Second Place Audiobook By Rachel Cusk cover art

Second Place

A Novel

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Second Place

By: Rachel Cusk
Narrated by: Kate Fleetwood
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A haunting fable of art, family, and fate from the author of the Outline trilogy.

A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life. But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence itself becomes an enigma - and disrupts the calm of her secluded household.

Second Place, Rachel Cusk’s electrifying new novel, is a study of female fate and male privilege, the geometries of human relationships, and the moral questions that animate our lives. It reminds us of art’s capacity to uplift - and to destroy.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

©2021 Rachel Cusk (P)2021 Macmillan Audio Genre Fiction Magical Realism

Critic reviews

Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year, 2021

The Guardian (UK) Best Books of the Year, 2021

National Book Critics Circle Award - Nominee, 2021

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, 2021

New York Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2021

Vogue Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2021

Man Booker Award - Nominee, 2021

Time Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2021
All stars
Most relevant  
I enjoyed “Second Place” though the only characters that rang true were M, the writer and L the artist. The others were shallow.

The philosophizing was annoying at times, insightful occasionally. I recommend it if only for the exquisite writing. Her picture of paras is Impressionism in English words,

It slows down a bit about 3/4 through but is worth preserving to the end. Don’t think it’ll win the Booker, but for a novel written in these troubled times of Brexit, climate crisis and Covid, it hits the mark though these tragedies are not directly alluded to..

Beautifully executed. Impressionism in words, philosophy in motion

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If you love Rachel Cusk, as I do, you will rejoice in this book of hers. An intriguing and thoughtful story and the narration is outstanding.

Her best book to date…

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Best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. The performance is electrifying and the prose, nourishment for the soul. Must listen!

Incredible!

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The narrator when voicing other characters was like nails on a chalk board. The story was whiny and self indulgent.

Horrible narrator, boring story

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Truly, I expected more from Kate Fleetwood and Audible. This is an annoying performance that brings into view the difficulties of narrating novels. The male voices are all mannered and unpleasant, as if life or novels gave out those cues. The unpleasant L speaks with a drawl, unless he’s using the more menacing croak of the villain in a film made for children. Little is left to the listener’s imagination, when the book itself wants to engage just that faculty.

The problem with Audible

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Oh my God. Thank you Audible algorithm for recommending this to me. But then, it should be obvious that I hang on every word she writes.
Before I downloaded I read a couple of reviews that crabbed about the narration. I don’t see what their problem was.
Interestingly the story takes place during the pandemic, but that formed only the most distant backdrop, alluded to by snippets like, "...now that travel had become less of a problem..."
Fans will not be disappointed: there is the obligatory cringy scene where a man, with the greatest awkwardness, tries to force himself on the POV character.
I never tire of Rachel Cusk's startlingly original turns of phrase coupled with her penetrating wisdom and disarming vulnerability. If you are anything like the fanboy I am don't pass this up.

Rachel Cusk is so brilliant!

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This is an awful performance. I have never had such a visceral reaction to a reader. The voices she adopts for the characters are so exaggerated, especially for the men. it's almost funny, but mostly just annoying. Rachel Cusk deserves better!

Great book, acting fail.

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A bit rambling and boring but the author uses beautiful and precise language which I liked. There is no real plot but I guess that would be a feature and not a bug from this author’s perspective. Nice unromantic view of what might be considered an “impressive” man particularly in contrast to the other characters.

Kind of liked it?

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I think this is one of author’s greatest books ever. It was a pure pleasure…

Amazing book

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It’s interesting to read a book yourself (words on the page) and another to be read to. I’ve read (and listened to) several of Rachel Cusk books - I can hear Cusk’s voice in my head. Listening to this, in my opinion a ridiculously awful narrator is completely ruining it for me. She is getting in the way of the book with her unconvincing voices! yikes

The Narrator is distractingly bad

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