Good story told in REALLY bad Jamaican accents

I really like this book. I especially like the way the author moves through place and time fluidly within the telling of characters experiences.

The performance of this recording suffers from the REALLY bad Jamaican accents. How hard is it to find Jamaican actors. Please Audible, re-record this with real Jamaican actors, surely this is not hard to do. As a Jamaican I was cringing every time the obviously not Jamaican actors murdered my country's accent.

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15 people found this helpful

impressive performance of a compelling story

Spanning several decades from the view point of multiple characters. This story takes you on a wild ride. While compelling, the jumps in story arcs will keep you on your toes and entices you to read / listen again.

The cast of narrators is top class giving each character their own identity.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good gangster story with depth.

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the best multiple cast audio book available

wow was blown away speechless
characters brought to life in amazing detail due to multiple narrator's not like anything you have listened before by far the best audible book I've heard 214 and counting 👍

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Brilliant. Long overdue

I struggled a bit with the novel. The audio book brought it alive. Loved it

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An extraordinary novel

The accounts given in the first person are utterly compelling. From the very first chapter to the last. The only fly in the ointment is the attempt at Jamaican accents by the Cuban and the American in the latter chapters when they are relating their experiences with Josey Wales and Eube. The American makes Eube sound like an Irish Nigerian. I don't know whether it would have been better to have kept the original actors . A minor gripe however - this is breathtaking stuff. Not for the faint hearted be warned but if you like things real this is for you.

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A brilliant story but some seriously bad accents

I really enjoyed reading this book but had mixed feelings about the audio version. It was masterful storytelling. Marlon James attention to detail had me visualising every scene like I was there, a proper yardie (as in from Jamaica. not a gangster) rather than some second generation suburban-raised 'bwoy from foreign'.

But midway through the audiobook the Jamaican accents get real bad and where once characters like Papa Lo spoke with confidence and menace they sounded cartoon and reminded me of bad 70's British TV comedy that used to make me cringe. A real shame because up until then it really was like listening to an audio-movie. Whoever made the Tarantino comparison wasn't wrong.

In summary: a literary work of art. If you can deal with the accents go for it, if not do like me and when the accents get bad just switch off and read those chapters instead.

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Works well as an audiobook

I tried to read this book twice and gave up. I found it really hard to understand the dialect (patois?). However it really works as an audiobook and becomes quite immersive.

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Simply Excellent

At times shocking. Often hilarious. Always entertaining. An incredible story. Congratulations to you, Marlon James.

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Spoiled by detailed violence

I would have appreciated this more if half the length and the essential violence (that sustains the atmosphere and fuels the plot) left more to the imagination than described in the details here. It is a problem with audio books that it is difficult to skip passages that you can see on skimming that you don't want to read. By the end of the book I could see why this won the Man Booker prize

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5 people found this helpful

Confused

I found this book hard to read. It's was very confusing at time. I would not have carry on if I'd was not a book club book

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1 person found this helpful