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Someone at a Distance
- Narrated by: Susan Wooldridge
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
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Someone at a Distance
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Summary
The audiobook of Someone at a Distance is a Ducks in a Row production read by Susan Wooldridge and produced by Claire Cordier.
'A very good novel indeed about the fragility and also the tenacity of love' wrote the Spectator about this 1953 novel by Dorothy Whipple, which was ignored 50 years ago because 'editors are going mad for action and passion' (as she was told by her publisher). But this last novel by a writer whose books had previously been best sellers is outstandingly good by any standards.
Apparently 'a fairly ordinary tale about the destruction of a happy marriage' (Nina Bawden in the Preface) yet 'it makes compulsive reading' in its description of an ordinary family ('Ellen was that unfashionable creature, a happy housewife') struck by disaster when the husband, in a moment of weak, mid-life vanity, runs off with a French girl.
Dorothy Whipple is a superb stylist, with a calm intelligence in the tradition of Mrs Gaskell (both wrote in the Midlands and had similar preoccupations). 'The prose is simple, the psychology spot on' said the Telegraph and John Sandoe Books commented: 'We have all delighted in this unjustly forgotten novel; it is well written and compelling.'
Critic reviews
"Frailty, folly and the fragility of love are brilliantly explored in Whipple’s perfect engrossing deckchair read." (Val Hennessy, Daily Mail)
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What listeners say about Someone at a Distance
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- J M Curtis
- 04-06-23
Very powerful
This book is superbly written and narrated. Set in the early fifties some of the attitudes inevitably seem very old-fashioned but interestingly it is the French class system, rather than the too predictable English one, that is the main driver of the plot. The only part I disliked was the final scene but I don’t want to include a plot spoiler.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-06-22
nothing amazing. not recommended 😕
Story was OK.
selfish people who get lucky. yuck
poor parents lead to poor husbands and wives who hurt others.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M. Chamberlain
- 12-12-23
What a satisfying plot, beautifully written and narrated.
This story has everything you look for in a cautionary tale. It is quite old fashioned but in a good way, I loved the characters and the settings, I empathised with everybody and loved listening to the warm voice of the narrator. Thank you Persephone Books for reviving another masterpiece.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 08-02-23
Surprisingly good
This is the first time I have read or listened to this author. The gentle tone of the book was a pleasure even though it deals with relationship difficulties in a candid way. I hope that further audio books by this author are made available.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- marie Fenton
- 22-11-22
excellent story , insightful,compassionate ,
excellent story, reflects authors profound insight into psychology of family life, capacity for moral courage snd forgiveness amid fragility of marriage. uplifting, well narrated ,thoroughly enjoyable listen .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-06-22
Absolutely brilliant
I can’t help but echo the reviewer whose headline reads “undiscovered brilliance.” It certainly is. I came across Dorothy Whipple years ago when I used to be on a mailing list of Persephone Books. After reading “Someone at a Distance” I went on to read her other books and I only hope Audible add recordings of these too. Susan Wooldridges’s narration was perfect for the book, especially her French accents. (Watch out for the character with the speech impediment where she pulls off both the accent and the lisp)! Great stuff.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-12-22
This book is a treasure.
Listening to this book was pure pleasure. I wish more of Dorothy Whipple’s books were available on Audible.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Valerie Kennett
- 02-12-23
A mid 20th Century Anthony Trollop.
What a perceptive writer on narcissism & the strengths & weaknesses of human nature.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book & didn’t want it to end.
I do hope audible record more from this author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Maureen
- 29-01-24
A New Literary Scarlett O'Hara to Hate
Great page turner(so to speak!), with the most despicable anti-heroine since Miss Scarlett. (Though I realise that the selfish, shallow and self-centered French demoiselle Louise Lanier was created over half a century ago, she is new to me and will be to many others.) Other delightful characters include the help ladies with sharp tongues, a wise and compassionate girl's headteacher, an absolutely pathetic and hapless Englishman in way over his head, and a charming pussycat. Highly recommended if you quite enjoy this type of Very English domestic drama, as I do.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- CMF
- 02-03-24
Terrific book, beautifully read
This story of the breaking up of a happy family is sensitively told and so well written, all the characters well rounded and a promise of redemption at the end.
The reading by Susan Wooldrich is brilliant, adding so much to the whole.
Dorothy Whipple is a perceptive and excellent writer, a very happy discovery. I really hope Audible will
commission the same reader for more of her books.
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