The Fraud
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The Fraud
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Narrated by:
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Zadie Smith
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By:
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Zadie Smith
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
The extraordinary first historical novel from bestselling author of White Teeth Zadie Smith.
It is 1873. Mrs Eliza Touchet is the Scottish housekeeper - and cousin by marriage - of a once famous novelist, now in decline, William Ainsworth, with whom she has lived for thirty years.
Mrs Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her cousin, his wives, this life and the next. But she is also sceptical. She suspects her cousin of having no talent; his successful friend, Mr Charles Dickens, of being a bully and a moralist; and England of being a land of facades, in which nothing is quite what it seems.
Andrew Bogle meanwhile grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica. He knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise. When Bogle finds himself in London, star witness in a celebrated case of imposture, he knows his future depends on telling the right story.
The 'Tichborne Trial' captivates Mrs Touchet and all of England. Is Sir Roger Tichborne really who he says he is? Or is he a fraud? Mrs Touchet is a woman of the world. Mr Bogle is no fool. But in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what is real proves a complicated task...
Based on real historical events, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of 'other people'.
©2023 Zadie Smith (P)2023 Penguin AudioCritic Reviews
What listeners say about The Fraud
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-10-2023
No no no no no!
Genius author who I revere and who's books I inhale with ever increasing admiration.
but she's no narrator, had to stop listening because I couldn't follow the story. Bought the book and whizzed through it.
Writers write, actors act - sure there's crossovers but in this case, unlistenable
Heartbreaking
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 15-04-2024
My favourite author
I have read all her books and this one is a joy. A must read
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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
- Kerry Kilner
- 18-09-2023
Zadie Smith is a mistress of the 19th century tale
The immense scholarship on display here is awe inspiring. Smith has taken the style of a 19th century novelist, reproduced it but given it so much more depth and nuance than could ever be achieved by a lesser novelist of then or now. A superb examination of the lunacy at the base of the British class system and its colonial history including its key role in the slave trade over hundreds of years. The ability of the British to obscure and elide their culpability is demonstrated ably without burdening a gripping narrative with didacticism. What an astonishingly brilliant writer! And her narration was brilliant.
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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
- Katherine Henzell
- 21-05-2024
Brilliant
I loved this book all about what it means to be free, enslaved or have a fraudulent view of yourself. It’s wonderful to look at history from an e rudely different angle and reflect on its meaning today.
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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
- michele taylor
- 17-09-2023
Enthralling Tale
What a great story made all the better when narrated by the author. Wonderful treat.
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1 person 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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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-02-2024
Very wordy descriptions of people and places. So many characters, it was difficult to keep track of who they were.
Too long and the description of the trial was too long and drawn out to maintain my interest. I’m still none the wiser who the fraud was!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- D. Darby
- 08-09-2024
Entertaining
This is entertaining and interesting historical fiction but it was a bit confusing trying to follow the many storylines.
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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
- Megan Jurisich
- 21-03-2024
Not keen on narrator
I just can’t follow the story and the narrators voice is very distracting. Disappointed after the great reviews. Can’t finish it, not an audio book for me.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-02-2024
Awful narration
Couldn’t keep going with this. Seemed an interesting idea but it kept getting bogged down. The author should have paid for a professional narration.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Eden
- 18-12-2023
pass this on iver
At first i thought the narrators lisp was an affectation of the character. Then i came to realise that would be the style throughout the book. So difficult to follow. perhaps the print version wpukd be easier to follow.
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