Linguistic imperialism

This is an astonishing book in every respect. The story is gripping, the characters multifaceted, the language glorious. How bitterly ironic that the theme of suppression of the Irish by English authorities is mirrored by the producers choice of an English actor to mangle the Irish language that is part of the narrative of this book. This recording cannot be said to be unabridged: The portion of the printed text that appears in the Irish language, whether written in English or Irish spellings, is absent. That is nothing short of a betrayal of the author and the readers

27 people found this helpful

Bad reader

A wonderful piece of writing
Wish I had read it
The reader was abysmal
Pronunciation of Gaelic and Irish towns dreadful
I guess he was trying to be West Briton but got in the way

14 people found this helpful

Gave up due to terrible Irish accents

A wonderful book ruined by the narrator’s dreadful attempts at Irish voices. I will buy the book to read for myself. Why didn’t they find a native Irish narrator?

9 people found this helpful

Brilliant story, superbly written...

But almost destroyed by the poverty of the narration. Is it so hard to find out how to pronounce place names? Don't care where you're from, just do your research.

But another superb story from Joseph O'Connor. Audible should be accessing some of his earlier work too, it's a shame they are not available.

5 people found this helpful

A fantastic story but strange choice of narrator

I read this book years ago and loved it so really enjoyed reliving it. It's such a well constructed and beautifully written story, and really touches on the complexities of the famine. I do think it's bizarre that they chose an English person to narrate it though! The Irish accents he put on were usually decent but at times teetered on offensive. He only knows one accent so he wasn't able to do a Dublin or Northern Irish accent when needed. There was also a lot of Irish place names and bits of Irish language in the book, much of which was totally butchered. Wasn't there anyone Irish in the production? Why not get an Irish person to narrate, who could easily do the various accents, pronounce places and the language properly, and is perfectly capable of doing a standard "aristocratic English" accent if needed? It didn't totally spoil it, but it was confusing at times, and strange that in a story about British imperialism and its impact on Ireland, they had an English man tell it.

1 person found this helpful

Captivating

A must listen for all those who live historical fiction. One of my top five listens.

1 person found this helpful

Relentlessly heartbreaking but outstanding!

The reader, Peter Marinker, fully understands this writer who offers a compelling account of the lives of migrants fleeing hardship and famine in Ireland in 1847, as passengers on board a ship bound for New York. Joseph O'Connor is the complete story teller who draws you into the lives of characters so real you weep for them, with all their flaws and failings, strengths and hopes for a life of safety and dignity. Highly recommended!

Enjoyable

I thought this was an enjoyable read with lots of interesting threads to it. I feel like it's been done before, but worth a listen.

fantastic

Best book I have listened to in years. History, crime, culture, suspense all in abundance

An unforgettable , engaging listen

Great story, superbly narrated. It gives insights into harsh and tragic history of Irish famine.