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  • Behind the Scenes at the Museum

  • By: Kate Atkinson
  • Narrated by: Diana Quick
  • Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)
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Behind the Scenes at the Museum cover art

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Diana Quick
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Summary

Ruby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D-cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but here she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patrica aged five, greedy cross-patch Gillian who refused to be ignored, and Ruby....

Ruby tells the story of The Family, from the day at the end of the 19th century when a travelling French photographer catches frail beautiful Alice and her children, like flowers in amber, to the startling, witty, and memorable events of Ruby's own life.

©1995 Kate Atkinson (P)2009 Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about Behind the Scenes at the Museum

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Abridged too much - DON'T get the Audible version

The book itself was well-written and interesting, but the Audible version is rushed and incomplete. The reader was very good.

I didn't realise I had ordered an abridged version, which was my fault, but it was abridged to maybe 10% of the book. That is outrageous. Having listened to this snippet, I don't really want to buy the whole book as well. This means I'm very ill-prepared for the discussion our book club will have over it.

I think if something is abridged then Audible should say just how much of the book is in their version.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed more than expected - it grows on you

I want sure whether I would like this book when I first started it. I did find it hard to keep up at times as it switched between different times and people and the audible version doesn’t have much of a way-finder to help you. Me and my mum read this for a book club. We compared the book version she read to the audible version I listened to as the audible version is abridged. I think that it may have been better if the full version was available but then again it may have been more confusing.
At some point in the middle of the book I went from beating it to actually enjoying it. I was a bit baffled by how often the times people had sex in public, is this something that is common that I’ve missed in life? 😆

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sheer Delight

Drawn immediately into the ordinary lives of a panoply of people who give us cause to reflect on life, its meanings and its outcomes. so much humour and pathos. More Kate Atkinson for me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Where does Behind the Scenes at the Museum rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think this is so well written and really evocative of the fifties which is when I was born. Diana Quick narrates this so well. I debated which version to buy as there is also one narrated by Susan Jameson which is much longer and I can't work out why as both versions were unabridged.

What did you like best about this story?

An interesting story with twists and turns to keep surprising you and a story really well told.

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

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were moments that moved me but not one in particular

Any additional comments?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sad & funny truly wonderful

I've read the book before and had forgotten how truly beautifully it had been written I listened to it walking my dogs and got loat in the intricate characters a must read

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a great author, beautifully read.

Diana Quick has captured every nuance of the terrific writing of Kate Atkinson. I have read Atkinson's books, but Diana Quick brings the writing to glorious life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Behind the scenes at the museum

A lovely book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator is excellent and brings the story to life. If you ever lived in Yorkshire (I did) then it brings back memories.

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