Great writing, great narration, great fun

Erskine Childers wrote wry, rhythmical prose, full of dry wit. Anton Lesser's reading is beautifully judged, with every phrase pitched just so to capture the sometimes sardonic, sometimes wistful tone of Childers' voice - the scene in which the narrator Carruthers comes to realize that the rough, mean circumstances of his friend Davies' little boat have actually made him happy is a particular highlight. Lessor also captures the tension and excitement of the central espionage thread of the book superbly, drawing the listener into the experience until one thinks one is right there, moving through the fog toward the invasion plotters. This is a great listen, one of my favourite audiobooks, and one that I return to again and again.

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28 people found this helpful

A different type of Spy novel

Would you listen to The Riddle Of The Sands again? Why?

Yes it was a good tale and nice to listen to.

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

This was my first performance but he is a good narrator so worth a listen.

Any additional comments?

Its not your traditional spy novel but it was worth listening to.

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7 people found this helpful

A classic I was curious about

I had often heard that this is a classic spy story & it u folds slowly but clearly displays the time & doubts that abound in this line of work. In today’s fast paced thrillers it does seem to be rather labourerd but that is also its charm. It’s an LP record rather than Spotify. That said it’s also brilliantly narrated

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If you enjoy sailing and espionage

If you enjoy espionage and sailing plus early 20th century terminology then this could be a great yarn for you

Likes: Anton Lesser is as usual superb

Dislikes: it can be complicated for some of the naval terms

Yes I would recommend it with the above caveats.

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Superb influential espionage novel

This was a very welcome surprise, and incredible that it is so accessible and fresh feeling despite being well over 100 years since writing. Criticisms in other reviews seem to centre around slow pacing - perhaps these are from people who don’t usually go for slow burn espionage, but if this is your thing (think Le carre with more sailing) then you can’t go wrong here. Excellent narration.

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High Quality Yarn: Gripping and Pacy

Erskine Childers famously showed some prescience with this tale of a dastardly plot to destabilise 1900's Britain.
it is read with a verve and skill that is the match of some beautiful writing and the characterisations are spot on and moves along with brio. I was more than happy to suspend disbelief as two plucky young men pitted their wits against a well resourced enemy amongst the sailing folk and shifting sands of the northern latitudes.

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A classic

I listened to this after watching the film, enjoyed them both although slightly dated.

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wow.....just wow

Humans used to be amazing...as exquisitely told in this beautiful story. Outstanding narration, thrilling plot and just the most glorious use of language, my husband and i really loved this book. Highly recommend. x

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Performance

Excellently read. Story is very slow, I would not have stayed with I if it had not been so beautifully performed.

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Brilliantly read

Brilliantly read by Anton Lesser. Intonation makes it interesting , subtle change in voices, no loud or over-egged gravelly voices- sublime - the best I’ve heard.

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3 people found this helpful