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The Amusements
- Narrated by: Dónall Ó Héallai, Clara Harte
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
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The Amusements
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
In the resort town of Tramore, County Waterford, visitors arrive in waves with the tourist season, reliving the best days of their childhoods at the seaside amusements. Local teenager Helen Grant is indifferent to the charm of her surroundings; infatuated with her glamorous classmate Stella Swaine, she yearns to escape with her to art college, and from there, the world. But leaving Tramore is easier said than done. With an alcoholic father and an unsympathetic mother, Helen's family life may shatter her dream, just when it seems to be within reach....
Following the Grant and Swaine families and their neighbours over three decades, The Amusements is an unforgettable story about roads taken and not taken. It is a brilliantly observed portrait of life in a small town.
Critic reviews
"THIS BOOK is EVERYTHING. The characters are painfully, beautifully real, the writing is IMPECCABLE...I LOVED it." (Marian Keyes)
"Unputdownable...one of the best novels of the year." (Sunday Independent)
"Flannery's flawed, hopeful characters live and grow on the page." (Anne Enright)
What listeners say about The Amusements
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-11-22
Connect to the characters
A well narrated collection of overlapping stories from a small Irish town. Very raw, witty descriptions that help us connect and understand the many characters of Tramore. Really enjoyed this book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Eamon
- 06-07-22
No real plot
A mis match of a number of slightly interlinked stories
But no real plot .
What was that about ?
Was my feeling at the end .
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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
- Keera
- 11-07-22
Beautifully and authentically Irish
As a former small town Ireland resident, this story cut almost too close to the bone! It has at the same time both made me yearn for home and rejoice at my leaving it. It took me a moment to cotton on to the format (it's a bit like a Tarrantino out of sequence narrative) but when I did, I loved the idea and the picture being assembled. It's the most accurate description of Irish small town life I've read. Loved the performance too, very natural and real.
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1 person found this helpful