The Cockroach
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The Cockroach
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Narrated by:
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Bill Nighy
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By:
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Ian McEwan
About this listen
Kafka meets The Thick of It in a bitingly funny new political satire from Ian McEwan.
That morning, Jim Sams, clever but by no means profound, woke from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into a gigantic creature.
Jim Sams has undergone a metamorphosis. In his previous life he was ignored or loathed, but in his new incarnation he is the most powerful man in Britain - and it is his mission to carry out the will of the people. Nothing must get in his way: not the opposition, nor the dissenters within his own party. Not even the rules of parliamentary democracy.
With trademark intelligence, insight and scabrous humour, Ian McEwan pays tribute to Franz Kafka’s most famous work to engage with a world turned on its head.
©2019 Ian McEwan (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Cockroach
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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
- Vudi Xhymshiti
- 07-11-19
The BREXIT Story
This is a brilliant piece of Ian McEwan, who I had the opportunity to photograph during an assignment with AP.
I cover British politics and certainly I am amazed how far he has gone into understanding political characters and mentality of the destructive politics the conservatives m have been pursuing since they took over the government in 2010.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elle
- 16-06-20
Entertaining
Sadly too close to the bone...but it's a great story and I highly recommend it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Louise
- 10-06-21
Very entertaining
I really enjoyed this book. It was very entertaining and amusing. I thoroughly recommend it.
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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
- Kindle Customer
- 03-06-24
Truth Will Out
A short audio-book, but exquisitely read by Bill Nighy who displays a sure ability to render this story and its characters with unerring skill. His American president is faultless. The audiobook will perhaps best be appreciated by those able to recollect the history of what led to Brexit - and its aftermath, especially with more recent revelations of what behaviours and attitudes prevailed at the time. No one with a position on Brexit will listen to this without a strong response. For others it might create one. Listeners may inevitable be running a parallel stream of thought as they listen to the story and listen to their own heads' recording of history. Be in no doubt, this is a treat listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs. K. Sowden
- 06-10-19
Enjoyable political satire
A book that explains how and why we've got ourselves into such a mess :-)
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rupert M
- 23-10-19
Very 2019
A superb book brilliantly read by Bill Nighy. As the UK rattles towards separation from the EU, what better time to hear this cleverly-crafted short novel. The understanding of human (and insect) nature is just amazing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- William
- 04-06-23
Funny satire. If only it weren't true
Not a great work of fiction, but an attempted catharsis of the disaster of Brexit, although the laughter is bitter. So convincingly rooted in painful remembered events and personalities that it reads like journalism 😖
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tim
- 06-04-23
A wonderful take on Kafka
What an imaginative story, with a cockroach awaking to find he is prime minister. Written beautifully with wit, i can thoroughly recommend this short read. The idea of reversalist economics is laugh-out-loud funny, and almost as absurd as some of the economic decisions our recent governments have made.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lu
- 27-09-19
Ok satire on Brexit
During an interview, Ian McEwan stated that he wrote this book to let off steam at Brexit and that is possibly the best way to sum up The Cockroach. The book is excellently written and narrated The story doesn't pretend to be breaking boundaries but is enjoyable none the less and makes more sense than what is going on in the UK.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mr. M. Anandarajah
- 01-10-19
Brexit: Kafka's Metamorphosis meets Animal Farm
An interesting commentary on the current UK political climate. Best to read it sooner rather than later however, as I suspect the impact of its satire will diminish over time. The central plot point mirrors Kafka's famous Metamorphosis, but doesn't develop this concept beyond a superficial level.
The narration by Bill Nighy was superb. Hilarious characterization of the US president!
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3 people found this helpful