Loved The Story! Loved Anton Lesser's Reading!

Would you listen to Dissolution again? Why?

I did, twice, straight off!! I loved that voice! I know Anton Lesser, as an actor and love his work. However, it is only listening in this way, that I realised just how great an actor he is! He gives you every nuance! Brilliant interpretation!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the fact that it was set in an era of great change, I loved the main character. It kept me on my toes!

Which scene did you most enjoy?

All of it!

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

It didn't make me laugh or cry, but I couldn't put it down, then did it all over again and bought the next one!

Any additional comments?

Go for it!

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Superb

Anton Lessers narrative of this cracking tale is the icing on the cake. He brings the story and the characters alive. No boring characterisations, the story ebbs and flows and at no time does your concentration lapse. Its the first that I have heard from this author but it certainly wont be the last.

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2 people found this helpful

A crime story with a factual pedigree

I heard of this novel by hearing part of a dramatisation on the radio. As I have an interest in this period of history, Tudor England, I followed it up with the audiobook and was not disappointed. It is basically about the fate of a monastery during Henry 8ths closure of the monasteries. Not only does it shed light on the mechanics of the process but also the conflicting interests of everyone involved. Bodies start appearing and a hunt to identify the guilty adds to the tension.

The style is easy to follow and makes a gripping read

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1 person found this helpful

A Revalation

I had read the Shardlake novels in paperback but had put off downloading the audiobooks as I am not normally a fan of abridged novels. However, I'm really glad I changed my mind as this was superb.
Anton Lesser seemed to have got inside my head as his voice characterisation was exactly how I had imagined it. The abridgement had been carefully done with no loss to the flow of the story.
I'm not a full fledged convert to abridgement but I will download the rest of the series and would recommend this to everyone.

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3 people found this helpful

Fascinating Tudor Trials

The first of a series, this is a gritty, well written tale of Tudor England beautifully told by brittish actor Anton Lesser. Well worth a listen.

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Great story, fantastic narration

Thoroughly enjoyed this whodunnut based in the reign of Henry VIII narrated brilliantly by Anton Lesser. I found the story interesting and the characterisation very satisfying.

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An entertaining historical mystery with depth

This is a wonderful series. Matthew Shardlake is an engaging character who is sympathetic to the modern reader/listener without ever becoming an anachronism. He has many of the same worries as any modern person nudging middle age; he?s relatively successful in his career yet increasingly questions the validity of the work he does and frets about the dubious ? not to say murderous ? activities of the people for whom he works. And, poor bloke, he?s looking for love. Shardlake inhabits an unremittingly hard, pitiless world in which his ?deformity? makes him an easy target for open hostility. Is it too simplistic an interpretation to say his disability offers a device by which he can more readily empathise with the pain, if not downright torment, of so many people in cruel Henry?s crumbling kingdom? Even if it is, it is subtly handled and never becomes too obvious. Shardlake questions what is going on around him but never outside the boundaries of credibility. The historical backdrop, a world in which god and religion are wielded with total ruthlessness as weapons of control and destruction, is vivid and truly disturbing. The various historical characters aren?t caricatures and are fleshed out wonderfully. Any person who questions the degree of monitoring in 21st century Britain should thank whatever god they worship ? or not as the case may be ? that, for the majority of the population, spiritual correctness is generally not under government scrutiny. And long may that be the case! And, yes, I agree Anton Lesser makes a perfect Shardlake.

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7 people found this helpful

Anton Lesser does it again

A good, solid story rendered brilliant by Anton Lesser. He deserves an audio oscar. His voice lends itself to every imaginable nuance of all the differing accents present in the story as to make it sound like a play.

Superb!

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brilliant.

lesser is a true master. I could listen to him all day. great plot that captures the times.

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Book Club Read

We read this for our book club and we all agreed it was an enjoyable read. It was well written and the principle character, Matthew Shardlake was believable and interesting. The solution to the mystery was fairly easy to guess but the opportunity to find out more about this historical period from a perspective other than that of Henry VIII and his court made up for this, Although we are all female and did enjoy the book we did agree that it felt more like a man's book.

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