An escape into rural France

The narration is skilled but Bruno sounds like an old man not a fellow who is just 40 and this spoils it for me. He sounds like a Dixon of Fock Green rather than a Bergerac.
Attitudes towards women seem a little dated in this novel. However, I am enjoying the rural France aspect of this novel and it is informative about French the wine industry.

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Bruno, our underestimated hero

Narration by Bill Wallis much appreciated. The first book's reader made pronunciation errors and didn't seem to understand French culture, but the later books suffer even more, from a narrator who adopts comic French (and Scots) voices for most characters. The cocacolonisation of the French wine industry is at the centre of the plot, mass production, plus, possibly, maybe, some insecure jobs. Trust no one except God and your dog, Bruno!

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Wonderful characters

This has the making of a great series - cozy but not too cozy. Gentle and very French.

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Excellent and gentle

I love listening to these books. The words evoke pictures of life lived well. The descriptions of the countryside, the food and the wines are so carefully crafted as to be almost a tactile experience.

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1 person found this helpful

An unfortunate mismatch

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

Martin Walker's books adapt well to audio, but in this case the print version is far superior.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bruno is a thoroughly endearing character, with interesting hints of a difficult start in life but a deep devotion to the part of France where he now makes his home. The book is set in France, and Martin Walker brings to life the traditions and pleasures that really are still there after the tourists have gone home. But the picture of the friendly, familiar local copper also draws on a long and esteemed tradition including Dixon of Dock Green, Barnaby and Lewis---although the British-type nature of the character only occurred to me when I heard this reading.

Would you be willing to try another one of Bill Wallis’s performances?

Bill Wallis reads well, with good pace and clear diction, but he is an unhappy choice for this particular character. Bruno is meant to be a youngish (40-ish) French policeman; Bill Wallis makes him sound very much like Wexford--an elderly Englishman. Regional accents too draw on various unidentified bits of the UK; and the ladies' voices all sound like querulous old women. Finally, his French pronunciation can be quite distracting: Perigueux, the capital city of the Perigord, is pronounced with 3 syllables ---per-i-gueux, not 4--- per-i-fu-eux. The second 'u' is not pronounced, its only purpose being to harden the 'g'.Bill Wallis is an accomplished reader, and in something like Dickens or Trollope he would be magnificent. He is just an unfortunate mismatch for this particular book.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This is a gentle detective story, without lots of violence and gore, but with an original plot that draws on Martin Walker's knowledge of this specific and very beautiful part of France.

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5 people found this helpful

Brilliant !

Great entertaining writin from Martin Walker with absolutely fabulous narration from Bill Wallis.

You actually feel like you are there, great characters with a cracking story line, you know when you've picked a good one when you actually feel like you're there !

Really looking forward to the next one !

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2 people found this helpful

Excellent tale

A really good story, believable characters and plotline. I was reminded of Maigret, perhaps its the French location, I enjoyed that. I think it unfortunate that the narrator, although so very good, sounds elderly, not the 30-something main character whose voice this book embodies. Nevertheless, recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

nit bad

shades of Montalbano, which is a good thing,I'll probably try some more Bruno in the future.

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Great plot and characters but narrator too old

Why does Audible keep doing this? Complete mismatch of age of narrator to age of main character? Really disappointing

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant narrator

Loved how the narrator brought the essence of Bruno to life with this portrayal- the storyline is a relaxing, thriller-type, ‘easy’ entertainment. A little too predictable at times but still very well worth the ‘escape‘ from reality. Might also make a lovely holiday read!
Many thanks, escapism in its truest form!

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1 person found this helpful