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Sacred Hunger

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Sacred Hunger

By: Barry Unsworth
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

1752, the Liverpool Merchant sets sail from Merseyside. A slaver, she is bound for Africa to buy men and transport them in chains across the Atlantic. But aboard ship disease thrives in the cramped hold, killing men and eating into profit. Captain Thurso insists on throwing the sick overboard, to the horror of Matthew Paris, ship's surgeon, who determines to prevent such barbarity. Meanwhile, back home, Erasmus Kemp, cousin of Paris and son of the Liverpool Merchant's owner, finds his fortune hanging in the balance: dependent on the success or failure of a single voyage....

©1992 Barry Unsworth (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Historical Fiction Romance Sailing Africa

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All stars
Most relevant  
The actor did well, but I had to adjust my headphones constantly due to bad soundmixing whenever the actor changed character.

Great Story, bad sound edit

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A thoroughly enjoyable read and didn't want it to end. highly recommended pure literature 5 stars

Great read

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would definitely recommend this. Fascinating historical novel.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sacred Hunger?

The realisation of what had happened to the people on board the Liverpool Merchant.

Have you listened to any of David Rintoul’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I've always admired him as an actor - the best Mr Darcy! I haven't listened to any other books but will definitely look out for more.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A shameful past.

Any additional comments?

A worthy Booker winner.

Brilliantly narrated

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This book did two things for me. it really brought home the horror if the slave trade, and the misery, not only of the people put into slavery, but of the sailors who worked on the slave ships. It is not just about the wrongs of slavery though. The book also explored the range of human motivation, from the pursuit of profit to jealousy and misplaced blame, to selfish calculation and the danger of not thinking through the potential consequences of one's actions.
A good book if you want lots of ideas to think about.

A book about slavery and human nature

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I think that this is a great novel, which is significantly enhanced by the narration. I can't fault it - I enjoyed it as much as Wolf Hall.

Top notch historical fiction

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Great story! Intriguing and varied characters, surprising storyline and utterly entertaining. Superb narrator. Loved it!

Brilliant and captivating

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Great story. Kept me gripped from start to finish. Thank you. More David Rintoul reads needed.

The narrator was brilliant. A good audiobook needs a good actor reading it to make it a great read.

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this book because the story is gripping, as well as historically very interesting. The narrator is excellent, as he always is.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sacred Hunger?

Just so many good moments - probably the descriptions of life for a slave in the galleys

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The description of life in the jungle for the survivors.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of one of the main characters quite early on.

Any additional comments?

David Rintoul is a superb narrator, well worth looking for other books he covers.

Excellent story, superb narration.

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What a great book. Such a brilliant way of tackling a difficult subject. There are moments of comedy, moments of pain, hope, sadness, and moments that are difficult to listen to. As an Englishman this is my shameful past, and this book helps me to understand why and how the slave trade took place. The craziness of the backstory of the little play is a great method of showing the mindset of the time. I recommend that you listen to this book.

Entertaining, upsetting, educational

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This is tough going. I like to listen in bed but all of a sudden the narrator gets all excited and starts doing different voices but at a much louder volume than he was using. I'm 90 minutes in and I'm sick of having to constantly adjust the volume. I've heard the narrator read other books and this was not a problem, but for some reason he gets very excited and a bit too keen with this one.

Suddenly so loud then so quiet.

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