ending was good I think this book could have been 6 hours shorter. I won't lie, it's put me off reading anything else from the author.

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Not for me.

I try to listen to books every so often that I would not normally choose or new authors for me . I am happy to do this with the buy one get one free offers that audible has.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I am not sure if it was the narration or the writing style but I just could not get into the story or develop anything more than a severe dislike for any of the characters. I use audio books to help me sleep and this book just enabled my insomnia.............but I was committed to listening to it and always feel like I would be doing the author an injustice by giving up............and you never know if a book that starts of badly will pick up to have an amazing middle and end. Not the case here. Not a mystery, thriller or suspenseful book. The only thing that could have saved it was a nuclear explosion occurring at the start and then 16 hours of white noise.

However I refuse to give 1 star as even though I hated the story and narration, the book was well written with decent character development, it may just be that this was too gentle of a story for me.

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1 person found this helpful

Good, but overlong

An interesting if somewhat convoluted tale. The characters are well formed. The narrator is very good BUT his attempts at the various accents and dialects are lamentably poor; to the extent that it is distracting. That said, if you are not from the North of England, you probably won’t even notice.

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Interesting characters and story

Good story with great characters.Took a few chapters to get into it but once I did it was very worthwhile.

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Average offering that promised much more

Like many, I came to this from The Woodcutter, so had high expectations. The Stranger House is not in the same league.

I agree with many that the narration leaves something to be desired, especially in the attempt at an Australian accent, but there was a half-decent stab to add some variety to the Cumbrian characters.

The plot was just a little bit all over the place, and felt loose. Bits and pieces seemed forced together in a way that didn't fit. Neither did the attempted foray into mysticism really work. In all, this felt like a book that could have been excellent if only a bit more work had been put in.

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sad I didn't like this

I listen to Reginald Hill often. However I really struggled with this one, but not sure why. it is a good plot but written in a convoluted way. I consider Mr Hill a brilliant author and this will not put me off, just not for me

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My favourite audible book so far

This is a clever, intricately plotted book that weaves and turns right up until the last page. Essentially it is a mystery that draws together two polar opposite people; one a Spanish ex-Catholic priest and the other a fiery, independent young Australian woman and deposits them in a Cumbrian village inn called the Stranger House.

I found it gripping from beginning to end, and talking of endings, it has an ending that really delivers - well done Mr Hill.

One last point, I actually liked the narrator and thought he really added to the tale but even if you don't, the incredible story should be enough to see you past any shortcomings.

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17 people found this helpful

interesting

an informative 2 family history starting in mystery. Loved the differences in Aussie & English, Spanish characters. Aussie, as usual, portrayed as blunt, open, ocker... but never (here) in a derisory manner. Enjoyed narration & story, although got a little lost, right at the end...

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a very slow burn

it seemed to take forever to get going, but stick with it once it hits its stride there's enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.

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Mystery with history thrown in, set in the Lake District

I enjoyed the story, perhaps even better on the second listen, when I could take in the details. Reginald Hill builds up a rich back story for his murder mystery, incorporating English class culture and complex characters much like in the Woodcutter. I agree with other reviewers that Gordon Griffin's version of an Australian accent (among other things) is absolutely terrible and a different narrator would have been preferable.

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1 person found this helpful