-
The Swimming Pool Library
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: LGBTQ+, Literature & Fiction
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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Margaret Mitchell's great novel of the South is one of the most popular books ever written. Within six months of its publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind had sold a million copies. To date, it has been translated into 25 languages, and more than 28 million copies have been sold. Here are the characters that have become symbols of passion and desire....
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Publisher's Summary
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about The Swimming Pool Library
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Here-and-faraway
- 07-06-13
Offers Insight
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
It depends on the friend. This book is NOT for everyone. It graphically describes the life of a promiscuous gay man. So if the topic of homosexuality or detailed sex scenes disturb you, then steer clear. Also, black people are almost like fetish objects in this novel. Many of the upper-crust, white British men in the novel are VERY attracted to Africans. Although the wealthy men are genuinely sickened by hate crimes, they also don't quite see black people as "human" either. It's like people from Africa are viewed as some sort of enchanted, mythological creatures to be sought after and adored. I don't want to give the impression that the book centers on race relations, but some of the ways that black people are described made me feel uncomfortable. I think that Hollinghurst purposely did this to further explore the idea of what it's like to be viewed as an "other" in mainstream society.
I would recommend this book to a friend who loves beautiful writing and strong characterization. I would recommend it to a friend who enjoys thinking about things that they've never considered before. Before this novel, I never thought about how so much "homosexual history" was covered up, changed, or never recorded to begin with. Just like in Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child, the idea of what is forgotten and what is chosen to be remembered hangs heavily.
What did you like best about this story?
How it let me see the world through a new set of eyes.
What does Samuel West bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He is a fantastic narrator. All of his characters sound unique and he does a fantastic job with different dialects and accents. Perfect pacing, smooth voice, lovely narration, perfect execution of wit... I would love to hear another story read by him.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Yes, but I don't want to spoil things for you... There's a part that will stick with me for a long time.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John
- 08-04-12
Hollinghurst's first and among the best.
If you could sum up The Swimming Pool Library in three words, what would they be?
great period piece
What did you like best about this story?
Listening to it twenty years after reading it made me realize how much I had changed. It's a great description of upper class British life. Hollinghurst's lush writing is in full bloom.
What does Samuel West bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Sam West's narration makes this an good example of listening surpassing reading. His Lord Nantwich is spot on. It's Hollinghurst's ear for British language that provides such great material. Sam brings the fellow to life.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Gay England in the late 20th century.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Peregrine
- 05-15-11
Strong stuff
Swimming Pool Library is beautifully written and will give you a vivid picture of the life depicted. As a straight man I endeavored to give all the gay sexuality the same distance I gave the sexuality of "straight" characters whose taste differs from mine--cf. Lolita or anything by Pynchon. But don't think you can just skim over it and get back to the plot. Gay sexuality is THE subject of this book.
Excellent reader.
10 people found this helpful
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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
- AC
- 12-29-11
Beautifully Written and Read
This story is about gay life. That is the heart of it. If you are offended by that (and it includes explicit sex) then this is not for you. However, what you will be missing is superb writing and an amazing debut novel which showed what a genius Hollinghurst is. All his books are marvellous, with The Line of Beauty, which won the Booker, being a very worthy winner. There is an audiobook of that which sadly Audible doesn't have but would be fantastic if they got it.
6 people found this helpful
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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
- ChrisW
- 01-23-16
A meandering journey
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. The storyline goes on without much point, but the emotion, feeling and self absorption of the main character is very interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mitzi
- 12-22-21
A Great Eulogy to Homosexual Love
Heterosexual woman that I am, I greatly enjoyed this book.
Nothing in it is offensive.
If you mind sex, erotic descriptions, and perhaps sensual pleasure altogether... this is not for you.
The writing is beautiful. The reader’s voice is SUPERB! I need to get all the books West narrates. Brilliant.
Completely devoid (I mean, COMPLETELY) of women… which is a plus, since other illustrious heterosexual writers (such as Philip Roth) make one regret being a woman. What with their objectifying fantasies and real or imagined violence against us. None of that here, for a (refreshing) change.
Thank God, this was written in 1988! Today, our young Torquemadas would make a gory show of this writer’s public execution. As it’s not exactly “woke” or “correct”… hence its beauty.
I highly recommend this Audible title.
1 person found this helpful
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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
- darbscott
- 10-23-18
SUPERB WRITING, PERFECT NARRATOR
This has always been one of my favorite novels—its combination of beautifully intelligent writing, lush & frank eroticism, and complex rendering of race and class in both imperial and late 20th century Britain is unsurpassed. But I keep coming back to it for Samuel West’s narration! He never hits a wrong note; every layer of meaning is communicated, and above all he articulates wonderfully the novel’s humor. Audible should have West read Hollinghurst’s THE LINE OF BEAUTY!
1 person found this helpful
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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
- Eric
- 05-21-18
Beautiful and dreamlike
This is such a wonderful story of multigenerational gay life, and is beautifully read by Mr. West. The book is cinematic in evoking a time just before AIDS when the gay world was in its nascent revery of youth and beauty. My favorite book in some time.
1 person found this helpful
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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
- J. A. Vendetti
- 09-06-17
A Gay Man's Life : Now and Then
A touching, sensuous story of a modern gay man with harsh realities filling out the picture written in the perspective of the past history of prejudice and injustice toward homosexual men in England. Both sexy and enlightening. Wonderfully narrated by Samuel West.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- barbara
- 11-21-20
Very well done
This is a great period piece. I love Hollinghurst's writing. A close lens on gay life.
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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
- Waggy From Derby
- 06-27-20
fascinating book with many twists
This story is so important in gay history, having been born in 1949 I can testify to the behaviour of the police and politicians and of course the gay underworld. I wonder what life would still be like if it wasn't for the labour government passing the 1967 act that decriminalised gay sex. And of course the labour government of 2000 that repealed Magige Thatcher's 1989 clause 28 followed in 2004 by the lowering of age of consent for gay men to be the same as heterosexuals and later in 2005 giving us civil partnerships. I still hate the Tory bigots, never being able to forgive them.
26 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- common reader
- 01-14-09
Gay lit. of the highest order
Alan Hollinghurst cleverly structures his story to provide a representation of homosexual lives over several generations. Older gay men reading this novel will recognise the signs of the changing times and, I hope, rejoice at the emergence of freedoms so abundantly enjoyed by the likes of the narrator.
I do not agree with the previous reviewer that the sex scenes are done in "the best possible taste". They are described realistically and honestly in the way that such scenes rarely are, be the fiction gay or straight. No adult should be shocked by the acts, but rather by the honesty.
Samuel West's reading is sympathetic and absorbing, though a little lacking in characterisation for a first-person narrative.
14 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- MR
- 09-14-12
Funny and Warming
Really enjoyed listening to this book. The characters are interesting and believable, especially Will who I think most people will be able to liken to a friend of their own. Think I have a good incite into what the gay scene was a few decades ago in middle class London. Felt a little cheated with a sudden ending, really wanted more. Other than that a really great 12 hours listening to this great story.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 09-20-16
Wonderful voice acting
Absolutely perfect voicing for Hollinghurst. Please do more! This book captures a beautiful part of the human condition flawlessly. I didn't want it to end.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anthony
- 06-08-19
Terrible ending!
Really enjoyed Sam West’s incredible narration but was often bored by this book and the ending was truly abysmal! Nothing was resolved and it seemed Hollinghurst had simply run out of ideas about where to take the narrative and simply gave up
3 people found this helpful
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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
- Jessica
- 01-07-17
Exquisite
A perfect experience. Samuel West's narration is very Hollinghurstian. I love this intriguing, gripping, moving book and this brilliant performance. The sex bits are genius and so are all the little jokes.
3 people found this helpful
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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
- J. Haggerty
- 04-16-15
Still superb after 20 years
A compelling and sexy novel which raises complex issues around clad, sexuality and race. Samuel West's narration is perfect and nothing short of stunning.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ben carey
- 10-31-19
Beautiful Literary depiction of 80’s London
I loved the author’s provocative use of rhetoric and hyperbole - a true classic. To be objective there’s certainly a lot of meaninglessness gay sex in here but the depiction feels honest, not gratuitous. I wasn’t too sold on the ending (too many unanswered questions) but that’s just me. You can’t detract from Hollinghurst’s deft, important and ambitious prose.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- linda
- 01-02-12
A consummate talent
Wonderful book, perfectly narrated. I was so grateful for it's length, not wanting to let go. Can't help but feel that AH's (stunningly written) graphic and lengthy descriptions of sexual encounters have to be self indulgence; if so, he richly deserves this pleasure. (I am a female heterosexual, just for the record) I only wish that Samuel West had narrated H's other novels - for me the two are forever joined.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 03-27-10
Carefully crafted tale of a bygone era
Alan Hollinghurst used words like a craftsman: each is chosen for just the right purpose. I had to use my dictionary while listening several times! Although the story is quite spicy and racy (not for those easily shocked by graphic descriptions of gay sex) it is so well written that you are drawn along effortlessly, even when the scene being described is so brutal and devoid of human connection that it repels as much as it excites. Sam West narrates brilliantly: how he manages the different voices with such consistency is amazing and a testament to the skill of true actors. There are - perhaps - few characters with whom one totally sympathises or identifies (James, the doctor was the nearest I could manage). Nevertheless, there is a kind of appalling honesty about Hollinghurst's writing: he presents a version of gay/male sexuality in all it tawdry directness. Recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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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
- finnea
- 12-31-20
Glorious! Extraordinary writing, wonderful reader
This is a truely wonderful experience --sumptuous, erotic, witty, poignant, moving and wildly funny in parts. i am not generally attracted to books about upper class Brits but this is writing of the highest order, offering insight into gay life and into the history of our cultural politics more generally. Hollinghurst writes supremely well about sex, emotion, social life, aesthetics, pornography, poetry, opera. The breadth, depth, sensitivity and command of language is just stunning.
Loved it.
