Golden Hill Audiobook By Francis Spufford cover art

Golden Hill

A Novel of Old New York

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Golden Hill

By: Francis Spufford
Narrated by: Sarah Borges
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  • Winner of the Costa First Novel Award
  • Winner of the RSL Ondaatje Prize
  • Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize
  • Named "Novel of the Year" by the UK'S Sunday Times

The spectacular first novel from acclaimed nonfiction author Francis Spufford follows the adventures of a mysterious young man in mid-18th century Manhattan, 30 years before the American Revolution.

New York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan island, 1746. One rainy evening in November, a handsome young stranger fresh off the boat arrives at a countinghouse door on Golden Hill Street: This is Mr. Smith, amiable, charming, yet strangely determined to keep suspicion shimmering. For in his pocket, he has what seems to be an order for a thousand pounds, a huge sum, and he won't explain why, or where he comes from, or what he is planning to do in the colonies that requires so much money. Should the New York merchants trust him? Should they risk their credit and refuse to pay? Should they befriend him, seduce him, arrest him...maybe even kill him?

Rich in language and historical perception yet compulsively listenable, Golden Hill is a story "taut with twists and turns" that "keeps you gripped until its tour-de-force conclusion" (The Times, London). Spufford paints an irresistible picture of a New York provokingly different from its later metropolitan self but already entirely a place where a young man with a fast tongue can invent himself afresh, fall in love - and find a world of trouble.

©2017 Francis Spufford (P)2017 S&S Audio Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

“Nothing short of a masterpiece.” ( The Guardian)
All stars
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The mystery of "Richard Smith," a young man who shows up in mid-18th-century New York City with a £1000 check is examined over the course of this novel. Along the way there is romance, swordplay, double-dealing (with a feud between the colonial legislature and governor that mirrors the Obama-Congress stalemate of recent years). It almost seems Shakespearean.

Good narration, even better tale

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...if you like a tale where the hero meets with one calamity after another, is insulted and wronged and never takes his recompense, then this book is for you. Nicely written and well-read, it nevertheless has a plot that disappoints.

Well...

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If you could sum up Golden Hill in three words, what would they be?

Unique, historic, delightful

What did you like best about this story?

The use of period language and tone-- shades of Tristan Shandy.

Which scene was your favorite?

The staging of Cato the Elder

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

The machinations behind the relationship between Smith and Tabitha

Any additional comments?

Terrific reader-- granted a a dozen or so words were mispronounced but the reading was brilliant nevertheless!

Immensely Engaging and Craetive

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Would you listen to Golden Hill again? Why?

The story is intricate, and involving. I loved the evocation of pre-revolutionary New York.

What does Sarah Borges bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her narrative and vocal skills are extraordinary

What a delightful surprise!

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I've been reading reviews of this book that claim it's some kind of literary such and such, but I don't see it. The reader makes the whole book seem pompous, affected, and strangely effeminate. I did enjoy some particularly well-written tidbits and I liked what history there was, although I felt it to be more, but I'm not sure that the story is truly there, and it certainly in no way a literary marvel. It is a good fun read and it's sad that others have played it up to be more than what it is.

Ehh.

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I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, and found the conceit of hiding Smith's identity and mission throughout the book annoying rather than intriguing. And I agree with other reviewers who found the narration weak and the editing sloppy - there were a lot of mispronunciations, and I found the dialogue overly dramatic, at the expense of clarity. For example, I played Septimus's final words over and over again, and never could understand them. Overall, I think the book might have been a better read than listen.

So-so story, so-so narration

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If you could sum up Golden Hill in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, engaging, informative

What was one of the most memorable moments of Golden Hill?

An unexpected bedroom scene in very old New York

What about Sarah Borges’s performance did you like?

Believable dialogue among many characters

If you could rename Golden Hill, what would you call it?

Below Fourteenth Street

Any additional comments?

If only early-American history were always taught this way.

Time Travel

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The reader mispronounced so many words! Half the time she called the character “Joris” “Horus” and half the time “Yoris”. She pronounced “amour” as “armor”, “minute” (as in small) as “minute” (as in 60 seconds)…I could provide many other examples of mispronounced words. It was distracting. Where was the director? Not great.

So many mistakes…

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Love, love, love everything about this book! The characters, the story, the history, the imagination and the soul.
The reader is perfect!

Thanks for such a gift!

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I won't elaborate too much. The headline says it all. I really liked Francis Spufford's book, GOLDEN HILL, but to endure hours of the relentlessly colorless voice of limited expressive range plus the reader's droning tempo was a very large price to pay to complete this reading.

Another Great Book Nearly Wrecked by Reader

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