Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

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.
The Colour cover art

The Colour

By: Rose Tremain
Narrated by: Eleanor Bron
Try for £0.00

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

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

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.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Music and Silence cover art
Restoration cover art
You Will Be Safe Here cover art
Odd Girl Out cover art
Something in Disguise cover art
Ill Will cover art
The Untouchable cover art
Birdcage Walk cover art
Arthur & George cover art
Salt Creek cover art
The Secret River cover art
A Year of Marvellous Ways cover art
Jakob's Colours cover art
Heroes and Villains cover art
Cider with Rosie cover art

Summary

Shortlisted for the Orange prize for Fiction, 2004.

Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from Norfolk to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh land near Christchurch where they settle threatens to destroy them almost before they begin. When Joseph finds gold in the creek he is seized by a rapturous obsession with the voluptuous riches awaiting him deep in the earth. Abandoning his farm and family, he sets off alone for the new gold-fields over the Southern Alps, a moral wilderness where many others, under the seductive dreams of "the colour", are violently rushing to their destinies. By turns both moving and terrifying, it is a story of the quest for the impossible, an attempt to mine the complexities of love and in the process discover the sacrifices to be made in the pursuit of happiness.

©2003 Rose Tremain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The sense of period is forcefully conveyed....Her new level of ambition makes it perhaps the author's most important book yet." (Amazon.co.uk)

What listeners say about The Colour

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    116
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    120
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    107
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    7

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

gripping

Would you consider the audio edition of The Colour to be better than the print version?

I thought the writing was excellent - very descriptive - very realistic resulting in a bit depressing. life as it was then.

Have you listened to any of Eleanor Bron’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Brilliant reader

Any additional comments?

Didn't like the man Joseph but this reflected the excellent writing that he felt real and I wanted DEAD.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

A Beautiful Story

A wonderful novel - full of historical detail, interesting characters, sensual and beautifully written. I didn’t want it to end! Eleanor Bron performs it perfectly; her voice is a pleasure to listen to. My only criticism is the suddenness of some of the ‘cutting’ of the chapter headings (no space between the chapters at times) and the speed of Audible’s interruption at the end of the book which doesn’t do justice to Miss Bron’s elegant reading but I highly recommend this production.

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

Beautiful, but.....

I find it SO maddening when "Audible hopes you've enjoyed this programme" blasts in after a millisecond of finishing the book!! This book was so beautifully read by the narrator, but I had no time to savour and ponder the last lines before being rudely interrupted. The producer of this audiobook should please take note!

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

wonderful

A wonderful story beautifully read by Eleanor Bron
It bought the South Island alive.

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
    5 out of 5 stars

Amateurish editing

This is a compelling story beautifully read by Eleanor Bron. However the quality of the editing was atrocious and definitely detracted from the narration. Frequently had to “rewind” to listen again as it interrupted the narrator and the flow of the story.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

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

Brilliant

I really enjoyed this story - beautifully written (as are all Rose Tremain 's books) and an absorbing story. Complex characters and I love the way they interact with each other. Fantastic- definitely recommend. Well narrated too.

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

Recommended

I love reading Rose tremain audiobooks. I find her style precise and enjoyable. this story follows a young married couple who moved to New Zealand. their world is then torn apart by the discovery of gold. A great listen!

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

NZ gold rush

I had read this when it was first published and wanted to revisit it having just read the Luminaries and had my interest in the gold rush renewed. Rose Tremain does not disappoint with the fascinating story of British settlers arriving in New Zealand to start a new life and then getting drawn into the gold rush, with all its hardships. Beautifully read by Eleanor Bron whose voice I could listen to for hours.

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

First class narration

A wonderful book, beautifully written and read. I have read all of Rose Tremaine's books this one is my favourite. Parts of the South Island are still remote and wild she described the places extremely well.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ms
  • 12-07-16

Nice story

A little slow in parts but not enough to put me off. I gradually enjoyed it and the illustrated moral philosophy within in. Slow paced and relaxing book which is nicely narrated.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful