
A Mixture of Frailties
The Salterton Trilogy, Book 3
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Narrated by:
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Frederick Davidson
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By:
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Robertson Davies
About this listen
A Mixture of Frailties is so much more than the story of Monica Gall's life in London and her education as a singer. It is an account of her education as a human being, and the result is an absorbing novel, comic in the true sense, vivid and frequently moving.
©1958 Robertson Davies (P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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A Visceral Reaction
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Critic reviews
"It is impudent, amused and amusing, and sterling entertainment." ( New York Times)
"Davies is equally familiar with the world of the Canadian provinces and with that of musical London, and portrays both with rich humor and sympathetic understanding." ( Chicago Tribune)
You Just Never Know
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Davies at his best
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This one was just as well written, but the selfishness of the truly insipid Monica is difficult to tolerate. I much prefer the original Canada characters. I of course know that the artistic selfishness is the point of this book, but hmmmm… it’s not as fun.
Wonderful writing with not so wonderful characters
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The incredible wit, the conversations, dialog and use of vocabulary, all while conveying a riveting story!
Robertson Davies is a treasure!
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Terrific book about becoming an artist
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As with all Davies, many of the characters are extremes, but all are vibrantly human, even the nastiest. The deep humanity of the author who was an actor, editor, professor, dean AND writer shines through.
The plot starts with a nasty joke of a will that leaves the son and daughter-in-law of a formidable and brilliantly vindictive woman with a hundred dollars, a huge house to maintain, and nothing else. However, they will inherit everything when, and only when, they produce a male heir. Meanwhile, the income from her (for the time) huge estate is to help a Canadian woman study "the arts" abroad.
We are shown both the hardships imposed on the young couple left in Salterton and the unexpected good fortune of the young woman chosen to benefit from the legacy. The characters include an "old puss", a churchman, the young couple, the young female singer being trained, a famous conductor, a gifted composer, and numerous others.
The main emphasis is on watching the development of the young singer. We also watch the son develop some backbone and a sense of humor. The incidents combine warm sympathy for the characters, a great sense of the absurd, and a mixture of joy and loss. Since this is not a tragedy, it ends well for the main characters.
The reader is excellent. The writing is excellent. The characters and incidents are enjoyable. Who could ask for anything more?
even better than on paper, and that's saying a lot
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