Regeneration cover art

Regeneration

Regeneration, Book 1

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Regeneration

By: Pat Barker
Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The modern classic of contemporary war fiction from the Women's Prize shortlisted author of The Silence of the Girls.

Regeneration is the first novel in Pat Barker's Booker Prize-winning Regeneration trilogy - a powerfully moving portrait of the deep legacy of human trauma in the First World War.

Craiglockhart War Hospital, Scotland, 1917, and army psychiatrist William Rivers is treating shell-shocked soldiers. Under his care are the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, as well as mute Billy Prior, who is only able to communicate by means of pencil and paper. Rivers' job is to make the men in his charge healthy enough to fight. Yet the closer he gets to mending his patients' minds, the harder becomes every decision to send them back to the horrors of the front. Pat Barker's Regeneration is the classic exploration of how the traumas of war brutalised a generation of young men.

©1991 Pat Barker (P)2021 Penguin Audio 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War & Military World War I War Military Scary

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Critic reviews

"Brilliant, intense and subtle." (Peter Kemp, Sunday Times)

"One of the strongest and most interesting novelists of her generation." (Guardian)

"Unforgettable." (Sunday Telegraph)

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The story is very interesting but the pacing is very slow and I caught myself getting distracted while listening to it more than normal. I might listen to the rest of the trilogy, because I am a bit curious about it, but it was not a favorite read.

Very interesting Story

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Believable story and written with sympathy of the era and powerful representation of the heartache and emotions of the soldiers.

Clarity of story telling

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I have read the book. And this audio book does it justice. Moving and poignant.

Excellent

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A great book for anyone interested in the history of 'Shell shock', Rivers, Sassoon or the first world War and Edwardian attitudes in general. Well read, the reading pace felt a little pedestrian at first but actually I came to think it was the best to read it in order to capture the style of the characters without having to put on voices and detract from the importance of the prose.

An excellent book and well read

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I have listened to this recording time and time again, after having read the novels first. Barker is a superb writer and I love to be back in this world, while driving to work or washing the dishes or whatever. My only minor criticism is that SRB has a deep voice and struggles with the female characters' voices, but I don't mind that. The important things are the words.

Superlative work

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Sad and knowing it’s based on true facts makes it doubly hard to listen to. Not a book to read if you need cheering up! Recommend it

Poignant, makes for uncomfortable reading

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Loved it.. in this war mongering world, a book that is so relevant, beautifully written & researched. If only we read more such books… would we send our young men to war??

Amazingly current

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Excellent weaving of fact and fiction. Opened my eyes to the reality and horror of war and the impact on soldiers mental health.

Not all men want war

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Very moving and informative, interesting and enjoyable.
Simon Beale’s narration is outstanding, one of the best narrators I’ve experienced.

Excellent book and narration

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Beautifully written. Informative and sensitive. Within a couple of hours purchased books 2 and 3. I suppose that speaks for itself

Pitch perfect

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