The Fraud
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The Fraud
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Narrated by:
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Zadie Smith
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By:
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Zadie Smith
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Book of the Year 2023 according to New York Times, New Yorker, Guardian, Economist, Observer, The Spectator, Financial Times, Vogue, The Times, The Oldie, i Paper, The Standard, Washington Post, Independent, Daily Express
SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS’ PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024
ONE OF SARAH JESSICA PARKER’S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2024
Truth and fiction. Jamaica and Britain. Who gets to tell their story?
In her first historical novel, Zadie Smith transports the reader to a Victorian England transfixed by the real-life trial of the Tichborne Claimant, in which a cockney butcher, recently returned from Australia, lays claim to the Tichborne baronetcy, with his former slave Andrew Bogle as star witness. Watching the proceedings, and with her own story to tell, is Eliza Touchet – cousin, housekeeper and perhaps more – to failing novelist William Harrison Ainsworth.
From literary London to the Jamaica’s sugar-cane plantations, Zadie Smith weaves an enthralling story linking the rich and the poor, the free and the enslaved, and the comic and the tragic.
‘A writer at the peak of her powers’ The Telegraph
‘It’s difficult to give any idea of how extraordinary this book is. One of the great historical novels, certainly. But has any historical novel ever combined such brilliantly researched and detailed history with such intensely imagined fiction?' Michael Frayn
‘As always it is a pleasure to be in Zadie Smith’s mind . . . Dickens may be dead, but Smith, thankfully, is alive’ New York Times
‘Zadie Smith’s Victorian-set masterpiece holds a mirror up to Britain . . . The Fraud is the genuine article’ Independent
‘Smith’s dazzling historical novel combines deft writing and strenuous construction in a tale of literary London and the horrors of slavery’ Guardian
Instant Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023
©2023 Zadie Smith (P)2023 Penguin Audio
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What listeners say about The Fraud
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kat Robinson
- 08-10-23
Great in parts…but the narration was terrible.
Zadie Smith fan here, and so excited to listen to one of her books for the first time, versus reading hard copy.
The story was entertaining, much stronger in some parts than others (the history of Mr Bogle being standout). Strong characterisation helped prop up the slightly slower parts of the novel, and overall it was a story worth knowing.
But I have to say, the narration was really poor, particularly for the first few hours. It was my sheer force of will to unravel the story that had me push past it. Ms Smith speaks with a lisp for the majority of these first hours, which made some parts unintelligible and meant that I had to rewind several times to strain to understand. Of course, having a lisp is nothing to apologise for, but upon investigation I read an interview with Smith in the Evening Standard where she comments “I also had a mouth brace in so it’s a bad Scottish accent and a lisp, so enjoy nine hours of that.”
Once I read that I was disappointed and frustrated that she chose to take on the narration, with an awareness that it might impact the enjoyment of the listener. It really did detract from the experience for me. So I would suggest you listen to the sample, to see if it’s for you. In retrospect, I would have bought in hard copy.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon issy Issy
- 03-07-24
Poor narration spoils this book
Zadie smith is proof that a great writer is not necessarily a great narrator. Was this an economising move? Poor decision. Her lack of performance skills made this story unbearable to listen to. I wish Id taken heed of the reviews before purchasing!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs N
- 17-11-23
Monotonous
So disappointed in this novel. I’ve given up half way through, for as much as I have loved other Smith works, she gives a monotonous and lacklustre performance as the narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scott Dinwiddie
- 07-12-23
Good fun with a heart
It seems a number of listeners did not enjoy Zadie Smith’s reading. Maybe it is because I am an American, but I thought her performance was terrific. As is the structure and content of the novel, which pokes fun at Dickensian writing while cleverly pulling off its own substantive imitation. Good fun and well worth a listen, or a read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bw
- 04-02-24
Spectacular, poignant, and nuanced!
A rare treat from a leading British-Caribbean novelist. A thought-provoking and satirically clever realist foray into the 19th century England and Jamaica, delivered by the author herself. A masterfully executed narrative with well-rounded characters and a vast linguistic continuum. Zadie Smith speaks Scottish English convincingly and does her Mrs Touchet justice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anon
- 11-04-24
Brilliant historical novel.
Zadie Smith has done a remarkable job of telling us the story of a notorious court case in Victorian England. Her research of newspaper articles and court transcripts was clearly meticulous and we are treated to a fascinating account of fraudulence, public opinion and literary circles. I loved the story and her writing is fantastic, but I found the intonation and delivery of the narrative difficult to follow at times. A different reader may do it more justice. Absolutely worth it if you get along with her narration.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- patkem
- 27-06-24
Boring and poor narration
I’m afraid this wasn’t for me. I have returned it after listening to a few chapters. I could not get into it and due to the terrible narration, which having read other reviews only gets worse, I am giving up. I find narration to be crucial to one’s enjoyment of an audio book.the last book I listened to was very slow to get into also but the narration was fantastic so I stuck with it and it picked up and in the end I couldn’t stop listening. A real shame some authors don’t seem to get this!!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Theresa Higgins
- 03-11-23
Terrible narration
I’m a great admirer of her writing, but her narration, particularly her attempts at accents, irritated me all the way through. Had it not been for the quality of the writing, would have abandoned it after first chapter.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-09-23
Accents
This novel although well written and absorbing was spoiled by Zadie Smith’s reading. To have the main character Scottish but to render her speech foreign to any Scottish person - the Irish accent was no better - as a strangled screech at times jarred with me !
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Samuel Crossley
- 07-03-25
Great book with decent narration
Great listen. Settled into the narration by the author after a couple of chapters. Certainly not as bad as other reviews make it sound.
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