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Birdsong
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Abridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Publisher's Summary
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What listeners say about Birdsong
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kim
- 01-20-11
Fantastic narration of a modern classic
Samuel West's immaculate narration is the perfect gloss to one of the top books of the 90s and one of my personal favourites of all time. Obviously, if you have read the book before, then an abridged audio version is never going to be quite the same but, if you haven't, then you should find this presentation highly compelling and the abridgements are not apparant. It's a great story, impeccably researched and delivered with care. 4 stars is much as I can give an abridged book, and this earns each of them.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Cariola
- 06-09-09
Very Moving
Birdsong depicts the close-up horrors of war better than any book I've ever read. The love story at the beginning was totally overshadowed by the scenes of battle (and in fact, it seemed rather unnecessary and digressive). A beautifully written novel, andt the narrator did it justice.
10 people found this helpful
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- Alsaka
- 07-08-16
Magnificent Narration of a Great Book
I've listened to Peter Firth's wonderful narration of the Unabridged Version before and absolutely love this grand and passionate war story.
This version, however, delighted (or moved, to be exact) me even more. Samuel West's extraordinarily smoothing voice brought me into deep thought or let me burst into tears so spontaneously that I can't help feeling being part of the story.
Yet the loss of certain details in this abridged version is quite upsetting, especially the part where Stephen and Weir decided whether or not to kill a bird in the tunnel, or the soldiers singing the chessy ballad together to celebrate their being alive. After all, it's the details that impressed me the most when I first read it.
3 people found this helpful
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- A. Best
- 09-06-10
War book
The narrator did a fine job, and if you love Faulks you'll love this book - however I am not a huge fan of "war stories", so there were parts of this book that didn't work for me. However the narration style is calm, quiet, almost sad - which plays well with the tone of the story.
6 people found this helpful
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- Theresa
- 09-21-20
Disappointed that this was an abridged version
A Beautifully written, compelling work of literature. I had begun to read the written work and shifted to the audible for a long drive. I quickly realized that this was the abridged version -which I consider a shame given the beautiful prose -I would not want to miss a word. The narration enhanced the story. I finished the full written version, then went back and listened to the abridged audible. Beautiful , moving novel.
1 person found this helpful
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- SuzieQ
- 09-04-16
Not a fan
You will love this book if you like historical novels.
You will love this book if you want to know what trench warfare was like.
The narrator was excellent.
I am not sure how I made it through the story, but in the end found no enjoyment.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amelia
- 04-09-12
Good read for Book Group
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
We read this for book group. I liked it more as the story went on, but found it less than plausible in the beginning. I thought the war scenes were much stronger than the love scenes!
1 person found this helpful
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- EddieMaiden
- 05-16-22
Interesting
it bounces around a bit; innocence, war, sex, war, stupid ways of 1915 society, sex ,war
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-05-22
Abridged version?
I usually purchase audio books go along with physical copies so I can listen on my commute to work. However it seems quite a big portion of what is present on the physical copy has been omitted. I didn't see in the description that it is an abridged version. Unfortunately my commute is pretty long so I didn't realize til half way through the audio book so now I'm starting the physical book from the beginning 😓
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- Bbkeller
- 01-08-22
such good writing
the story is compelling and so well written that you can feel you are there. a great companion to Atonement to understand WWI.
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- William Smith
- 11-02-17
Moving
Loved it...
Extremely powerful and, I daresay, important novel. Beautifully written and carefully performed. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful
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- Terry
- 11-01-08
Birdsong
This is an excellent book very well written and narrated. Sebastian Faulks captures the atmosphere of the first world war trench warfare perfectly.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr
- 10-06-08
Beautiful book
This is a beautiful book. The story is simple but haunting while the writers skill and devotion to his craft is evident in every sentence and phrase. I did not think this was 'my kind of book' - I was wrong.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-06-20
Great war descriptions
Preferred reading the sections about the war, the romance story is not for me. Liked the time span generational setting of the book.
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- Bromide Badger
- 12-20-15
A great book ruined..
This abridgement is awful. Despite Samuel West's excellent efforts, what is a very good book in print becomes a dull and uninspiring listen. Sam manages to bring something of the original to the last hour, but the previous 300 minutes are pretty tedious.
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- Karen
- 10-20-14
If only it wasnt abridged
This is one of my favourite books of all time. A wonderful novel. After I finished this book for the first time, i ached for the characters i missed them so much. This would have been a five, but it is only an abridged version. Read the book and just get this to remind you how great this story is.................
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- Apollon
- 10-22-10
A moving and Passionate book
Very well narrated. You will feel tears of joy, sadness and horror through this very well written book. I really enjoyed the way the author described feelings. Very moving. Metaphorically speaking: It felt to me like the forbidden love was being punished by the war that followed. Or perhaps the separation of that Love caused the war.
My only regret is that I did not purchased the unabridged version elsewhere. Audibly only had the abridge version.
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- love reading
- 02-03-08
Quite dull
I'm aware of all the wonderful reviews this book has received but I found it quite dull at parts. It was touching but too depressing. The end was great though. This is the first audiobook I have listened to and I found it quite difficult.
2 people found this helpful