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Snobs
- Narrated by: Richard Morant
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
'Fellowes doesn't try to hide his love of the funny, sealed, above-stairs world of dukes, duchesses, marquesses, nursery maids, herbaceous borders and breakfast kedgeree, all of which makes Snobs such a good, fresh read.' (Daily Telegraph)
Edith Lavery is a woman on the make. The attractive only child of a middle-class accountant, she leaves behind her dull job in a Chelsea estate agents and manages to bag one of the most eligible bachelors of the day: Charles Broughton, heir to the Marquess of Uckfield. But is life amongst the upper echelons of 'good' society all that it seems? Edith soon discovers there's much more to the aristocracy than dancing in Anabel's, shooting small birds and understanding which fork to use at dinner. And then there is Charles's mother, the indomitable Lady Uckfield, or 'Googie' to her friends, who is none too pleased with her son's choice of breeding partner.
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What listeners say about Snobs
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Maureen
- 29-06-17
loved it
Started off a bit slow, but once the story kicked in I loved it. Great characters.
6 people found this helpful
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- Veracal
- 10-05-17
Well narrated froth
Any additional comments?
The narrator (a middle class actor who marries an upper class girl) spends a great deal of time giving the reader a social commentary on the manners, morals and general belief system of the English upper classes. This seems to be the focus of the novel, and may explain why the plot and characters are pretty thin.
Characters: Edith, the heroine, is a shallow, vacillating social climber, as bland and uninteresting as a paper bag. The narrator gives away too little of himself to engage the reader in any particular interest in his welfare. Some of the more minor characters are interesting, though, including Caroline, Adler and Lady Uckfield (Julian Fellowes does seem to have a particular genius for drawing dragon-like dames who prove to have more to them than meets the eye!)
Plot: the plot promises more than it delivers. The story has lots of potential. Modern day social climber catches earl then regrets her choice (but will she whistle him down the wind or not, in the end?). Fine, as far as it goes, but it never went further. Fans of Downton Abbey or Belgravia, used to interesting (not to say improbable!) twists of fate, may well be disappointed by the thinness of the plot.
It's easy to pick holes in Snobs. Yet, I finished listening to it and would even say that I enjoyed it. At the end of the day, what saves Snobs from being a dead bore is that Julian Fellowes is an elegant and entertaining writer. He can make his plot thin, and his characters cardboard, and somehow his book is still entertaining. Maybe that is an art in itself.
Richard Mourant narrates beautifully, so if you have already read the book and liked it, then go for it! If you haven't read it, and this review doesn't put you off, then go for it too!
8 people found this helpful
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- balzar
- 15-09-18
Really most entertaining
This was a really fun read. The portrait of British aristocracy and upper class was fascinating - and seemed quite accurate from what I have seen over the years.
The story was quite interesting and quite life-like but also quite satirical.
I have also read the other Fellows book, Imperfect Past, which is equally good
2 people found this helpful
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- rebecca
- 15-03-17
Complicated start to a good book
Took me a few attempts to start this book, as it was a bit complicated with all the different names of people. But once I got stuck in I was hooked. Great book, great narrative and good story
2 people found this helpful
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- Crafty Home Bird
- 20-09-20
Fabulous couldn’t switch it off
I love Julian Fellowes but was dubious about this one. Once I clicked play I couldn’t stop it. Brilliant
1 person found this helpful
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- Mrs.C.J.Ashley-Miller
- 16-05-18
A pity
A pity that the reader was not taught how to pronounce names like Leveson Gower or Aristocrats
1 person found this helpful
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- Andy
- 01-12-13
endured rather than enjoyed
What would have made Snobs better?
If the story has got going before the many sideline explanations of the upper classes began.
Would you ever listen to anything by Julian Fellowes again?
Not sure, love Downton Abbey but this is my second novel by him and both were hard to pull the story out of.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Yes
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Irritation - it took ages before I knew who and what it was about.
Any additional comments?
I persevered and suddenly at the end the story came through and I almost cared what happened so I did complete it. In some ways it reminded me of that little Britain sketch about Barbara Cartland having to write a certain number of words so padding it out with irrelevancies. If I had got into the story from the beginning I think that I would have liked the upper class explanations but as it was I just kept thinking 'get on with it'.
5 people found this helpful
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- Flora
- 10-01-21
Selfish main character and boring overall
What else can I say about this book?
The heroine is an awfully selfish, shallow and spoiled woman and her husband is a spineless dimwit!
Not much characters building at all to even have characters development.
In the end, I was left wondering what was the point of the whole book.
The only redeeming part is Richard Morant, whose performance helped me get through this irritating boredom fest!
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- maria giovanna cattaneo
- 26-11-20
Fun story!
A really Fun story to listen to and nice insight in English aristocracy!
Definitely recommended
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- rtillard
- 26-10-20
very enjoyable book
I have never watch Downton Abbey but I really enjoyed this book the author has very good perception of the characters he is writing about
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- Stella
- 11-06-12
Interesting perspective but ........a little dull
I bought this based on the reviews that I read. I was expecting more of a story but it seemed like a fairly repetitive description of upper class Britain, with a few characters thrown into a very predictable plot to fill out all the observations, Informative but not really my cup of (English Breakfast) tea.
1 person found this helpful
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- Alison Harper
- 18-12-18
the best narrator
this narrator turns what is a kind of silly story into a gripping narrative. the characters' speeches and thoughts stay with you because of the way they're voiced
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- Moonglotexas
- 12-07-13
Fabulous writing and interesting perspective
What did you love best about Snobs?
The writing, Julian's style is a joy and so enjoyable. Captivating and transporting!
What other book might you compare Snobs to and why?
Much like the script of Downton Abbey, the writing style remains. The more contemporary setting though allows for a different and interesting read
What does Richard Morant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I found his voice and phrasing whipped my mind away into the book, transporting me from my own life and making me feel empathetic to characters whose behaviour may not have naturally encouraged that from me.
Who was the most memorable character of Snobs and why?
This novel works because of its broad cast, to remove those whose behaviour you liked less would dissemble the plot
Any additional comments?
Thoroughly enjoyable, I will continue to listen to his books in the future
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- kiwimum
- 05-05-12
Interesting and Fun
The author of Downton Abbey cannot fail to bring an intriguing, scandal-ridden story. The narration of this book is supurb which allows you to be drawn in to the characters and the plot of the story. It is a modern-day Edwardian tale, with an intriguing insight into the British class system. It has big houses, aristocrats and the middle-class wannabes all tied in to this light, amusing, slightly different take on the average romance novel. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you are wanting something entertaining and not too heavy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars for the story, is that I found it a little predictable - but that could just be me!