Preview

Try for £0.00
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Bard: The Short Story Collection

By: Joanne Harris
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

  • Summary

  • Leading authors draw on themes of arrival, discovery and destination in a collection of six contemporary fiction works written especially for Audible. Commissioned for audio format, these stories are performed by narrators with an acknowledgement to the medieval culture of bards – professional storytellers.

    In this collection, Claire Fuller and Marina Lewycka explore 'discovery' at different times of our lives; Chigozie Obioma and Adam Thirlwell consider their protagonists' long-held desires through 'destination'; and Sarah Hall and Joanne Harris view 'arrival' through negotiating life-changing events.

    Bard is one of three short story collections written by our favourite best-selling novelists and emerging authors, and curated based on the themes of arrival, discovery and destination. Jali collates science fiction tales while Skald features six crime stories.

    As an Audio Show - free for members - when you add Bard: The Short Story Collection to your library, you'll get all 6 episodes.
    ©2018 Audible, Ltd. (P)2018 Audible, Ltd.
    Show More Show Less
Anthologies
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: Responsible Adult

    Ep. 1: Responsible Adult
    Apr 9 2018

    It is 1971 and Charles, a nine-year-old English boy flies to America on PanAm with his mother and American father. His parents are having marital difficulties and will be leaving him with his paternal grandmother (whom he must call Lillian, never Grandma) for ten days.

    Beautifully observed with a believable child narrator and vivid yet effortless period detail, this is a story that offers a poignant 'moment' in a lonely young child's life as he finds companionship with two star-crossed hotel workers.

    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
    Try for £0.00
  • Ep. 2: The Secrets

    Ep. 2: The Secrets
    Apr 10 2018

    A lonely Polish widow sits in her flat with no one for company but her fat feline companion – Boris the Cat. It is near Christmas and she remembers past holidays with Boris (the Husband). An unexpected encounter changes everything when her Pakistani neighbour invites her for a special meal.

    This is a light, funny story in Lewycka's characteristic whimsical style. At its heart, however, it is also a keenly observed examination of ageing, loneliness and the unexpected joy of having prejudices disproved.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
    Try for £0.00
  • Ep. 3: Birdlime

    Ep. 3: Birdlime
    Apr 10 2018

    A troubled young boy is haunted by the loss of his brother. When he develops a dangerous infatuation with his new teacher, and follows her home one night, his fantasies and hidden desires set in motion a series of events that will cost everyone dear.

    This is a dark twist on the traditional coming of age tale.

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
    Try for £0.00

What listeners say about Bard: The Short Story Collection

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Ragne

Some brilliant stories

It's always difficult to review collections of short stories. Some I like, some i don't.
Here, there are some brilliant ones. I loved "birdlime" and "the wood between the worlds". Others, I sort of zoned out.
But the narrations were great.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Avi

a good short listen

the different narrators with the variety of accents was superb.
the stories were short, all good, nothing will really stay with me.
2 stood out... but perhaps I'm over fiction.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for William

Fantastic.

Bard bard bard, were has the time gone. Losing such time is a waisted timing.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mel

Excellent Collection

I really enjoyed all but of one these stories and found them all thought provoking and interesting. I'll be looking up titles from most of the authors to hear more.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dee

Disappointing

Based on a review in Stylist I purchased this for a road trip. I didn't make it to the end of any of the stories. All quite depressing and very slow paced.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Blind Boy

Fortunately it was a free download

It’s like no one knows nowadays whata short story means. This collection smells of sweat and negligeant writing and – most of all – lacking of directions. Deceivingly generous, the genre absorbs in itself so many ideas, styles and dimensions. But you instinctly recognise what is good and what is not.
Claire Fuller makes you believe that a chapter from her next novel is a complete short story. No, it isn’t, it’s a part of something. I may be wrong but I feel like she’s working on a major opus and let drop some pages of it.
Marina Lewycka wrote a bad, uninteresting joke. I can’t see the point, sorry.
Chigozie Obioma’s is finally something similar to a short story but not ideally paced for me. Anyway the most remarkable of all the six with such couleurs locaux.
Adam Thirlwell had something in his mind and you feel he wrote it no matter the price. He spreads his clever ideas and images and doesn’t care about anything else. I confess it amazed me and I was looking up for other titles by him. But for God’s sake please please don’t cut a short story into chapters!!!
Sarah Hall may be near to the heart of short storytelling. But the whole stuff was so dramatic, direct and pretentious it irritated me from start to finish. Brrrrrr!
And at last came a true one by Joanne Harris. This is how a perfect short looks like. Not really original or astonishing, but professional, humble and satisfactory.

I wish authors were half good as the narrators. Int hat case it would have been a happy listen.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Michael

Boring and pointless

These are pointless stories that are painful to get through and have no payoff, there is nothing to be gained and no reason to finish the chapter.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Lola465

Not great stories

I only really liked one of these tales. Most did not engage.
On the plus side, they were well read.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful