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Nights at the Circus
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Summary
This Audible Exclusive recording of Angela Carter's iconic novel, Nights at the Circus, is brought to you by celebrated actress and voice artist, Adjoa Andoh. It is described by Carter herself as a 'psychedelic Dickens.'
A compelling and thought provoking novel which heralds a new age, we're introduced to the unique and mesmerizing character of Sophi Fevvers and her illustrious wings....
About the book
Said to be part woman, part swan, Sophi Fevvers stars in Colonel Kearney's Circus, beloved and admired by audiences all around Europe.
Courted by the Prince of Wales himself and fawned on by American journalist, Jack Walser, Sophi defies expectation by embarking on a journey of self-discovery, and taking the listener on an intoxicating trip around London, St Petersburg and Siberia.
One of Carter's most empowered female protagonists, Fevvers heralds a 'new Age in which no women will be bound down to the ground,' making this a timeless and wholly inspiring literary masterpiece.
About the author
Angela Carter was born in 1940, in Sussex. She grew up in the shabbily respectable south London district of Balham, the second child of an eccentric journalist father and a neurotic housewife mother.
She studied English at Bristol University before travelling extensively, teaching and writing numerous best-selling novels. They have all received considerable critical acclaim and remain firm favourites of modern English literature.
Angela was a devout feminist throughout her life, wrote for Spare Rib magazine and voted Labour. Her novels are wholly reflective of her world views and continue to inspire new generations of men and women worldwide.
About the narrator
Adjoa Andoh is a British film, television, stage and radio actress, best-known for her roles in Invictus, Doctor Who, Liar and National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
She is well versed in the art of narration and has voiced over 100 audiobooks, including Naomi Alderman's The Power, Marcus Chown's The Ascent of Gravity, Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Fiona Barton's The Child.
Adjoa has had many leading roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, The Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre, and she's acted in a production of Nights at the Circus.
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What listeners say about Nights at the Circus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Daniel
- 01-04-19
Amazing book, awful narration
How to ruin one amazing book? Book narration, it’s brazen with a Dick van Dyke Esk Cockney accent. All subtleties and delicacies of the book are lost to this dreadful performance
10 people found this helpful
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- Louisa
- 06-09-18
Fantastic
The narration was amazing, the best I've heard so far on audible. Adjoa was incredible, really incredible. I was so very sorry to finish the book and leave Fevvers and Lizzie. There are some very deep themes here I will be pondering for a long time to come. It all
seems to hang on the last sentence! I loved the story, the characters, the accents (esp. East London and Russian) and the themes of motherhood, loss, love, deception, magic, mysticism, animism and confidence! and will definitely be listening to it again.
8 people found this helpful
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- Maddy
- 11-12-20
Grating narration
I’ve liked other Angela Carter books and I’m sure I would like this with a different narrator. Her assumption of a coarse grating cockney for Feather’s voice is monotonous and jarring and after a few chapters became so tedious and exhausting I gave up. Her accents for other characters come and go - mostly go - after the first few sentences, which I could put up with had it not been for the strident narration which is so hard on the ears.
7 people found this helpful
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- Red Shoes
- 10-08-18
wondrrful
Adjoa Andoh perfectly captures Angela Carter's characters & imaginative narrative. A favourite novel beautifully read.
5 people found this helpful
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- Angela
- 20-08-20
Strong, sometimes wandering accents
Think the Italian london character changes to straight up cockney mid way. Really harsh accents all round plus mostly monologue makes it quite hard to listen to.
3 people found this helpful
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- Simon Morgan
- 09-11-21
Fantastic, mind expanding, magical realist romp
Fantastic, mind expanding, magical realist romp, read expertly by Adjoa Andoh who is a perfect match. The audio levels can sometimes be a bit high (probably a bit too close to the mic and slightly too sensitive processing) which sometimes makes it hard to find a comfortable volume for headphones. Brilliant stuff though.
1 person found this helpful
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- Miss Tulip
- 05-11-21
Very enjoyable and clever
Great listen. Thoroughly enjoyed the book even more so with superb narration! Adjoa Andoh is by far my favourite now.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 18-04-21
Adjoa Andoh is fantastic!
Adjoa Andoh is absolutely fantastic as narrator of Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus. A favourite book enhanced by Andoh’s performance. So good I started at the beginning again as soon as I finished my first listen. Highly, highly recommended.
1 person found this helpful
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- Miss A.
- 23-05-22
Great book great reading
I’ve always loved this book. Adjoa Andoh reads it fantastically as ever. Would definitely recommend.
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- jade corr
- 23-03-22
postmodern and very detailed
Great If you like postmodern stories. it was too much for me to keep enthused. but alot going on and entertaining.
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- Adrienne Lewis
- 19-04-21
acid trip
I've never done acid, but this book has to be the closest thing to an acid trip that I could imagine. The accents are very hard to understand and the story is just completely incomprehensible. I have no idea what I just listened to.
1 person found this helpful
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- Noelle
- 02-01-21
A magical, immersive experience
I originally read this book in 1996 and loved it. Enough time elapsed for me to forget the key details that made the retelling of the story just as precious as it first was. The characters’ voices were each distinct and matched them, and the only flaw I could find is that Walser’s accent was cartoonishly dopey. I feel his character could have done with a less comic voice. I loved this book in audio form just as much as in written form.
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- Christine Harper
- 28-12-20
Such a good story, such a GREAT narrator
The story itself, especially the lengthy monologue in the first part by the main character relating her life history, was fantastic. But the narrator managed to raise the level to enthralling, with her mesmerizing delivery and (please excuse my American ears) wonderful, varied accents.
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- Jason Raye
- 07-11-19
A Great and Intriguing Listen
The story is narrated in a range of voices and kept me interested. The story itself is hilarious and engaging, covering serious topics like sexism but from a tongue-in-cheek ironic perspective. I highly recommend it.