Enjoyed it

Overall I enjoyed the audiobook and the story as have an interest in this period of history and it is a good story. However if I’m nit picking then I thought the female characters were a bit wet and could have been developed more and the narrator was great but he can’t really play female voices that well, they all sounded rather camp.

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fabulous story, fabulously narrated

A wonderful blend of political intrigue, class inequalities, and passionate love when coming of age and companionate love when aging. Armitage does a superb narration and has a surprising array of voices and accents for both genders.

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Great Read! Great Reader!

This was an enjoyable read. A book set pre WWI is not usually my novel of choice but my lack of familiarity gave me some interesting insights into both historical characters and political situations. I found it a 'page-turner' and it bowled along at a cracking pace, culminating in a great set piece which I could easily envisage because Ken Follett writes well and in exciting detail. My great-great aunt was a suffragette and so I enjoyed meeting Mrs Pankhurst, listening in on her speeches and learning about the maltreatment of the marchers and protestors. KF has us sympathising with all his characters - even the villain - because we see the world through their eyes. A satisfying ending.

The reader, Richard Armitage, was so good that I found myself binge-listening in one weekend. He has a superb voice and does some lovely accents - various cultured upper-class ones, including a youngish Winston Churchill, Cockney, Russian, Irish, Northern. Even his teenage girls sound right. I have a feeling that his reading has made the book seem better than it actually is but I shall give it 5 stars nevertheless because of the enjoyability factor.

Recommended.

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31 people found this helpful

Exalant

What an exiting story magnificently told by Richard Armitage .Right from the beginning to the end l couldn't put it down .

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Classic story.

A book I'd often heard of but never got around to read. I'm glad, it's a brilliant story especially in the audio version. What makes it so good is the narrator. Excellently performed, I recommend this for anyone who likes a classic tale. 5 star's all round.

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My 1st Ken Follerr but not my last

Really enjoyed this book, excellent story and tension throughout, at times I was shouting at some of the characters, must be a good sign!

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Recommend

I wanted to listen to this book all the time until it was finished. Good plot, good pace and excellently narrated.

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What a Great Story

I rattled through this story and found it hugely enjoyable and entertaining. I suspect that Ken Follett must have done a lot of research about the events leading up to the Great War and the Suffragette and the Russian anarchist movements before setting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard.) It certainly made for an informative read.

The story is set against the backdrop of the political situation in Europe prior to the First World War and the involvement of Winston Churchill in both the political struggle of the Suffragettes and also the British government's pre-war negotiations with Tsar Nicholas. An aristocrat and ex-politician, the Earl of Walden, is persuaded by Churchill to negotiate with the Tsar's favourite nephew Alexei in order to achieve an Anglo-French-Russian alliance against the re-arming German government. The Earl's wife, Lydia, is Russian and the Tsar's nephew also happens to be her cousin, so all seems set fair for an uneventful negotiation.

But Lydia has a secret past which is unknown to the Earl and their spirited daughter Charlotte develops a keen interest in Votes for Women and social justice when she witnesses a scandalous declaration of support for imprisoned Suffragettes during a debutante presentation ceremony at Court.

Lydia's past life in St.Petersburg comes to haunt her and the Walden family when Feliks, an anarchist sent to kill Alexei and provoke revolution in Russia, discovers her connection to the negotiations and her role in his personal and political misfortunes in the intervening years since they last met. Charlotte, in her burgeoning desire to bring about change within her privileged life and equality within society, becomes embroiled with Feliks and the scene is set for heartbreaking discoveries, fear of discovery, terrorist acts and a shocking conclusion

This was a well-plotted and beautifully characterised novel, told in a sympathetic and spell-binding voice. Richard Armitage, the narrator, has a fantastic range of voices for the male and female characters and it was deeply satisfying to sit back and listen to the story in huge chunks. Just lovely. Top marks on the narration.

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13 people found this helpful

Great story and wonderful narration

The story was enjoyable and a good length to keep the plot moving swiftly. The expert narration made it extra special.

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Exciting story beautifully read

Very well read. Richard Armitage is so good at all the voices that you forget it's just him. I enjoyed the story although it is rather far fetched. Just go with it and you'll really enjoy it.

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