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Tightrope

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Tightrope

By: Simon Mawer
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

Returned to an England she barely knows and a postwar world she doesn't understand, Marian searches for something on which to ground her life. Family and friends surround her, and a RAF officer attempts to bring her the normality of love and affection, but she is haunted by the guilt of knowing that her contribution to the war helped to develop the atom bomb. Where, in the complexities of peacetime, does her loyalty lie?

©2015 Simon Mawer (P)2015 W F Howes Ltd Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Fiction War

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All stars
Most relevant  
I really enjoyed the previous book but this one is disappointing, I’ve listened to about a quarter of it and I’m not real feeling motivated to finish it. The story seems to jump all over the place and I’m having a hard time keeping track of (or caring enough to keep track of) the plot.

Disappointing

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Well read and written. Captivating and engaging,compelling reading and good storyline. Plot and pace good too
Must say though that I personally loved earlier work by Mawer more when it was raw and less mainstream
This is polished and there's of course nothing wrong with that

Great sequel

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A good female spy story. Quite exciting. I did get a bit confused with first person and third person sometimes though.

A good war story

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Who decided that Gordon Griffin should read this story? His ancient creaking voice with its infuriating upwards inflexions towards the end of sentences drove me mad.

I'm afraid it coloured the whole experience of this book and I couldn't wait for it to end and for him to shut up. Shouldn't it have been read by a woman anyway?

Pretty sure I would have enjoyed the story more on the page! Anything would have been better than listening to him.

Will definitely avoid GG as narrator in the future. Do authors have any say in who reads their work, I wonder?

Could have been better

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I liked the book, but it was not as satisfying as its predecessor, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. This may have been because of the irritating style of the narrator. He had a strange intonation, taking a sentence down and up again at the end of a sentence, sometimes even within the last word. This was especially so with male characters, and particularly with Fawley. Also, his French accent was awful. I would have enjoyed reading this book more than listening to it.

Mixed feelings

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I know what other reviewers meant about the narration. Truly grating...the inflexions at the end of sentences was pretty irritating. Not one I could listen to for long periods. His voice changed the compelling heroine of Girl who Fell from the Sky into a simpering floosie...

Overall, it was one way to wrap up the life of Marian but a bit disappointing, for her as much as me! I almost wish I hadn't picked it up.

On the fence about a sequel that didn't need writing?

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Where does Tightrope rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Would have been right up there for Simon Mawer's writing, but the narration let it down

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tightrope?

Too many to list

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator nearly lost me at the beginning with his pronunciation of Vevey (Vee-vee) but I stuck with him...unfortunately it didn't improve. Worst of all was his whispery voice for Marian. I understand he had to make a distinction between her and the other (mainly male) characters, but whispery is sooooo not Marian - she's feisty, courageous and confident in her own considerable abilities

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I bought this as I loved Simon Mawer's The Girl who Fell from the Sky, and wanted to see what happened to Marian. His writing and characterisation are superb, just a pity they didn't stick with the same narrator for Tightrope

Great book, irritating narrator

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What made the experience of listening to Tightrope the most enjoyable?

Being able to pick up Marian Sutro's story from where the previous book finished. I Like Simon Mawer's writing style his characters are believable and it is interesting as the plot moves from the end of WW2 to the early part of the Cold War

What did you like best about this story?

Marian Sutro,she is a survivor, hardened by her SOE training & working undercover in France, her experience of prison,the Gestapo & the concentration camps.She remains true to herself, clinging to the wreckage of what's left of her personality, trying to do what she thinks is right and using what she has been taught to achieve this. I suspect many of the SOE agents returned psychologically scarred by their experiences, not all were feted, Simon Mawer has done a good job of showing what it was like for just one of them.

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

Marian leaving the cottage in the middle of the night, with the intent of killing herself, to put an end to the suffering caused by her experiences.

Any additional comments?

Listen to The Girl Who Fell From The Sky before listening to Tightrope. They are both excellent books.

Excellent sequel to The Girl Who Fell From The Sky

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While not living up to the standard to The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, this is an interesting tale listen which shines a light on the challenges of adjusting to post war reality.

Good post war tale

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