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The Truth About These Strange Times
- Narrated by: Colin Moody
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction
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Editor reviews
Colin Moody heightens the humor and the drama in this quirky contemporary novel with his droll and empathic performance of Adam Foulds' debut The Truth About These Strange Times. Listeners will be enchanted with this chronicle of a peculiar friendship between Howard McNamee, a lonely 28-year-old mourning his mother's ghost, and Saul Dawson-Smith, a 10-year-old with a photographic memory. In sparkling prose, these two outsiders navigate London, their relationships with Saul's parents, and the expectations placed on them by the society they inhabit.
Summary
But as the pressure mounts on the little boy, and his well-meaning but single-minded parents grow increasingly less able to see beyond their own ambitions for their son, Howard realises he must act to save his small friend from a life of soul-destroying competitions and unbearable expectation. The decision he reaches turns all of their lives upside-down.
Critic reviews
Winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award (UK)
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What listeners say about The Truth About These Strange Times
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Mrs
- 21-11-12
Different
This was a bit of a strange story, where you kept hoping the main character would get things right and everything kept going wrong. It was worth listening to, but I found it all a bit depressing in the end. Some good funny bits and some good characters. The narration was pretty good, but sometimes the narrator got a bit muddled with the accents!
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Overall

- danpri
- 02-12-09
Give it a bit...
This a book that slowly drew me in bit by bit. The development of the characters and the relationships they have were experienced more than actually described. The narrator is amazing.
If you are looking for a fast paced novel go elsewhere. If you are looking for a leisurely read that is easy to digest, but fun and intriguing then go no further. Its a bit of "The Curious incident of the dog at midnight" meets "Oscar Woo."
7 people found this helpful
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Overall

- nakia
- 05-10-10
delightful
I really enjoyed this book. The vocabulary was fun and beautiful. The characters and plot unique and interesting. The narration was magical.
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Overall

- K. Parks
- 13-08-10
A gentle story
The story is kind and nuanced, and the writing superb. Colin Moody's narration presented the various accents extremely well and enhanced the power of the novel for me.