Spectacular

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Bleak, brutal, yet often warm and heartbreaking. A beautifully written novel of our helplessness ,the callousness of life, and the decades long memories of searing pain left by love, war, and lies.

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Mesmerising

I cannot remember why I downloaded this book. It may have been due to The Reunion BBC Radio 4 on which there were 4 ex-Japanese POWs talking of their experiences.
The reason is inconsequential because this book is an absolute gem. The descriptive narrative, the emotional depth and the superb paced reading by Richard Flanagan make this one of my most recommended books. It is tragic, beautiful, hateful, grief-strickening, terrible, horrific, heroic, raw, loving...and the list can go on at so many levels. You have to listen to it.

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Superb

What made the experience of listening to The Narrow Road to the Deep North the most enjoyable?

Everything about this book was superb, from the excellent narration to the really thought provoking story. I have never listened to a story more than once and am listening to this one for the third time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Narrow Road to the Deep North?

There are lots of great moments but for me there were two moments that stood out. After Dorrigo reads the letter and does the amputation and the punishment of Darkie Gardner which happens on the same day. The second one is the execution of the Korean guard.

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

No but his narration was excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

When I listened the first time, I loved the story, but when I listened again there was so much that I missed the first time it almost felt like a new story. This book made me laugh, cry and shudder in horror. I highly recommend this book.

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Outstanding and insightfull

Would you listen to The Narrow Road to the Deep North again? Why?

Definitely because it contains many complex relationships

What did you like best about this story?

The interconnectiveness and realistic imagery

Which character – as performed by Richard Flanagan – was your favourite?

The main character

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Wish I had listened to the narrator before buying

Sorry - I found Richard Flanagan's voice overpoweringly annoying. I've watched him being interviewed on the television and admired him immensely for his wisdom and principles, but he reads the book in a "poetry" voice which - although I listened to the whole book - I never ceased to find irritating. It is a good story - and a heartbreaking description of building the railway. READ the book, rather than listen to it!!

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Deeply moving on many levels

Terrific read. An extraordinary account of how war can ruin and blight lives - as much for the survivors as the dead. There is a great list of characters whose tragedies will live with the reader long after the book is read.
But beware- this is a novel which never flinches from graphic descriptions of the horrors of war. Some of these passages are deeply disturbing. Nevertheless this is a genuinely great novel, which deserves to be read, not just on its own merits but for the generation now passing into history who did so much to ensure that we live in a much better world. Read this and you will understand what a debt we owe.

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Great book - great listen

I do not agree the reading takes the book down, although a little unclear at times Richard Flanagan is a great story teller. He knows where to pause and brings his own, extraordinary, book into rich life in this reading.

I will definitively revisit this read, and recommended the book highly!

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Almost brilliant

This is the kind of book that requires concentrated listening to follow and appreciate it's brilliant sections. It's a slow burner with added inconvenience of the romantic subplot which I found to be unconvincing , forced and unnecessary, almost as if someone advised author to add it in.

Having hated the first half and becoming almost hooked from half way through I'm glad I made the effort, some bits are shocking and real, believable and a war reality eye opener.

That said the book as a whole was not a booker prize winner for me, not quite.


I liked the fact that the narrator was very neutral and did not interfere with how i understood the book to unfold and how i imagined the characters.

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Loved the e-book and the Audio Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I really enjoyed being able to switch between the audio and ebook. I loved the complex characters, the war story and the love story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Narrow Road to the Deep North?

When the men got together to remember Darky Gardiner after the war

What does Richard Flanagan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I could picture the characters better and it made it more authentic as it is an Australian story told by an Australian

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Too long.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this book. I found it slow to start but it was really worth sticking with as it was a great story.

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Just brilliant

Such a tour de force wit h all the stories overlapping and intertwining seamlessly. Impossible to stop listening. Thanks a million

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