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Typhoon cover art

Typhoon

By: Joseph Conrad
Narrated by: Roger Allam
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Summary

Typhoon is the story of a steamship and her crew beset by a tempest and of the captain whose dogged courage is tested to the limit.

Captain MacWhirr was an ordinary man. However, when his steamer Nan-Shan blunders into a hurricane, he and his crew must pull together to survive. The steadfast courage of an undemonstrative captain and the imaginative readiness of his young first mate becomes a partnership vital to human survival as they are challenged from without by the elements, and from within by human doubts and fears.

©2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Typhoon

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Maritime Masterpiece

I love this book and Roger Allam's reading of it is pitch perfect. Conrad perfectly captures the many moods of the Captain, his officers, 'human cargo', owners and, of course, the ocean itself. As the sailors fight for survival during a hurricane that threatens to destroy them and their ship, their wives and children carry on their lives in blissful ignorance. This is a word perfect novella that would be a perfect starting point for anyone wishing to explore the work of Conrad and in my humble opinion 'Typhoon' should be as highly regarded as Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea'.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Well done Roger

Excellent narration from Roger Allam. Really enjoyed his different accents and characters, think he does an Irish and Scottish accent very convincingly. Quite poetic language used to describe the typhoon, its effects etc. I quite like the characterisation, no one is perfect, all have their own faults and foibles. Probably a better book to listen to than read, took me to and from a conference, perfect length!

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5 people found this helpful

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Brilliant performance

Roger Allam does an amazing job in the book, embodying both the sounds and the styles of the individual characters. The story itself is written beautifully, vivid and intricate strings of language are used in easily consumable and highly descriptive ways

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2 people found this helpful

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Awesome

No risk of a spoiler here .... the plot is of a ship in a storm ! .. but Conrad’s ability to relate this short story well is awesome. The writing is of a period with racial prejudices that would be unacceptable to publish today and there s a small cast who are credibly characterised .
What’s notable are his descriptions - whether of the ship, or specifically the storm which are intense, very detailed with good prose, capturing the event graphically and amazingly, avoiding repetition. Conrad as a seaman experienced scenarios, ships and sailors like this and it’s reflected in a real sense of authenticity. The narration is excellent, with accents not overdone and overall for those who enjoy a good yarn (and Conrad) this is “unmissable”

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Performance

One of the greatest short stories, brilliantly narrated, full of intelligence, humour, drama, and respect for the descriptive brilliance of the prose.

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Loved it

I wasn't a fan of Joseph Conrad but I think that I'm starting to be :) Great preformance, easy to follow and cool story, I found it relaxing.

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Vintage excellence.

Conrad served on board such a freighter and this is where he perfected his English. This book reeked of seawater, the impression of being in a storm was realistic without actually getting wett.

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A good listen

Written in 1899 this is great literature, descriptive, well penned and of its time. Roger Allam’s performance is just perfect I hope he has recorded other tapes. I had not read this book but I shall certainly go back to this again and would recommend it.

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  • k
  • 16-04-23

A joy for your ears.

Contrad's words, Roger Allam's narration a true pleasure. Yes, the words Conrad used to describe the Chinese are racist, but it is of it's time, which in itself gives a further historical insight.

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Much more than just a storm

Quite a simple short story of an unusual captain dealing with more than just a storm. Not much in the way of nautical details, but an easy listen which the narrator helps to involve you in.

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