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The Porpoise

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The Porpoise

By: Mark Haddon
Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Porpoise, written by Mark Haddon, read by Tim McInnerny.

‘I really am so very, very sorry about this,’ he says, in an oddly formal voice… They strike the side of a grain silo. They are travelling at seventy miles per hour.

A newborn baby is the sole survivor of a terrifying plane crash.

She is raised in wealthy isolation by an overprotective father. She knows nothing of the rumours about a beautiful young woman, hidden from the world.

When a suitor visits, he understands far more than he should. Forced to run for his life, he escapes aboard The Porpoise, an assassin on his tail…

So begins a wild adventure of a novel, damp with salt spray, blood and tears. A novel that leaps from the modern era to ancient times; a novel that soars, and sails, and burns long and bright; a novel that almost drowns in grief yet swims ashore; in which pirates rampage, a princess wins a wrestler’s hand, and ghost women with lampreys’ teeth drag a man to hell – and in which the members of a shattered family, adrift in a violent world, journey towards a place called home.

©2019 Mark Haddon (P)2019 Penguin Audio Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Sea Adventures Adventure Pirate

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Critic reviews

Wondrous... a violent, all-action thrill ride shuttling between antiquity and the present... just downright brilliant... a transcendant, transporting experience... A helix, a mirror ball, a literary box of tricks… take your pick: this is a full-spectrum pleasure, mixing metafictional razzmatazz with pulse-racing action and a prose style to die for. I’ll be staggered if it’s not spoken of whenever prizes are mentioned this year (Anthony Cummins)
A beautifully rendered retelling…[and] a gripping novel that, despite its rollicking plot, never feels relentless, and is often very affecting indeed (Jon Day)
The extraordinary force and vividness of Haddon's prose ensure that The Porpoise reads [...] as a continually unfolding demonstration of the transporting power of stories... This is language that knows how to do things: sail a ship, make a gold buckle, negotiate the tides of the Thames. It's a stunningly effective combination of the quotidian and the mythic that pins impossibility to the page (Justine Jordan)
All stars
Most relevant  
I got recommended this book by a friend and we were talking about the myth and the play before I read it. That said by the end, the jumps between timelines are such an integral part of this specific story that I cannot imagine it being told in any other way.
The storytelling is very adventurous and keeps the reader tightly watching all that happens never revealing too much, even leaving the main characters nameless for a while if the atmosphere demands it. It also uses images and symbolism and makes them real in the sense that what the characters feel is as much reality as anything else, even if the reader is aware they are in a delusional state.
There is a lot of mirroring of realitionship and family ties, strengthened with said symbolism of a sea, a porpoise, a coffin, a deer, a storm.
My favourite parts are the ones that suddenly but completely soundly delve into very difficult themes of abuse and trauma by showing the characters figuring out their personal journey in the world. It's all very cleverly done, read the book. I listened to it three times in a row.

Thrilling imaginative adventure with a lot to say

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A story which spans past and present and interweaves Ancient Greece and present day day Europe.
Interesting story , well told but at times confusing.

Well written and told but confusing story

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This is my first book by Mark Haddon.
I found it strange, disturbing, confusing, compelling.
Tim McInnerny’s reading of it is superb. Faultless. Brilliant.

Beautiful prose. Beautifully read.

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I like a classical tale, but sometimes in those old stories the characters can be flat or the plots a bit too diagrammatic. I like an action thriller but often I lose sympathy with the main characters. This novel has it all - suspense, action, sympathy, a long rich weave of story. Must remember to read more by Mark Haddon

Magnificent

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The Porpoise is truly immersive. It's a transporting novel which demands your full attention... time slips and folds in an often dream-like way, but you're never left comfortable for long... episodes of action and violence punctuate the flow. By the close of the novel (and it's an unexpectedly emotional one) you're utterly engrossed, wishing it didn't have to end. This novel is a departure for Haddon, highly recommended & extremely powerful.

A Stunning Novel

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This is a compelling listen, taking you to different places and building over time. Loved it.

Compelling

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A very cleverly written book. Enjoyed every minute. Mark Haddon. Is a genius. I’ve just finished The Pier Falls and would recommend that too.

Amazing

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Chosen as a bookgroup book, The Porpoise might not be a book I would have chosen, I certainly didn’t have time to read it myself this month ... hence the beauty of having it read to one!
Tim McInnerny really brought alive Haddons story, a complex plot that moves backwards and forwards through centuries and destinations.
The description of Middle Eastern markets were particularly wonderful and evocative.
The best type of story, that leaves you wondering ...

Another gripping Audible listen!

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I never get tired of hearing the threads of these familiar stories woven together into new cloth. The quality of the writing is a sheer joy and the way in which the familiar tales are presented leads the listener/ reader into nevertheless hoping each twist and turn will lead to a happy ending. I've listened to this twice now and I still find myself listening almost as if for the first time..

Exquisite writing

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Overall this was an enjoyable story, told in two time periods with interlinked plot lines. The ancient Greek story which led to Shakespeare's Pericles is retold for a new age and it really works.

Great narration.

A new take on Pericles

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