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Precious Bane
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
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Precious Bane
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Summary
A haunting tale of passion set in Shropshire in the 1800s.
Born at the time of Waterloo in the wild countryside of Shropshire, England, Prudence Sarn is a passionate girl, cursed with a harelip - her “precious bane”. She is cursed for it, too, by the superstitious people among whom she lives. Prue loves two things: the remote countryside of her birthplace and, hopelessly, Kester Woodseaves, the weaver. The tale of how Kester gradually discerns Prue’s true beauty is set against the tragic drama of Prue’s brother, Gideon, a man who is out of harmony with the natural world and whose recklessness may ensnare them all in tragedy.
Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, which was similarly awarded to such books as Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India, and Stella Gibbons’ Cold Comfort Farm, Precious Bane is a novel that haunts us with its beauty and its timeless truths about our deepest hopes.
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What listeners say about Precious Bane
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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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. J. Brown
- 19-03-24
poor accent. pickybut over time it grates
I loved this book from being a teenager and I'm afraid the readers accent spoiled it weird pronouncing of. " mere" and other word s which I. Shropshire would be pronounced with northern vowels were not done so. I know it's picky but it xane to really affect my listening
I'm afraid that many of the tragic events were td in a cheery way. I wouldn't recommend it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Codfish
- 11-09-22
My favourite book ever
My favourite book ever ruined by a narrator who did not do a very good job !
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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
- Client d'Amazon
- 12-05-23
Book group favourite
My choice for book group. Everyone loved it - for the poetry of the writing, depiction of nature and dramatic story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- darckling
- 06-08-21
The narrator tried.
She really did.
Pronunciations were wrong all through the reading ,someone should have put the narrator right on these as the impression was given that she was reading a lot of the words for the first time.
And then there were the words said in dialect which didn't sit well with the narrator's well spoken voice.
Finally,she can't do accents.
The book however is beautiful.
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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
- writerbytrade
- 15-06-23
A hidden gem
What a diamond of a book — so evocative of a time and place, and the lyrical descriptions of nature are so beautiful and original.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 20-02-21
Beautiful beautiful tale beautifully read
if you haven't read this story then don't miss out. Moved me to tears. And poetic rhythm to some passages particularly about noticing and being part of the world of wild things
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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
- MAD MAUD
- 02-05-22
An appreciative Shropshire Lass
I read this book many years ago and had difficulty with the old Shropshire within it and found Justine’s performance admirable. A lovely old story of love and hate and everything between- loved it.
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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
- Laura W.
- 24-12-21
Transported back in time
a completely unselfconscious performance by the narrator who perfectly inhabited the spirit of Pru Sarn and all the characters from a time and place virtually untouched by the industrial revolution that was changing the outside world. I've always loved the story since the 1980s film adaptation which gave me my first education in the joys and sorrows of love. I was transported back to that time in my life by this beautiful adaption and am very sorry to have to leave it now.
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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
- Linton Edwards
- 12-10-22
`perfect
This book has the best last line of any novel, ever. It is a wonderful, luminous story, set in an England that has vanished, described in beguiling detail. Prue Sarn is a terrific character, telling her own story as it unfolded - her parents, brother, friend sand the locals all stand out clearly. Kester Woodseaves is as Fellina says, a man to die for. They don't write books like this any more. It is seriously perfect. The narration is a bit busy but does the story no harm and is very poignant really.
if you have never read this book , please, LISTEN NOW. I first read it when I was 22 and 50. years later, I love it still, and it says different things to me now. I finished it last night. Prue! I miss you today.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-09-21
Great story, evocative of place and language
Almost an ethanography, Prue Sarne is lyrical, practical and the embodiment of the ecoerience of being other - albeit with a great ending ! Love this book !!
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1 person found this helpful