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Sweet Sorrow
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
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Sweet Sorrow
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Summary
One life-changing summer, Charlie meets Fran...David Nicholls’s highly anticipated new novel, narrated by Rory Kinnear.
In 1997, Charlie Lewis is the kind of boy you don't remember in the school photograph. His exams have not gone well. At home he is looking after his father, when surely it should be the other way round, and if he thinks about the future at all, it is with a kind of dread.
Then Fran Fisher bursts into his life and despite himself, Charlie begins to hope.
But if Charlie wants to be with Fran, he must take on a challenge that could lose him the respect of his friends and require him to become a different person. He must join the Company. And if the Company sounds like a cult, the truth is even more appalling.
The price of hope, it seems, is Shakespeare. Poignant, funny, enchanting, devastating, Sweet Sorrow is a tragicomedy about the rocky path to adulthood and the confusion of family life, a celebration of the reviving power of friendship and that brief, searing explosion of first love that can only be looked at directly after it has burned out.
Critic reviews
"Nicholls is fabulous on first love and Kinnear’s narration strikes the perfect balance between teenage defiance and vulnerability." (Daily Mail)
"Such a beautiful book. Captures perfectly a moment in time we've all experienced." (Graham Norton)
"He's such a genius. His novels are relatable and recognizable, but also surprising, breath-taking and life-enhancing." (Nina Stibbe)
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What listeners say about Sweet Sorrow
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 24-07-19
Simply superb.
I went last week to a launch of this book hosted by Bookish in Crickhowell. David Nicholls told his audience how he constructed this story and a little of his references. As it was a largely female audience (I was one of only three men), and as I hadn't read the book's cover notes, I asked David what turned out to be a naive question; Can you tell me what is in your book for the male reader? He was polite and gave an interesting and informative answer; now I have read the book I know what is in it for men and I cringe at the stupidity of my question. There is so much in it for men, so much for everyone.
The book is one of the most tender portrayals of a young man, growing up and experiencing difficulties whilst also encountering first love. I defy any reader to be unaffected by this story. Brilliant!
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56 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lovepoetry12
- 14-07-19
nostalgic and so well written
So beautifully put together, I found it very difficult to stop listening. Very funny and moving too. I feel like I could start from the beginning and enjoy it again. The narration is also fantastic and I'm really pleased I listened on audible for this reason.
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Waggy From Derby
- 25-07-19
a modern Romeo and Juliet.
loved it if you're a romantic like me, this is for you. and no mention of Brexit
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Christopher Hegan
- 17-12-19
Fundamentally flawed, but almost worth it for its best prose.
Sorry Mr Nichols but it doesn’t work. A character portrayed in his actions and dialogue as stiflingly unimaginative, dull, unambitious, diffident in company, who tells us his story, in the first person, with an astonishing gift for precise language and a gift for figures of speech that would make aspiring writers grind their teeth in envy. Lyrical prose in the mouth of a dolt? Sweet Sorrows is a deeply cracked bell that has beauty in spades but whose ring grates.
Rory Kinnears narration, if anything, deepens and aggravates the flaw. Virtually every word the protagonist speaks is dropped abruptly, apologetically, making sure we never forget how dull and unconfident he is supposed to be. Irritating stuff.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- George
- 18-09-19
A nearly-middle-aged Must
The reviews are mixed and I can understand some of the criticisms but overall I enjoyed this book very much. It’s not often I laugh out loud at a book but I often did with this story and it touched raw nerves I didn’t realise were so raw as well. I enjoyed the narration for the most part, occasionally finding it difficult to discern between Charlie & Fran being my only issue. I personally found it painfully relatable for lots of reasons, some parts went on a bit but generally speaking, a great book that I really recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrea
- 02-09-19
loved it
loved it, so sweet and touching. read amazingly well, will go back to this book at some point.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 04-09-19
Agonies and Ecstasies of youth
What a wonderful, moving, funny and well-observed book. I enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end. And Rory Kinnear's narration just adds the delicious icing to the cake. Don't hesitate - if you want a deeply enjoyable and very British coming-of-age story that will make you laugh and sigh, and still resonate with you days later - you've found it...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joanne Maidens
- 07-09-19
Loved this book!
Loved this book. I loved the writing, I loved the narration. I loved how Charlie Lewis shared his story....highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ray
- 02-09-19
Outstanding
Torn between wanting to know what happens, and not wanting it to end. And now I know.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs B
- 20-01-20
One of his best
A truly beautiful, poignant story about love. Nicholls has done it again.
Really enjoyed it, and the narrator was superb. One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened too.
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1 person found this helpful