Could not gets to grips with story

I struggled with it the narrator and was good that is why I finished the story

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Spectacular narration

I doubt I could have managed this book in print alone; but I might buy it for further study now having understood and enjoyed much of the text due to the spectacular narrration.

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A story of obsession, faith and madness

Brilliantly acted by Dominic Cumberbatch, this is a story of one man's descent into madness. Not the easiest of listens, nor the most entertaining, it is nevertheless an interesting example of William Golding's work.

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Great

Really enjoyed this,being a Salisbury boy .Ben does the voices really well .going to listen again

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Treat yourself...an audio masterpiece

Loved the novel.
Reconstructed here with a master-builder of a narrator: all the power and pathos and light and shade. A masterclass in worship, an expose of hubris and a treat for the ears.

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as a stonemasonry I was unconvinced

A really well read and write book however as a stonemasonry I just didn't buy into the characters. The Dean and the master builder would have been the very best of the best in this book they both came across as rather dim. some of the terminology is odd too. The authors talks about the stair wells or spiral stairs as corkscrew stairs case. it doesn't take a historian to understand that corkscrews were not invented until much later than 14th century.
Not really what I hoped for I wouldn't recommend it.

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Got the hamming up it deserves

This may be a classic; certainly Golding got the Nobel prize but this work could and should have been abridged. The text is an open invitation not just to hamming up but to caricature.

The theme and symbolism are clear enough but the disintegration of the egregious Jocelyn went on too long although Adam’s flaying of his over-ambitious former novice is well done and to the point: plenty like him still around!

BC’s exaggeration subsists in his use of sub-stage whispering which producers should have monitored: Jicelyn’s clerical delivery is even worse than the vicar’s in the BBC’s comedy series ‘The navy lark,’ although, in fairness, the master-builder is well done given the occasional very uncharacteristic lines he gets.

Just because a work comes from someone celebrated as a great author it doesn’t mean we have to swallow it whole and assume it!s our failure if we don’t ‘get it:’ many great writers produced some forgettable stuff. I wouldn’t quite consign such a novel to the dust bin but feel very sorry to have had to stagger through this reading only to discover that obsessive spiritual pride damages and contaminates everyone and everything around, and that could have been dealt with in half the verbiage and less than half the melodrama.

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Fab story great narration

Would you consider the audio edition of The Spire to be better than the print version?

I've never read the printed version but hearing Benedict Cumberbatch reading it makes the book come alive!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Spire?

The very sad ending

What does Benedict Cumberbatch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Only Benedict Cumberbatch could give you the amazing voices, excellent narration that enhances the already brilliant writing of William Golding.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A bit of both!

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9 people found this helpful

Loved the narrator but sometimes difficult to follow

Really liked this audio book but did find it difficult to follow at times. Due to the style of the writing it was sometimes hard to know what was happening. Took me two goes to get into it.

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Euphoria, religious fervour and descent

Story:
This story is about the building of a spire, as the title suggests, a spire without foundations; a miracle. Much more than that it gives an insight into a zealot's utter self-belief and hubris (although Jocelin would consider himself as the picture of humility). I often find the start of a novel difficult as we become acquainted with a new style and certainly it took me a little while to get into. Soon I was hooked, both by spire and by Jocelin who seemed almost one and the same. I really do recommend this story if you enjoy something beautifully written that will surprise you.

Narration:
I generally try to avoid celebrity narration as I find it can get in the way. This however was a great exception as I forgot it was Cumberbatch almost immediately. His incredibly felt emphasis and his interpretation of Jocelin's raptures or torments was very commendable.

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