The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
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The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
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Narrated by:
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Philip Madoc
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By:
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Alan Garner
About this listen
About 150 years ago, my great-great-grandfather, Robert Garner, carved the face of an old man with long hair and beard in the rock of a cliff on a hill where my family has lived for at least 400 years, and still does. He carved the face above a well that is much older. How much older, no one knows, but it's centuries older, or even more. And why did he carve it? He carved it to mark that here is the Wizard's Well.
I am Joseph's grandson, and I grew up on that hill, Alderley Edge in Cheshire, aware of its magic and accepting it. I didn't know that it wasn't the same for everyone. I didn't know that not all children played, by day and by night, the year long, on a wooded hill where heroes slept in the ground. Yet there were strange things. Below another ancient well, the Holy Well, a rock lies in a bog. It fell from the cliff above in 1740 and made the Garners' cottage shake. It landed on an old woman and her cow that, for some reason, were standing in the bog, and, as a result, are still there. When I was seven, the bog was dangerous for somebody of my size and I once got stuck in it and thought I was going to drown, even though I sank only to my hips; but I managed to reach the rock and to climb up it to where a fallen tree was lodged, which spanned the bog, and by sliding along the trunk I was able to reach firm land. Nearby, under the leaf mould, is a layer of white clay that we used as soap to wash ourselves before we went home after playing. But there wasn't anything I could do about my clothes, and Grandad was not pleased.
The Edge is a land of two worlds: above and below. It took me my childhood to learn about above; when I was 19, I went to learn the wonders of below: a world of darkness and silence, so dark that you can see the lights of brain cells discharging; so silent that blood in the veins can be heard.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©1960 Alan Garner (P)2005 Naxos AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- WJMV
- 25-03-21
Close to the Edge
A superb narration of a superb book, written for children but with more than enough to keep adults interested and intrigued. Astonishingly, Alan Garner was in his 20's when he wrote it, but it remains his masterpiece. I happen to know the Edge well, and although it has been sanitised by paths and fences it remains a strange and haunting place. There really are no birds, and there is a sense of oddness about it that is hard to pin down but real nonetheless. One small warning: if you are a claustrophobic a section of the story will give you the absolute willies, and in general it might a bit too scary for kids of under about 8. With that slight caveat, very highly recommended.
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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
- mark whittle
- 07-02-20
Memories
Read this book 39 years ago in high school and always remembered it, listening to it brings back good memories.. Good book
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 12-07-16
I remembered it well
Any additional comments?
silly of me to buy a book that I remember fondly off from my youth. Books like this should stay in my memory as that`s where they were best enjoyed. I was a great book though. without it you would never have Rivers of London to enjoy 50 years later
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 11-10-16
Excellent performance!
This book was recommended to me and although I'd intended to mainly read it, i ended up switching to the audio more and more because of Philip Madoc's brilliant narration. he did all the voices beautifully and his narration, plus the wonderful music, made for a very atmospheric performance.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mamasuzi
- 14-12-21
Grounded Fantasy
I’ve loved Alan Garner since I was in primary school - which is more than 50 years ago! I go back and re-read the books every now and again, and the magic, set in such everyday surroundings, never fails to move me to wonder. It doesn’t hurt that I am also called Susan. Experiencing it as an audio book has been a delight, and the narrator, although almost verging on obtrusive at times, does a great job. 5 stars!
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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
- Station Gardener
- 04-07-22
Childhood revisited
one of my favourite books from early reading. A treat to have it read so beautifully. It will be revisited as much as the original paperback was!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. S. Jack
- 04-09-15
A gateway to fantasy
This is the book that eased me into the in depth world of fantasy.
Maybe not the best technically written book, but when the story is this immersive, are you worried?
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Crupted
- 25-03-18
Good but ...
Thin imitation of Lord of the Rings, set in Northern England in real places (which I am sure is nice if you know them). Some focus on character development but not much context and the ‘big picture’ is not really explained. The end is abrupt and it seemed that author just wanted to get it finished. Always going to be compared to Tolkien and when you do, it doesn’t hold a candle.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- richdac
- 30-03-20
Fantastic book
read this when I was 15 - 48 years ago! as powerful now add or was then
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Painter
- 13-12-19
As I remember it
I had this as a paperback when I was younger; it's nice to hear it read aloud, which allows me to listen while I paint.
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