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The Lowlife

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The Lowlife

By: Alexander Baron, Iain Sinclair - introduction
Narrated by: Phil Davis
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About this listen

The day they moved in was a memorable one for me. Not because of them, for I couldn't know what they were to bring into my life, but because of a dog.

Harryboy Boas is a gambling man. An independent Jewish bachelor, he lives in a Hackney boarding house: reading Zola, betting on the dogs at the track, womanising, philosophising, and repressing his tortured wartime past. Until, that is, a new family moves in. As his life dramatically unravels—financially, emotionally, and existentially—Harryboy descends into a murky criminal underworld where debts, violence, gangsters and revenge are the inevitable payback for those who can't pay up ...

'Extraordinary.' William Boyd

'The wonder of The Lowlife is that it does justice to a place of so many contradictions . One of the best fictions, the truest accounts of [Hackney, London]' Iain Sinclair

'The greatest British novelist of the last war and among the finest, most underrated, of the postwar period . . .The Lowlife has acquired something of an underground cult.' Guardian

©2025 Alexander Baron (P)2025 Faber & Faber Classics Genre Fiction Jewish Literary Fiction World Literature Revenge

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What a find! Superbly constructed novel and the simplicity/economy of language was so refreshing. Loved the evocation of time and place. For me, the right narrator is so important and this was easily the best I’ve listened to in the last year or two.

Simply superb

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This is an interesting book, well narrated and it kept me interested. it is full of memories, boarding houses and takes you on a murky journey around the east end of London.

Simply written and full of character

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One of the best novels about London I’ve ever heard and the reader was perfect I highly recommend.

Brilliant story excellent narrator.

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well written, great characters, a bit of humour set in that part of London. Hackney not quite East London.

A great read about London

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Vivid and nostalgically dated tale of a soft hearted loaner with a gambling addiction who can’t stop getting himself into trouble. Easy read, would make a great short film - in black and white with a young Michael Cain in the lead! I loved it but then I had some uncles who were exactly that age at that time who were semiprofessional gamblers. Although my family were not London based, so much was identifiable and true. The war messed them up - but this wasn’t dwelled on in the book. It’s a good quick read that will stay with you. Piece of British history

Snapshot of it’s time

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A good man who obviously has no faith in himself. This is a stunning slice of early 1960s London life. The words just pop off the page. Phil Davis was absolutely perfect as the narrator. 10 out of 10. Absolutely brilliant.

A stunning novel

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