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Summer Half
- Narrated by: Penelope Freeman
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's summary
A captivating comic novel from Angela Thirkell's much-loved 1930s Barsetshire series: trainee barrister Colin Keith makes an ill-advised foray into teaching at Southbridge School.
To his parents' dismay, Colin Keith - out of the noble but misplaced sense of duty peculiar to high-minded young university graduates - chooses to quit his training for the Bar and take a teaching job at Southbridge School.
Little does Colin imagine that he will count among his pupils the demon in human form known as Tony Morland; or that the master's ravishing, feather-brained daughter Rose will, with her flights of fancy and many admirers, spread chaos throughout school and village. Humorous, high-spirited and cleverly observed, Summer Half is a comic delight.
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Story
Jerusha Abbott is the oldest orphan in the John Grier Home. Every day she helps scrub and dress the younger children - all 97 of them. Soon she will graduate from high school and be on her own. Where will she go, and how will she support herself? When an anonymous wealthy donor decides to send her to college, Jerusha can hardly believe her good fortune. All she must do in return is send him a letter once a month. With all the excitement of college life - classes, parties, new friends, and a special gentleman - Jerusha can hardly stop writing!
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Delightful
- By Greg and Sara Masarik on 04-06-15
By: Jean Webster
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The Best of Jeeves and Wooster
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: Kevin Theis
- Length: 23 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Collected here are eleven of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster short stories (comprising all of the Jeeves tales from "Carry On, Jeeves" and "My Man Jeeves") as well as the complete novels Right Ho, Jeeves and The Inimitable Jeeves. Along with Jeeves and Bertie, we are introduced to an entire cast of beloved Wodehouse characters: Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, Bingo Little, James "Corky" Corcoran, Tuppy and Honoria Glossop, Rockmetteller Todd, and the terrifying and bombastic Aunt Agatha.
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Icky, Icky, Icky Pooh
- By Cenobite on 06-20-22
By: P. G. Wodehouse
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A Handful of Dust
- By: Evelyn Waugh
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Evelyn Waugh's 1934 novel is a bitingly funny vision of aristocratic decadence in England between the wars. It tells the story of Tony Last, who, to the irritation of his wife, is inordinately obsessed with his Victorian Gothic country house and life. When Lady Brenda Last embarks on an affair with the worthless John Beaver out of boredom with her husband, she sets in motion a sequence of tragicomic disasters that reveal Waugh at his most scathing.
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Slow Start then Subtle
- By Michael on 05-16-15
By: Evelyn Waugh
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Lord Peter Wimsey: Novels 1-3
- By: Dorothy L. Sayers
- Narrated by: Graham Scott
- Length: 26 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The first three mysteries for Dorothy L. Sayers' aristocratic sleuth: first, a body is discovered in a Battersea bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez, on the same night that financier Sir Reuben Levy disappears from his Park Lane home. Then, Wimsey returns to England when his brother, the Duke of Denver, is accused of murdering the fiance of their sister, Lady Mary, and a trial in the House of Lords looms; and finally, an overheard conversation in a restaurant begins an investigation of the strangely premature death of wealthy and terminally ill old lady Miss Agatha Dawson.
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Love Lord Peter
- By Mav's mom on 10-16-24
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Of Human Bondage
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 28 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Of Human Bondage is one of the greatest novels of modern times, and it is certainly Maugham's greatest achievement. It was published in 1914, when Maugham was at the height of his creative powers. The story concerns Philip Carey, afflicted at birth with a club foot, and his passionate search for truth in a cruel world. We follow his growth to manhood, his educational progress, his first loves, and the wrenching tragedies and disappointments that life has in store for him. In some of the finest prose of the 20th century, Maugham has presented us with the timeless story of one man's search for the meaning of life.
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Greatly Unsettling
- By Michael on 10-04-14
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The Enchanted April
- By: Elizabeth von Arnim
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a journey of both escape and discovery for four exquisitely different women, a month of bliss and privacy for four weary souls. Their refuge on the Italian Riviera provides the perfect backdrop for a story about the search for spiritual harmony within and without.
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Excellent book, excellent narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 02-26-05
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The Go-Between
- By: L. P. Hartley
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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During the long, hot summer of 1900, young Leo Colston is invited to stay for a month at a lordly, aristocratic manor in Norfolk. There he falls in love with his friend's older sister, who commissions him to ferry secret messages to the local farmer, her lover. His naiveté sustains their affair until ultimately leading to an event that will change their lives irrevocably.
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Great walk back in time.
- By Linda Ward on 01-19-17
By: L. P. Hartley
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Cakes and Ale
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: James Saxon
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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When Cakes and Ale was first published in 1930 it roused a storm of controversy, since many people imagined they recognised portraits of literary figures now no more. It is the novel for which Maugham wished to be remembered.
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Delightful
- By RueRue on 04-22-16
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The Complete Mapp and Lucia, Volume 1
- By: E. F. Benson
- Narrated by: Georgina Sutton
- Length: 26 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Sharply observant and wickedly funny, E.F. Benson's six Mapp and Lucia novels satirize the upper-middle-class social climbers in 1920s and '30s rural England. Games of bridge and cups of tea fuel hilarious gossip and vindictive plots a-plenty. It is a masterfully sustained spotlight on the minutiae of village life - a clever and ultimately heart-warming series that seems tailor-made for audio. Volume 1 contains the first three books.
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At last!
- By Grace M-T on 06-15-21
By: E. F. Benson
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The Town House
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Juliet Prague, Martyn Read
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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"It was in the first week of October in the year 1391 that I first came face to face with the man who owned me… the man whose lightest word was to us, his villeins, weightier than the King’s law or the edicts of our Holy Father…” So began the story of Martin Reed - a serf whose resentment of the automatic rule of his feudal lord finally flared into open defiance.
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Another winner by Norah Lofts
- By Bird Lady 147 on 10-03-17
By: Norah Lofts
What listeners say about Summer Half
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Beth B
- 10-22-18
Humour and irony
Obviously written in the thirties before the war, it is a window into the lives of various people, both rich and poor. It is a life that stopped during and after the war.
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1 person found this helpful
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- robert d gregory
- 03-09-16
Guilty Pleasure!
Would you consider the audio edition of Summer Half to be better than the print version?
Yes, the reader was wonderful and does the different voices of kids and adults, schoolmasters and servants, clever people and fatheads, so well I laughed 3x as much as I would have reading it for myself
What other book might you compare Summer Half to and why?
Not quite Barbara Pym but definitely Anthony Trollope as Thirkell herself thought, given she named the area Barsetshire.
Which scene was your favorite?
The one where Rose, the spoiled brat, throws a tantrum upstairs, while her father and her fiancé are downstairs discussing the engagement and trying to be serious, ignoring her cheering and the moment when a bath sponge flies out the window
If you could rename Summer Half, what would you call it?
The novel I wished I'd read before I thought I was in love at 16
Any additional comments?
Wonderful reader! If only she'd do Barbara Pym (or Jane Austen for that matter).
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2 people found this helpful
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- Alexandra S. Evans
- 12-06-20
Wonderful
Absolutely wonderful story and performance. I highly recommend whether a thirkill fan or first time reading her works.
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- James
- 09-05-18
Pleasing comedy of bygone England
Essentially a comedy of manners with stock characters, enlivened by the school setting and occasional wit. The narrator gives a finely modulated performance, adroitly catching both female and male voices. The novel does not rise above the ordinary but it’s an entertaining piece nonetheless. Excellent bedtime or mid-afternoon listening.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suea
- 08-18-16
Charming and light, just the way I like it
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, especially for light reading or going to sleep by
What was one of the most memorable moments of Summer Half?
The family interaction over the cleaning of the pond
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Way, way, way too fast! What was she in such a hurry about? A few of the characters spoke extra slowly but these were few and far between and way too slow. Pace is really important to my enjoyment of a book. I found the narrator irritating because of her speed. I had to pay extra attention just to maintain my understanding of the story which detracted from my enjoyment. I won't listen to this reader again.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. It was easy to pick up whenever I needed to.
Any additional comments?
This is not heavy, engrossing material but it is entertaining and offers a look into another world, another time, hardly Jane Austen but a worthwhile read for me.
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3 people found this helpful
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- TX lilbit
- 06-11-20
Love this
One of my favorite cosy books. Angela Thirkell writes boys so well. By today's standards the tween to teenage boys in this book seem really innocent, but it makes sense in the context of the era and prep and public schools, etc. Narrator Penelope Freeman gets Angela Thirkell's humor so well!! The different voices/characters are fantastic. I wish Hatchett would have her do more similar novels, Barbara Pym's especially. Unfortunately the other books she's narrated don't appeal to me, and I can't help thinking they waste her comic talent.
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1 person found this helpful
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- uptowngirl
- 08-11-19
Very funny and accurate accents by this narrator.
The narrator does the Barsetshire world of Angela Thirkell, and its between the wars life in country society in England, a tremendous favor by adding wonderfully funny but accurate accents. In particular, the school boys are perfectly delineated and add a great deal of enjoyment to this period piece.
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- Douglas
- 08-24-16
I Have Taught College English...
for twenty six years, and I have to say Thirkell captures every comical nuance of the teaching profession in this charming novel of the "accidental professor. " Goodbye Mr. Chips after a few shots of scotch.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 02-13-19
Thirkell makes me laugh.
Her characters are so much fun. Please bring more of her books to Audible; I own all the current list and listen to them when I need stress relief.
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- Van Daviss
- 10-03-18
The narrator ruins the story
This book is a charming, light comedy of manners. The reader is the worst of any Audible book I have heard. She makes all women and girls speak in a squeaky, babyish voice, regardless of the personalities the author has given them, and she makes all her men sound like little children pretending to be grown-ups. At no time did her voice sound at all natural. I found it so distracting that I stopped listening after about one-third of the book.
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