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The Spell

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The Spell

By: Alan Hollinghurst
Narrated by: Ben Allen
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About this listen

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Line of Beauty.

The Spell is a comedy of sexual manners that follows the interlocking affairs of four men: Robin, an architect in his late forties, who is trying to build an idyllic life in Dorset with his younger lover, Justin; Robin's twenty-two year old son Danny, a volatile beauty who lives for clubbing and casual sex; and the shy Alex, who is Justin's ex-boyfriend.

As each in turn falls under the spell of romance or drugs, country living or rough trade, a richly ironic picture emerges of the clashing imperatives of modern gay life. At once lyrical, sceptical and romantic, The Spell confirms Alan Hollinghurst as one of Britain's most important novelists.

©1999 Alan Hollinghurst (P)2018 Macmillan Digital Audio
Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural Fiction Witty
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What listeners say about The Spell

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay story

Not one of his best in my view. None of the characters are that sympathetic.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

For a comedy it's rather depressing

I'm not sure if it was the somber narration or the story depressing me. The characters were colorful but unable to express themselves or imagine a future. In fact it's about four lonely drifters.

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

A idyll c look on gay life

A pleasant story, full of very sexy characters. Melancholy in places, quite amusing in other places.

The story is quite languid in feel which makes it a more gentle experience rather than many of highly charged literature of today.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Excellently written and read

The narrator was superb. Hollinghurst’s use of simile and description is masterful.
The characters were superbly rounded and easily identified one from the other. Both Dorset and London are vividly brought to life- the sights, the sounds, the light, the smells all brilliantly put to paper.

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