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Wise Children
- Narrated by: Tracey Ullman
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
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Wise Children
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Summary
Angela Carter's last book, Wise Children, was written and published whilst she was dying from cancer, in 1991. Transcending her physical deterioration in admirable fashion, Carter made this a most life-affirming novel, in support of the vitality of 'otherness.'
This Audible exclusive production, expertly read by Tracey Ullman, stands in celebration of a legendary author known for the richness of her imagination, wit and feminist insight.
About the book
Wise Children is a richly comic tale surrounding the tangled fortunes of two theatrical families. Seen through the eyes of 75-year-old Dora Chance, and her twin Nora, the novel unfurls within the space of a day, as the sisters prepare to attend their perennially absent father's 100th birthday party.
With a wide and colourful, often rather crazy cast, the story veers off in a multitude of directions as Dora's reminiscent narrative slips from past to present suddenly and seamlessly throughout.
Packed with gags, tears, histories, mysteries, feuds and romantic (and some not-so-romantic) unions, Wise Children, doesn't miss a trick. Playing on Carter's admiration of Shakespeare and the surreal, the novel is jam-packed with entrancing magic realism and elements of the carnivalesque.
About the author
Angela Carter was born in 1940, in Sussex. She grew up in the shabbily respectable south London district of Balham, the second child of an eccentric journalist father and a neurotic housewife mother.
She studied English at Bristol University before travelling extensively, teaching and writing numerous best-selling novels. They have all received considerable critical acclaim and remain firm favourites of modern English literature.
Angela was a devout feminist throughout her life, wrote for Spare Rib magazine and voted Labour. Her novels are wholly reflective of her world views and continue to inspire new generations of men and women worldwide.
About the narrator
Tracey Ullman is a multi-award-winning television, stage and film actress, screenwriter, producer, director, author and all-round businesswoman.
First appearing on British screens in comedy sketch shows such as A Kick Up the Eighties, alongside Miriam Margolyes, Three of a Kind, with Lenny Henry, and Girls on Top, with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Tracey quickly established herself as a comedic genius.
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What listeners say about Wise Children
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 04-12-18
Good fun
This is an entertaining story, skilfully written with wry and quirky humour. One might need to be a bit of an Anglophile to enjoy the material and at least a liking for Shakespeare ! The historical periods over the generations of the novel feel authentic and musical and social references accurate. The narration is expert and despite being almost wholly in first person characters are well differentiated. Easily recommended.
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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
- MS REBECCA WARREN
- 01-11-18
A calssic book with classic narration perfect duo
I have read Wise Children many times and listened to an earlier audible version which I thought could not be superseded. Tracey Ullman has truly done this book justice. An incredible listen to Angela Carter as always at her best.
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2 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
- Reader
- 20-08-23
One of my favourites
I have loved this book since studying it at A-level. Almost 20 years later it burns as bright as ever it did. A magical piece of writing. Enjoyed the performance of this audio edition too.
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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
- Maggid62
- 24-06-20
Jolly Romp through the theatre world of London
I enjoyed this story. I was held by the narrative although it wasn't too complex. A fun tale of two sisters growing up in a thespian world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- E Hinchliffe
- 01-11-21
Fantastic story, funny and entertaining
Really enjoyed this engaging story Excellently read. Great characters with interesting inter relationships. They were characters I became involved with and cared about
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Charlotte
- 20-02-23
Fantastic writing, brilliantly performed
Best performance I’ve listened to in ages! Beautifully written. Funny, clever, touching, tender. Enjoyed every moment of it!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Avison
- 15-04-23
Literature with Heart
Wise Children deserves the high praise awarded to it. On the one hand you could describe the novel as a “literary” book, but it is so much more than that arch, somewhat bloodless, descriptor implies. There are plenty of nods & winks within the pages of Wise Children for any literary detective to track, & a beautiful nuggets of humour to find along the way. More than that, this is a novel with heart, & bowels & viscera, sense & sex organs too. Over the rich fantasy Carter weaves into a carpet inviting our naked feet, life blossoms, love blooms & all the sometimes grubby vitality of existence is played out with song & dance.
The reading well-paced & itself full of joy. Tracey Ullman becomes Dora & Dora is a wise child.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 16-11-19
A Virtuoso of Hilarity
Angela Carter is known for her brutal stories and fairy tales, but this, her last novel, is a rollicking, side-splitting, shocking vaudeville novel about generations of twins, told by Dora Chance.
Dora and her sister, Nora, live in Bard Road, where they grew up with their grandmother, and they recall their memories of their time as hoofers, as song and dance girls, going from London’s music halls to the glamour soundstages of Hollywood. But Dora and Nora are often the light relief.
The illegitimate daughters of Melchior Hazard, England’s greatest Shakespearean actor, Dora and Nora watch his rise and fall and how it comes to affect their lives as people.
This is a beautiful book. It is funny, subversive, a loving parody of the family saga genre. I would recommend it to literally anyone who asks where to begin with Angela Carter. Definitely up there among my favourite books of all time.
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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
- VM J
- 28-04-19
Unexpectedly brilliant
I usually read crime fiction but I heard an Angela Carter book on Radio 4 recently and enjoyed it so I bought Wise Children. The sheer joy, the pathos and the family interconnections made the story a lovely roller coaster ride. Tracey Ullman was an excellent narrator so much so that I almost could believe she was Nora. Almost all the loose ends were tied up in the end - well almost........
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-09-19
Just brilliant
Funny, tragic and irreverent. Great performance and a story that carries you to the end.
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