Lovely version

One of my favourite Heyer novels read beautifully. The narrator gets the tone and accents just right. I recommend this very much.

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1 person found this helpful

Really good narrator

What a wild story. I couldn’t help but get frustrated with Deb with her wild decisions. But such a lovely romantic tale in the end with a lovely voice actor who made the story.

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Excellent narration, much better than prev version

I love this book and was really disappointed in the first audible version I purchased on this site. I kept it, in case it grew on me, but it did not.
I was very pleased to see this was being re-recorded by a different narrator. She does an excellent job.
The abuse the lead characters throw at each other and the feelings each felt were entirely lost in the last version. This narrator, takes her time to emphasise every word and insult, plus expresses emotions and feelings as they go up and down in this extremely entertaining story. Heyer at her best, and the narrator is well up to the job. Enjoy the listen. I did.

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2 people found this helpful

wonderful!

A Heyer version of Pride and Prejudice. It is funny, has a spirited heroine, lots of lovely characters. I would say top drawer Heyer. The narrator understands the book and seems to really enjoy acting it out. It's a historical rom com. Fabulous!

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2 people found this helpful

Good narration with a few oddities

I love this Georgette Heyer story and the narrator generally does a good job although I think she could make Deb a bit more fiery in places - also for some reason Lucius Kennett is played as a cockney rather than the Irish captain that he is. This sounds a bit odd as the language is unchanged. All in all really enjoyed it though

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3 people found this helpful

Witty

I have always enjoyed Georgette Heyer books and this was no exception. However the narration was at times quite irritating and for me the narrator missed the very clever humour and interchange on numerous occasions. It was as if the listener was not able to appreciate the humour without very exaggerated speech!

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1 person found this helpful

Classic Heyer, slightly marred by the ignorance of the performance

It’s a shame that Penguin don’t make more efforts to find readers who understand Heyer’s novels. The new recordings clearly seek to cash in on Regency mania, but neither performers nor production staff seem to know the material or the period.

Not only do all kinds of phrases, sayings and figures of speech get garbled by an uncomprehending reader but whole characters are woefully misrepresented.

A glaring example: how on earth did no one involved in this particular recording not pick up that Lucius Kennett is Irish? And how did no one realise that giving him a working class cockney accent was wrong on every level?

Reading an author like Heyer requires far more than mere diction. Expression can only come through understanding and these books deserve better!

No slight meant on that reader’s acting ability or clarity of diction etc which are both excellent. But she clearly doesn’t understand the material and that is a real shame.

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4 people found this helpful

A most enjoyable listen and a delightful story

I have read all the reviews and agree that while generally good Daphne Kouma sometimes reads with a lack of understanding of the text with odd pauses in the middle of sentences and the wrong emphasis. Surely those sections could be re recorded. These however only slightly mar what is a very lively and enjoyable telling of quite an unusual Heyer story. The historical details like the household expenses of the gaming house are fascinating and obviously well researched by Heyer who prided herself on the accuracy of the historical background in her novels. As to Lucius Kennet I would rather have no Irish accent than a bad one.

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3 people found this helpful

One of the best 3

This is one of the best 3 Heyer books I have listened to. Great story and I thought the narrator was wonderful.

Lewis

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Loved it

I've seen a few reviews about the narrator's pronunciations,and, yes, there are errors, but she reads the story well and with pace, and most of her character voices are spot on. Overall very enjoyable. The story is, of course, the usual masterpiece from Heyer, she just writes so well and even her minor characters are charming. I would advise the narrator not to attempt an Irish accent again, though the other voices were excellent.

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1 person found this helpful