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The Fraud
- Narrated by: Zadie Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
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The Fraud
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The extraordinary first historical novel from bestselling author of White Teeth Zadie Smith.
It is 1873. Mrs Eliza Touchet is the Scottish housekeeper - and cousin by marriage - of a once famous novelist, now in decline, William Ainsworth, with whom she has lived for thirty years.
Mrs Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her cousin, his wives, this life and the next. But she is also sceptical. She suspects her cousin of having no talent; his successful friend, Mr Charles Dickens, of being a bully and a moralist; and England of being a land of facades, in which nothing is quite what it seems.
Andrew Bogle meanwhile grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica. He knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise. When Bogle finds himself in London, star witness in a celebrated case of imposture, he knows his future depends on telling the right story.
The 'Tichborne Trial' captivates Mrs Touchet and all of England. Is Sir Roger Tichborne really who he says he is? Or is he a fraud? Mrs Touchet is a woman of the world. Mr Bogle is no fool. But in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what is real proves a complicated task...
Based on real historical events, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of 'other people'.
Critic reviews
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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5 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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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kwesi Clement
- 23-01-24
Couldn’t listen - should have had someone else read
Zadie Smith’s narration was just to hard to listen to, sorry! So, can’t comment on the story. Gave up.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Ood
- 04-10-23
Outstanding
Zadie Smith is marvellous reading her latest novel. The audiobook really added something to my reading experience.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 01-10-23
Loved it, the clever tapestry of stories reminded me of White Teeth
Absolutely genius the way so very much of this novel translates to current affairs, two hundred years later. It’s the kind of story I’ll have to listen to at least once more and also buy a hard copy of!
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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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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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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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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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-11-23
Great book, please employ an actor
Zadie Smith is a great writer and this is a wonderful novel. However, Zadie Smith does the complex narrative no favours by electing to narrate it. There are hundreds of trained actors eager for the work, able to bring the story “, and ideas within, fully alive so why not employ them? There is a difference between a brief reading at a book event and possessing the skills needed to sustain engaging reading over several hours.
I will now buy the hard copy so I can enjoy the narrative without being distracted by the narration!
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2 people found this helpful