
The Devil's Own Work: Valancourt 20th Century Classics
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Narrated by:
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Matt Godfrey
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By:
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Alan Judd
About this listen
After Edward, a rising young author, pens a savage review of the new novel by the world-famous O.M. Tyrell, he is surprised to receive an invitation to visit the old man at his villa in the south of France. The night of their meeting, Tyrell dies, and soon after, Edward's career mysteriously starts to soar as he earns fame, fortune and critical acclaim. But despite his achievements, Edward seems haunted, even tormented. His friend, the narrator, begins to put together the pieces of the story: an ancient, inscrutable manuscript, a beautiful, ageless woman who attaches herself to any writer who possesses it, and a bargain to achieve success at a terrible price....
Winner of Britain's prestigious Guardian Fiction Prize, Alan Judd's modern classic The Devil's Own Work (1991) is, as Owen King writes in the new introduction to this edition, "a perfect novel about the demonic possession that is literary ambition." This edition also features a new afterword by the author, in which he reveals the inspirations for this haunting tale.
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The Unsettled Dust
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Critic reviews
"At once moral fable, cautionary ghost story and inspired attack on the whole hellbent drift of modern letters, this is a splendid tale, splendidly told, which Ford or Henry James would have been glad to have written." - Robert Nye, Guardian
"Wry and insightful...toys with the notion of demonic possession but becomes a thoroughly realistic and highly original story of revenge; a chilling cautionary tale." - Elaine Kendall, Los Angeles Times
"A brief return to the world of Faust, Mephistopheles and the Devil pact. Mr. Judd...achieves a deep polish." - Robert Grudin, The New York Times Book Review
Beautifully written!
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Unexpected pleasure
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I listened to this one on audio and as usual, Matt Godfrey nailed it. I don’t think I have ever listened to anything narrated by Matt that wasn’t done supremely well. Of course, it helps when the story is great as well but sometimes narration can elevate the experience. Well done, sir.
As far as the story itself, I loved it. It was subtle and sinister and brooding and much darker than the words on the page. Plus, I’m a sucker for stories about nefarious old book and manuscripts.
Subtle, sinister and brooding
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Short but great
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Listener received this title free
Great performance of captivating novella!
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Interesting Novella
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Great performance mediocre story
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