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  • Rumpole and the Golden Thread

  • By: John Mortimer
  • Narrated by: Bill Wallis
  • Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (281 ratings)

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Rumpole and the Golden Thread

By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Bill Wallis
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Summary

The irrepressible, audacious defence barrister Horace Rumpole continues to juggle the vagaries of the law, the ambiguities of crime, and the contradictions of the human heart. The much loved stories were adapted from his scripts for the hugely popular TV series of the same name.

©1983 John Mortimer (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Rumpole and the Golden Thread

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly entertaining and well read

An excellent set of engaging and entertaining stories. The narration is good. At first I thought Horace sounded a bit too full bodied like an over oaked bottle of chateau Thames Embankment, but it grew on me and the narration and voicing of all the other characters was excellent.

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

A joy to listen to

Loved it - beautifully read! Classic Rumpole weaving his clever, amusing tales - somehow always winning his cases.

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

Love this series

Bill Wallis is a masterly reader and these stories are superb. I can pay no higher tribute than say I have immediately ordered the next in the series!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

As if Leo MKern was still with us.

Bill Wallis was an inspired choice to read these stories. He is an excellent character actor and a good impressionist. He has the ability to (although not mimic) Leo McKern's turn of phrase as the irrasible Horace Rumpole. These plays (as that is what they are) are highly recommended and an utter pleasure to hear. I very much enjoy Timothy West also as he is an irrasible 'old hack' and makes the part his own. I was hoping to get Rumpole of the Defence next, this is read by Robert Hardy, whom, like Timothy and Bill, is one of our great actors and is brilliant in every role he is in. There is only one thing that would improve these audio books, but it would require a seance.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very amusing

These tales get funnier and funnier and the narration is perfect - hard to imagine a better narrator.

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

A Thread Truly Well Spun

Another excellent performance by the inestimable Bill Wallis as the immortal Horace Rumpole. And well done, She Who Must!

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

Amusing.

I love the narration of the different characters. Mortimer definitely takes you into a world where the most intelligent and most competent of professionals, mostly, do not rise to lofty positions in this world. Rumpole has imagination and is able to match his thoughts to those geniuses which have gone before him; Wordsworth and Shakespeare, to name but a few. This sustains in times when he is, truly, surrounded by stupidity. I suspect his errant relationship with his wife is outdated, but it is of his time. And is still amusing with all of that. Audible's presentation is good and these stories have sustained me on many a sleepless night.

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

Classic Rumpole. Great for car journeys.

What did you like most about Rumpole and the Golden Thread?

I subscribed to Audible because I make regular long car journeys from London to Cornwall or London to the South of France. These Rumpole episodes are 90 minutes long which is the perfect journey time between rest breaks.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rumpole and the Golden Thread?

His experiences in darkest Africa.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

How can one person produce so many distinct male and female voices?

On the minus side, some of the soundtrack was a bit muffled and hard to hear over road noise.

Any additional comments?

Will definitely be buying more Rumpole!

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

Rumpole and the Golden Thread

Thoroughly enjoyable and easy listening. The writing is very good and has made me laugh. The narrator really makes it too. Great.

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

Nice gentle listening

I like Rumpole, Bill Wallis as narrator took a little getting used to after my usual listening on Radio 4. But then I found him to be excellent in the role. Rumpole's cases are always fun and not too 'heavy', sometimes I like to have a little light relief.
All in all a really enjoyable book.

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7 people found this helpful