The Bachelors
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Narrated by:
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Nadia May
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By:
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Muriel Spark
About this listen
First found contentedly chatting in their London clubs and shopping at Fortnum's, the cozy bachelors are not set to stay cozy for long. Soon enough, the men are variously tormented - defrauded, stolen from, blackmailed, or pressed to attend horrid séances - and then plunged, all together, into the nastiest of lawsuits. At the center of that suit hovers pale, blank Patrick Seton, the medium.
Meanwhile, horrors of every size plague the poor bachelors - from epileptic fits to forgeries, spiritualists foaming with protoplasm, and murder - and each horror delights, lit up by Spark's uncanny wit, at once malicious, funny, and deadly serious.
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Critic reviews
"One of the most decisive and unmistakable voices in contemporary fiction....Spark concocts a present-tense deadpan that is at once lyrical, extravagant, and gruesomely funny." ( The New Yorker)
"Incomparable reader May's gentle British accent perfectly animates The Bachelors, a novel of sophisticated wit." ( Booklist)
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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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The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 3: End of the Chapter
- By: John Galsworthy
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 30 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The third volume of this gripping family saga, End of the Chapter, shifts to the Cherrells - cousins of the Forsytes by marriage. Young Dinny Cherrell in particular cherishes their ancestral home, Condaford Grange, which represents stability in a rapidly changing world. Through his depiction of the lives and loves of this family, Galsworthy throws a brilliant spotlight on the social and political upheavals of the 1930s.
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Very enjoyable
- By Jonathan Kalkstein on 11-28-22
By: John Galsworthy
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High Rising
- A Virago Modern Classic
- By: Angela Thirkell, Alexander McCall Smith - introduction
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son, Tony, set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbor, George Knox, has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village.
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Beginning of a journey
- By Jerri C on 11-04-16
By: Angela Thirkell, and others
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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
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The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Hugh Fraser, Christopher Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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A murder trial takes a diabolical turn when the wife of the accused takes the stand.... A woman's sixth sense - and a loaded revolver - signal premonitions of doom.... A stranded motorist seeks refuge in a remote mansion and is greeted with a dire warning.... Detective Hercule Poirot faces his greatest challenge when his services are enlisted - by the victim - in a bizarre locked-room murder.
From the stunning title story (which inspired the classic film thriller) to the rarest gems in detective fiction, these eleven tales of baffling crime and brilliant deduction showcase Agatha Christie at her dazzling best.
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Did not enjoy listening to Christopher Lee.
- By ButterflyRose on 06-05-19
By: Agatha Christie
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The Secret Adversary & N or M?
- Two Bestselling Agatha Christie Novels in One Great Audiobook
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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From the brilliant pen of Agatha Christie comes two novels featuring the beloved sleuthing duo: In the The Secret Adversary, Tommy and Tuppence decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd. But they get more than they bargained for when their first assignment for the sinister Mr. Whittington draws them into a diabolical conspiracy. Set during the dark days of World War II, Agatha Christie’s N or M? puts two most unlikely espionage agents, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, on the trail of a pair of Nazi spies who have murdered Britain’s top agent.
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Hugh Fraser is great!
- By Cheryl McInerney on 09-06-22
By: Agatha Christie
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A Place of Greater Safety
- By: Hilary Mantel
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 33 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1789, and three young provincials have come to Paris to make their way. Georges-Jacques Danton, an ambitious young lawyer, is energetic, pragmatic, debt-ridden - and hugely but erotically ugly. Maximilien Robespierre, also a lawyer, is slight, diligent, and terrified of violence. His dearest friend, Camille Desmoulins, is a conspirator and pamphleteer of genius. A charming gadfly, erratic and untrustworthy, bisexual and beautiful, Camille is obsessed by one woman and engaged to marry another, her daughter.
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Disaster
- By Frank Dudley Berry Jr. on 08-01-13
By: Hilary Mantel
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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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Cold Hand in Mine
- By: Robert Aickman
- Narrated by: Reece Shearsmith
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Cold Hand in Mine stands as one of Aickman's best collections and contains eight stories that show off his powers as a 'strange story' writer to the full. The listener is introduced to a variety of characters, from a man who spends the night in a Hospice to a German aristocrat and a woman who sees an image of her own soul. There is also a nod to the conventional vampire story ("Pages from a Young Girl's Journal") but all the stories remain unconventional and inconclusive, which perhaps makes them all the more startling and intriguing.
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Aickman is unique
- By Stark on 08-19-23
By: Robert Aickman
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The Jewel in the Crown
- The Raj Quartet, Book 1
- By: Paul Scott
- Narrated by: Richard Brown
- Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The first volume in Paul Scott's historical tour-de-force opens in 1942 as the British fear both Japanese invasion and Indian demands for self-rule. In the Mayapore gardens, Daphne Manners, daughter of the provincial governor, leaves her Indian lover, who will soon be arrested for her alleged rape.
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Superb writing, subverted by spiritless narration
- By mgale on 10-13-10
By: Paul Scott
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Dying in the Wool
- A Kate Shackleton Mystery, Book 1
- By: Frances Brody
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Bridgestead is a peaceful spot: a babbling brook, rolling hills, and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens...until the day that Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite goes missing under dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. Now Joshua's daughter is getting married and wants to make one last attempt at finding her father. Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua's mysterious disappearance?
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Fluff & Nonsense
- By Sara on 01-03-15
By: Frances Brody
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please please try again
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please please try again
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What listeners say about The Bachelors
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Frances
- 11-16-14
A perfect reading
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, I'd recommend it to someone who likes stylish funny unsentimental British fiction. The meticulously rendered seedy London mid-twentieth century setting and the many diverse characters make it a joy to listen to.
What did you like best about this story?
The characters, and the way they were portrayed by the narrator. Some are sympathetic, most are funny, at least one is really quite awful!
Have you listened to any of Nadia May’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've listened to several others. They're always good, including this one.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, it was hard to put it aside.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommended!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-29-21
Wonderful
A somewhat different but very entertaining story and as always, read perfectly by Nadia May!
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1 person found this helpful
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- MaryAnn
- 04-12-17
Captivating plot
I felt as though I was living in London in the 1940's. This author should get much more attention than she does Currently.
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1 person found this helpful
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- M. J. Walsh
- 06-17-20
Rewards patience
An uneven, sometimes puzzling book, that starts slowly but rewards patience. Set in London in the 1950s, it tells an interlocking story about a group of bachelor men living in genteel bedsitters and the entanglement of some of them with the world of fly-by-night spiritualism.
Outwardly the book is black comedy in a minor key and it becomes very amusing once the characters blossom. There are moments early on when tedium threatens, but later there is much to enjoy. It may be that the narrative is also attempting some kind of biblical allegory but, if so, it is far from clear.
A fine reading of another unusual novel from Spark.
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4 people found this helpful
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- MClassics
- 05-13-18
Good suspenseful telling of a crime and trial.
Loved Nadia May's telling. She manages to cross all social classes, occupations, sexes, to provide an all knowing, ironic delivery, as if Muriel Spark herself was telling the tale.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mo
- 09-01-22
Give it a try
Another book that I decided to give a chance because it is part of the audible free catalog and I'm glad I did.
The book was published in 1960 and yet it doesn't feel dated. This isn't because Spark was creating modern, forward-thinking characters but rather it's because she paints them with such a cynical eye. The book is very character driven and, in spite of her cynicism, I think the author liked some of these characters. I think that's what keeps the book from getting too dark.
I personally enjoyed being immersed in her version of London in the 1950s (although I don't think she specifies the date).
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Overall
- connie
- 04-22-09
philosophical black comedy
- expressed through description of actions and morality of mostly male singles in late 50s urban British setting. This novel is mostly dialogue and so reads like a play. Even though most of the characters are male, Nadia May seems a fitting narrator for the overall (and often ironic) tone of the book.
Similar to the more contemporary Ian McEwan's "Amsterdam," this is a reflection on responsibility, deception, and self-deception (individual and group). It's far from a light comedy, though there are laughs.
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5 people found this helpful
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- John H. Crater
- 02-10-21
One of the very best novels
Wow. If only you could find a novel like this every day. If only everybody read a book as well as Nadia May! The characters are just great, the plot flies long, it’s that kind of humor that runs along steadily just below the level of laughing out loud.
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- R. Klein
- 08-11-21
Maybe I missed something...?
The book didn't live up to the reviews for me. I had a tough time recognizing which character was which, mostly because they didn't hold my interest. The book is mostly dialog, and there were times I wondered if I'd missed a chapter because suddenly the scene was completely changed.
Who's speaking now!? What are they talking about? Whose side are they on?
I've listened to a few other of Spark's books. Sometimes it took a while for the story to really come into focus for me. I enjoyed the others more than I did this one. Just didn't much hold my interest. But I held out until the bitter end. Still didn't really care much about any of the characters, or capture the inner relevance of the events.
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