Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Bilgewater

By: Jane Gardam
Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Marigold Green calls herself ‘hideous, quaint and barmy’. Other people call her Bilgewater, a corruption of Bill’s daughter. Growing up in a boys’ school where her father is housemaster, she is convinced of her own plainness and peculiarity. Groomed by the wise and loving Paula, upstaged by bad, beautiful Grace and ripe for seduction by entirely the wrong sort of boy, she suffers extravagantly and comically in her pilgrimage through the turbulent, twilight world of alarming adolescence.

©1976 Jane Gardam (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Flight of the Maidens cover art
Waiting for the Barbarians cover art
The Stories cover art
A Closed Eye cover art
A Room of One's Own cover art
Went to London, Took the Dog cover art
The Way of All Flesh cover art
Abide with Me cover art
The Untouchable cover art
Barbara Pym: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
This Is Not About Me cover art
East of the Sun cover art
The Best of Friends cover art
Exposure cover art

What listeners say about Bilgewater

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved loved loved this book


I really enjoy Jane Gardems books this is one of my favourites.
Well narrated
So enjoyable I think I will listen to it again!








Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful in every way

Funny, charming and poignant, this story was totally absorbing. The characters are quirky and believable, and at the end it felt like leaving friends. Narration was absolute perfection.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Charming and engaging.

A charming and engaging tale that is very well read and a good choice to hear aloud.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story, beautifully narrated

Where does Bilgewater rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best books I have listened to. I enjoy Jane Gardam's work and this unusual story ranks, for me, as one of her best. None of the characters are run-of-the-mill, but she brings them to life with her vivid descriptions.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bilgewater?

Marigold's first real encounter with the outside world, when she visits Jack Rose and, later, Terrapin, is full of description and spontaneous emotion.

What about Anna Bentinck’s performance did you like?

Anna Bentinck seemed to be the perfect performer for this book. Her depiction of the voices of the very different characters was superb. This worked very well at the end of the book; her portrayal of one particular character answered some questions for us!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me laugh and cry. I experienced pure joy at times, as well as great empathy with Marigold and other characters.

Any additional comments?

I mostly listen to audiobooks on my daily walks. I had to ration this book because I never wanted it to end!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it! Missing all the characters now

Beautifully written, as you would expect from Jane Gardam, and beautifully read. I wept at the end. And wanted to go back and begin again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such an original story

I loved the people, the setting, the detail, and the plot. Jane Gardam has such a skill in creating credible and likeable characters. I also felt I was in the book too and things were happening to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!