Try free for 30 days

Preview

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Sweet Tooth

By: Ian McEwan
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Shortlisted for: Audiobook of the Year – Specsavers National Book Awards 2012

Serena Frome, the beautiful daughter of an Anglican bishop, has a brief affair with an older man during her final year at Cambridge and finds herself being groomed for the intelligence services. The year is 1972. Britain, confronting economic disaster, is being torn apart by industrial unrest and terrorism and faces its fifth state of emergency. The Cold War has entered a moribund phase, but the fight goes on, especially in the cultural sphere.

Serena, a compulsive reader of novels, is sent on a ‘secret mission’ that brings her into the literary world of Tom Haley, a promising young writer. First she loves his stories; then she begins to love the man. Can she maintain the fiction of her undercover life? And who is inventing whom? To answer these questions, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage – trust no one.

McEwan’s mastery dazzles us in this superbly deft and witty story of betrayal and intrigue, love, and the invented self.

©2012 Ian McEwan (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"Ian McEwan’s SWEET TOOTH is a joy, beautifully written, moving between love and betrayal, reality and shadows with a wonderful ease, breathing vivid life into the characters." ( Kati Nicholl, Express.co.uk)

What listeners say about Sweet Tooth

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A bit too clever

sweet tooth is well written but, as it is essentially a writer writing about writing, I found it a bit self indulgent. In my opinion, McEwan writes with more confidence in his understanding of the female psyche than he should, and the denouement is a "clever" literary device but unsatisfactory.

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

Good story

Well written. Slow build but great ending.
And beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson. She’s great.

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

Another Excellemt Story

Loved this spy thriller romantic suspense. The deep emotional twist and turns with clever insights into human motives and betrayals. Highly recommend.

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

Yeah, good

It was a bit slow, taking a long time to go not very far. I don’t think the steaks were quite high enough. But having said that, it was beautifully written and very engaging. It’s slowly build the tension and lead to a very satisfying ending. I really enjoyed it in the end.

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
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant storytelling. From the opening twisting prose to the last, sensual syllable. Ten from ten 10/10 ✨

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

Intriguing

The narrator's voice suited the era of the novel perfectly. Historical content underpinned a time of revolutionary ideas, and as an Australian, gave me insight into other times in world politics, when day to day freedoms were restricted.

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
    4 out of 5 stars

A Twist of Fate

McEwen managers well to write this story from a female perspective. Well embellished by the wonderful narration. I was quite entertained and enjoyed the twist at the end.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.