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A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 23 hrs and 12 mins
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A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement
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Summary
Anthony Powell's universally acclaimed epic encompasses a four-volume panorama of twentieth century London. Hailed by Time as "brilliant literary comedy as well as a brilliant sketch of the times," A Dance to the Music of Time opens just after World War I. Amid the fever of the 1920s and the first chill of the 1930s, Nick Jenkins and his friends confront sex, society, business, and art.
In the second volume they move to London in a whirl of marriage and adulteries, fashions and frivolities, personal triumphs and failures. These books "provide an unsurpassed picture, at once gay and melancholy, of social and artistic life in Britain between the wars" (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.).
The third volume follows Nick into army life and evokes London during the blitz. In the climactic final volume, England has won the war and must now count the losses. In this climactic volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, Nick Jenkins describes a world of ambition, intrigue, and dissolution. England has won the war, but now the losses, physical and moral, must be counted. Pamela Widmerpool sets a snare for the young writer Trapnel, while her husband suffers private agony and public humiliation. Set against a background of politics, business, high society, and the counterculture in England and Europe, this magnificent work of art sounds an unforgettable requiem for an age.
As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Anthony Powell's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Charles McGrath about the life and work of Anthony Powell – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daedalion
- 16-09-21
Well worth the listen
I have read the twelve novels twice so this was my third encounter, an encounter which proved to be one of great pleasure.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Barbie
- 08-11-17
Wonderful read
His prose is rich and wonderful, nothing quite like it in the English literary school of the twentieth century. The additional commentary is very interesting too. Simon Vance is an incredible narrator - he brings the characters to life, and there are a large pantheon of those! Couldn't recommend this series more highly
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Beachcomber
- 17-11-20
A terrific Movement but not the Best
Another excellent Movement but not as good as the Third which is the best of the lot. However the Four Movements taken as a whole are totally captivating and deserve Five Stars.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- taylor
- 28-02-23
Wonderful
I have really enjoyed this series of books, the author is witty and brings his caricature’s to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- blitzjoker
- 03-07-17
Superb books and magnificent performance
If you could sum up A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement in three words, what would they be?
Simon Vance has done a superb performance of all twelve novels, a true tour de force. Not simply reading the book, he creates a voice and performance for all of the myriad characters in this terrific sequence of novels.
What other book might you compare A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement to, and why?
He has the wit of Evelyn Waugh and Vladimir Nabokov in exploring the complexity and absurdity of human relationships. Thrown in with that are comedic sequences that Wodehouse would be proud of.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The scene in around book 3 I think where Widmerpool and Jenkins put a drunken Stringham to bed. Wodehouse with pathos.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Lots of laughter, and plenty of sad scenes too, as one 'season' of the book (3 novels) is devoted to the second world war.
Any additional comments?
I listened to the sequence of 12 books over three months or so. It was designed to imitate the passage of time in the narrator's life, and the comings and goings of people in it across around 60 years. There is no other book like it as far as I know in the English language.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Survivor
- 16-12-21
One of the great works of fiction
I feel like I've been on a long journey with Powell, the beginning was a little slow, but gosh what a brilliant book. Its a work of supreme pathos, he has an eye for characterisation that cannot be bettered, and it's a wonderfully subtle, yet succeeds of creeping up on you. A tour de force.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-03-22
A classic of its time but flawed ( and long!)
Charting the lives, loves and style of his generation and social class from after the First World War to the 1970s it is lusciously written prose ( occasionally annoyingly so). The characters come and go so the absence of a written dramatis personae with the audio book makes it difficult at times to recall events and personalities but persistence is rewarded. There is a cycle to everything much as in the Poussin painting from which the title comes ( although it is a different artwork that concludes the story).
The later books are less well composed and a bit of a slog. The narrator does his best to master and differentiate the different characters but I think a bit of variety with others reading certain parts would have helped to break the inevitable monotony of tone over a 12 volume work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- T H Monteith
- 29-01-21
Wonderful company
It’s a bit like being at a glittering cocktail party with the added bonus you can actually hear the conversation. Have taken all these characters along on many a lockdown walk
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Roderic
- 26-01-14
Excellent but less satisfying that the first three
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It rounds off a magnificent work of 'documentary' fiction.
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
Vance's performance has been wonderful and steady through the whole of Powell's huge work. The narrative voice of Nick Jenkins has been dry, almost aloof, and terribly funny.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr S F J
- 29-04-20
Inspiring, with wonderful characters
Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I could have listened to more. Excellent narration.
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