Troubles Audiobook By J. G. Farrell cover art

Troubles

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Troubles

By: J. G. Farrell
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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J. G. Farrell was born in England and moved to Ireland around the age of 12. Often mistaken for an Irish-born writer, this is mainly because Troubles, the first book of his Empire Trilogy (also including The Siege of Krishnapur and The Singapore Grip) takes a comical yet political and personal look at the realities of the Irish fight for independence against the might of the British Empire.

A listener follows Brendan Archer, a major in the British Army, to County Wicklow in Ireland, where he is supposed to meet the woman he thinks he will marry. When his plans do not turn out quite as he imagined, he decides to stay on at The Majestic - a crumbling coastal hotel - which holds a strange charm and many eccentric, often amusing, inhabitants.

Made into a film for television in 1988, Troubles is an involving and interesting listen, both touching and enthralling.

©1970 CSA Word (P)2008 CSA Word Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction United Kingdom Imperialism British Empire

Critic reviews

"It's humorously and, above all, intelligently read by the peerless Sean Barrett. I'm so grateful to have it... if you've never read Farrell, you're in for a rare treat." ( The Guardian)
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I like all three novels in Farrell's trilogy, but this one, like Woolf's To the Lighthouse, has a perfect structure and is exquisitely written. It is performed admirably.
The story will not be to everyone's liking. It is funny and melancholy at the same time, like other Farrell novels.

A nearly perfect short, lyrical book

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interesting concept and great characters but story jumps all over the place . I won't get another abridged version. would make a great TV series.

okay but jumpy

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I really enjoyed this book .Quite interesting, the way the gradual demise of the characters, house and country intertwined. It was actually very funny in many places. Definitely worth reading. Booker Prize Winner!

VERY entertaining

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This was a very interesting book, the reader’s voice was excellent and Farrell has terrific prose. Yet this is the abridged version so it often feels jumpy or unfinished. This fact should be more clearly stated in the description as I did not realize this until I was nearly finished the book.

Abridged!

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A booker prize winner with another brilliant satire on the British Empire. Often hilarious but also very moving once you understand how clever the book is.

A classic of irony

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