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Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience

By: Shaun Usher
Narrated by: Alan Cumming, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gillian Anderson, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Noma Dumezweni, Stephen Fry, Colin Salmon, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, Jordan Stephen, Phyllis Ho, Ferdinand Kingsley, Louise Brealey, various
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Summary

Letters of Note, the book based on the beloved website of the same name, became an instant classic on publication in 2013, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

This new edition sees the collection of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters updated with 14 riveting new missives and a new introduction from curator Shaun Usher.

From Virginia Woolf's heart-breaking suicide letter to Queen Elizabeth II's recipe for drop scones sent to President Eisenhower, from the first recorded use of the expression 'OMG' in a letter to Winston Churchill, to Gandhi's appeal for calm to Hitler and from Iggy Pop's beautiful letter of advice to a troubled young fan, to Leonardo da Vinci's remarkable job application letter, Letters of Note is a celebration of the power of written correspondence which captures the humour, seriousness, sadness and brilliance that make up all of our lives.

©2021 Shaun Usher (P)2021 Canongate Books
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Critic reviews

"This book was brilliant in written form and it’s even better in audio, with a cast of famous voices elevating hilarious, horrifying and moving historical epistles." (Guardian, Audiobook of the Week)

What listeners say about Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience

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Well worth getting

Almost all the letters in this book were worth listening to. Many were heartbreaking and a few were laugh out loud funny just get it

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Excellent!

I enjoyed this so much that I bought the hardback to accompany it. It is a well chosen selection of some fascinating letters drawn from all walks of life and from many different periods in time. Many are heart rending, all are beautifully read. The perfect gift for anyone special in your life.

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4 people found this helpful

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Absolutely brilliant

l loved every moment and laughed out loud in places, proper belly laughs! But in places it made me think, pause and listen again.
Just brilliant and thank you for compiling it.

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1 person found this helpful

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The research and different natation

I did enjoy this book, I listened to it for around 30 to 40 minutes every morning whilst getting ready so steadily got through it. I appreciated the research that went into finding the letters and the short monologue about each person before it was read to the listener. I thought the different narrators did a great job and really brought the letters to life. It's very special that we get to hear some very famous people's thoughts and responses and you felt the sadness in some when talking about a lost loved one or old memories, thank you for a lovely book and a great concept.

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Uneven

Some letters are fine, but many are boring and even pretentious. Most performances are OK but some of them over interpreted.

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2 people found this helpful

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Maybe not an audiobook

I have followed letters on twitter for years
So was looking forward to this , however I found it to fragmented and it didn’t flow well.
Also the introductions were too long to keep the continuity going.
Not for me

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5 people found this helpful