Three rules when reading Goddard . . .

(1) Listen closely to the details, but (2) Never accept anything at face value, and (3) Never assume you have it all figured out until you have read (or listened) to the very end. Goddard is a master at constructing complex, constantly shifting stories, populated by characters that you may think you know until the next ground shifting revelation. Just when you do sort out how some of the threads are woven together, that’s when you need to watch out. How Goddard manages his juggling act without making you feel foolishly manipulated is part of his genius. All of the twists and turns make sense in their context.

As with the other Goddard titles I have enjoyed, I will reveal nothing of the plot. You really must enjoy the story as he intends you to discover it. The editor's summary may sound kind of bland, but don’t let that fool you. For me this was the edgiest of his books that I have listened to, whose central mystery has the most at stake and a protagonist with the most to lose. There are plenty of villians, and some you’re not sure what they are. Protagonist Ian Garrett is self-centered, yet lacking in self-awareness at the beginning, and must undergo a painful quest to find out why his life has turned upside down. Not very sympathetic, but by the end of his quest he is nothing like the man who started. Only by experiencing his journey can you judge if he is a better man in the end. Michael Kitchen’s reading is absolutely brilliant and is reason enough in itself for the download.

29 people found this helpful

Powerful story with hairpin twists and turns

If you could sum up Caught in the Light in three words, what would they be?

This is one book that just cannot be summed up in three words!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a powerful story of attachment, loss, and idealized love.It underscores for the reader how enduring and destructive revenge can be. It also demonstrated the role that unequal marital relationships can play in crushing creativity and achievement. This is the 6th Goddard book I have listened to in the last few months. They are all excellent in different ways, but this one was the first that prompted me to write a review!

Have you listened to any of Michael Kitchen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think I have heard Michael Kitchen before, but in the hundreds of audible books I have listened to, I think he is the best narrator thus far. He is so good that you never notice the narration - you feel you are listening to the different characters as they speak. Fantastic.

If you could rename Caught in the Light, what would you call it?

I think this was the perfect name for the novel in view of the number of the meanings that it pulls from the story.

Any additional comments?

Audible needs to purchase more Goddard books! I am almost done with the ones you currently have.

16 people found this helpful

Great Listen!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Caught in the Light to be better than the print version?

I will not describe the plot - as any description would act as a spoiler - but this is Robert Goddard and Michael Kitchen at their best. I listen to books while walking each morning - and listening to this one pushed me an extra mile or two each day. Couldn't wait to get going - and hated setting the headset aside.

10 people found this helpful

full of mystery

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I most certainly would recommend it.

What did you like best about this story?

Great lead characters once again. Goddard had an amazing gift for story writing

Which character – as performed by Michael Kitchen – was your favorite?

The protagonist

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Could have but I listen while I drive long distances so having to wait for the next bit helps me look forward to the journey

5 people found this helpful

Another riveting listen!

Have you listened to any of Michael Kitchen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think this "read" was even better then the last ("Painted in Darkness" by Goddard) - if that's possible!

Michael Kitchen reads lines so wonderfully and seems to understand each character so well that the slightest inflection or pause gives us hints of what is behind the written word - which is how the author would want it to be. His talent as a character actor teams up so well with Goddard's novels!! I hope there are many more to come.

2 people found this helpful

Nothing Is As It Seems

(Warning: one itty-bitty spoiler that you may not catch....)

No one writes mystery like the Brits, and _Caught In The Light_ is no exception. This was my first book by Robert Goddard, but it will NOT be my last. If you can't get enough of the "edge-of-your-seat, shredding-your-nails, MUST-find-out-what-happens-next" kind of books, then this is your next read/listen. Here you will find intrigue, history, sex, vengeance, cold-hearted betrayal and single-minded perseverance, a strange and wonderfully well-written sort of time-travel, and Goddard weaves in numerous plot-twists, and rabbit-trails that round out the story beautifully. He is incredibly gifted with the written word. His prose is often achingly simple, yet elegant in context and his use of descriptors made me feel as if I had been there, inside the story, not wanting it to end (e.g. "The only thing left in an empty life is time. I could almost touch it as it passed that spring and summer. Amy's existence slipped away behind me like a single turning on a long, straight road. I looked back at it fixedly, fearing that if I once glanced away it would vanish forever"). The characters as he has written them are real and very personally flawed, but I continually found myself wanting things to be put right for the protagonist, Ian Jarrett.

When the end finally came, it was not predictable as I had feared, but neither was it far-fetched. Just don't expect it to be happy. The story gripped me from the start, probably because I greatly admire Michael Kitchen ("Foyle's War") and, not surprisingly, his reading is another EXCELLENT performance. Once hooked I kept listening because I just could not stop and I finished the book in less than two days (it's nearly 24 hours long).

I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook version due to Michael Kitchen's massive talent. Mr. Kitchen's theater background enables him to portray this story's historical as well as its contemporary persons very convincingly. He reads female characters' dialog in a softer tone, not using an abrasive falsetto as some male readers do, distinguishing between male and female characters without vexing the listener. In my opinion, nothing lends authenticity to a great Brit mystery like having it read by a truly gifted player who can correctly pronounce proper names, locations, and who can switch seemlessly between different dialects. Do yourself a favor and skip the print version and go directly to the audiobook.

5 people found this helpful

Enjoyable escape

Suspenseful to the end, this is a thoroughly enjoyable listen for those of us fascinated by ghosts from the past. The protagonist's history and relationships get entangled with the early history of photography. There's romance, suspense, and uncomfortable family relationships, but--in a manner true to life--some things never quite get resolved. The protagonist is not an especially likeable character, as other reviewers have noted, but that leaves room for him to grow and see his life in new ways. Other characters are well delineated through his somewhat narcissistic gaze. Best of all--and the reason I got this title in the first place--is Michael Kitchen's crisp, somewhat idiosyncratic, quite entrancing delivery. Having adored him as Inspector Foyle, I could listen to him read a laundry list with pleasure.

1 person found this helpful

A disappointing end

Frankly there should have been more.

This is my first Goddard book and I think it was well done, the performance was wonderful. The writing itself is good, and care was taken to get at least some of the bits of photography love correct. It is that it was about a photographer that brought me to it. And all of that was reasonably fun.

The entire premise however is a bit shaky when it finally comes to light, and the ending is very lackluster and leaves you wondering what the point was.

I really wanted to give this more than 2 stars for the story but there is not enough "reason" for all that happens, and its so obscured to begin with, and given to us on a silver plate to let us halfway through understand the reason. Then to end with nothing resolved, and nothing learned.

That being said the performance was good and the overall experience did not lessen my life for having listened.

1 person found this helpful

Pulls you in

Would you listen to Caught in the Light again? Why?

The story was full of twists and surprises. Each time I thought I'd worked out what was going to happen, it took another turn. Right to the end it kept me guessing. It was my first Goddard book but won't be my last.

What about Michael Kitchen’s performance did you like?

The narration by Michael Kitchen really enhanced this intriguing book, which got me in from the beginning. He really knows how to tell a story. His delivery grabbed my attention and his ability to voice the different characters was excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It wasn't possible to listen to this book in one sitting because of the length but I reached for it at every opportunity and couldn't wait to go back to it whenever I had the chance.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. As one of my first Audible books, I'm certainly pleased that I joined up.

1 person found this helpful

Listen & You'll Be Wanting More of Goddard's Work!

This is such a good, good story; read by a superb narrator! I had no idea when I started this book that it was going to captivate me totally.

First, the story. . . the prose is amazing and like poetry to my ears. Just fantastic literature. This is not the usual mystery novel. It is a sweeping story of love, loss and the reshaping of the human nature. It was so well written that at first I thought it was going to be a story of time travel; then perhaps personality disorders; than I just didn't know. The twists and turns were so effective, so realistic. The story was wonderful.

The reading . . . Michael Kitchen was excellent through and through; offering clear and appropriate definition to Goddard's characters.

I will now purchase more of Robert Goddard's books. His story-telling is simply outstanding!

5 people found this helpful