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Black Dogs

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Black Dogs

By: Ian McEwan
Narrated by: Philip Franks
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About this listen

In 1946, June and Bernard set off on their honeymoon. Fired by their ideals and passion for one another, they had planned an idyllic holiday, but in France they witness an event that alters the course of their lives entirely.

Forty years on, their son-in-law is trying to uncover the cause of their estrangement and is led back to this moment on honeymoon and an experience of such darkness it was to wrench the couple apart.

©2018 Ian McEwan (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant  
Liked the historical background. Especially the fall of the Berlin Wall from spectators viewpoint. Great Way of narrating complex issues

Moving back and forth in time

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A semi biographical book based on a life changing experience, it is both thought provoking and insightful. Well worth listening to, read splendidly by Philip Franks.

Black Dogs by Ian McEwen

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Deep, disturbing book playing upon quite a few personal strings. Oscillating between giggles and shivers all the way. Echoes of his later books. Trademark crispy turn of phrase and "bomb drop" moment. Deserves listening-to twice over, to which I am proceeding. P.S. Brilliant narrator!

Among his best books

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it's a book that makes you think - very much showing not telling and pure enjoyment sits with working out the deeper meaning. The man is a genius..

don't miss this book!

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I’m quite a McEwan fan but just didn’t get on with this book. I wasn’t much taken with the narrator either

Not McEwan’s best

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For fans of Ian McEwan, this has the quality and intelligence you would expect. It's a slow, slightly odd narrative that unfolds carefully and thoughtfully without ever generating much feeling for the characters. I found the narrator uninspiring. With a better reader I might have given it 5 stars but as it was I found it rather forgettable.

Intelligent but forgettable

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Like many Ian McEwan novels this is a history of a lifetime but it turns on a single relatively short incident that will haunt those affected for the rest of their lives. If you enjoy his writing, and are up for a debate about whether the answers to life’s problems are to be found in science, politics, or meditation and spirituality, this book is for you. The performance is great too - I was spellbound.

Brilliant - and timely

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Good story
Good narration
Well constructed even though flipped from post war to the 1980s it never felt confusing

The black dog’s

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Again Ian McEwan brings to life characters and events while placing questions and conundrums that are devastating for the protagonists and the reader, like how can we pretend we know how to change the world when we can not fix the most familial of problems, do we recognize evil when we see it or do we pretend it is just history or a story.

The story of two lovers viewed from an angle that is unromantic at first glance but hides true love and the desperation of not having salvation. Two historical events that change Europe, two beliefs and two metaphors that grow out of this histories and out of the primordial evil of war and creed.

This book is literature that reverberates in the reader.

Metaphors that don't bark but rip your soul apart

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Quite a complex story so needs your full attention I found and speakers voice very staccato though I did eventually get use to it,

Attention

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