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  • Shrines of Gaiety

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Kate Atkinson
  • Narrated by: Jason Watkins
  • Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)

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Shrines of Gaiety

Written by: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Jason Watkins
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Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The #1 internationally bestselling, award-winning author of Life after Life transports us to the dazzling London of the Roaring Twenties in a whirlwind tale of corruption, seduction and debts that have come due.

1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.

The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie's empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho's gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.

With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant and ingeniously plotted, Shrines of Gaiety showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time.

©2022 Kate Atkinson (P)2022 Bond Street Books
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What the critics say

"Breathtaking. . . . A sprawling kaleidoscope of a novel—both giddy and glamorous, despite being rooted in squalor and violence. It's an impressive feat, one which Atkinson achieves with seeming effortlessness. . . . Shrines of Gaiety is truly a buffet of dark delights, all of it handled with Atkinson's light, deft touch." —Toronto Star

"I will read anything this woman writes. Kate Atkinson is simply one of the best writers working today, anywhere in the world. . . . She's a global treasure. . . . [Shrines of Gaiety] is set during Jazz Age London, in all its fizzy madness and desperation of the new, the better, the hustle. Atkinson has a magician's ability to switch a reader's mood within a few paragraphs, and as dark as her stories can get, within them always shines a beacon of humanity." —Gillian Flynn

"A sprawling picaresque. . . . Atkinson vividly conjures the post-Great War London of a century ago. . . . [A] tangible warmth suffuses her storytelling. . . . She remains a keenly sympathetic observer of human foibles, one who can sketch a character in one quicksilver sentence. . . . Light refreshment; a cocktail of fizz and melancholy, generously poured." —The New York Times

What listeners say about Shrines of Gaiety

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I’m so sad this came to an end!

I’ve read a number of Atkinson books and think this has to be my favourite. The storyline is rooted in such an interesting period (postwar 1920s): there is modernity, hope, and glamour. But with all facades there are cracks and we see these through the lives of the characters. Atkinson really knows dialect and social history, and these elements are captured to provide depth in her writing. There were moments I laughed out loud and there were moments of pathos, albeit short lived. This narrative reminded me so much of Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus and another of her novels, Wise Children. Not that it imitates, but it has a similar flavour and appeal of nostalgia. It won’t be long before I listen to this story again, all the while waiting for the next narrative from Atkinson. And, not forgetting the reader! Jason Watkins was a superb reader with an excellent range of accents. Truly fabulous. Thank you for a great experience!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Lively Fun Quick

This is a great story with fun characters mostly up to no good. We are invested in the Cocker family from the very beginning and their trials and tribulations make for great fodder throughout the novel. The narration by Jason Watkins is fantastic. I would gladly listen to another story he narrates.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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A read worth the wait

It took some time to fit the pieces together, but once they solidified I found the book quite compelling. It’s a story, one that is both gritty and kind.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Book Club Selection - Better Than Expected

Between wars London + gangsters not usually my cup of tea but very well drawn characters and well narrated. Worth a listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well crafted, fill of surprises and utterly engrossing

I walked with this story and it made me feel like I was flying. Superbly written and narrated!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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One of Kate Atkinson’s best

I’ve read several of her books but this is the first one I’ve listened to as an audiobook. The combination of the well crafted story and the narrator make one of her best!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Roaring times.

Excellent with a host of great characters and subplots all superbly weaved together. The author's usual York and North Yorkshire connection is here but the action is mostly in 1920s London. The narrator is absolutely brilliant.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed several of the excellent books written by Kate Atkinson but this one is even better! She writes beautifully and deftly incorporates so many coincidences and connections in the storyline. Her chapter endings are beautifully timed, leading the reader into anticipation of what will happen next. I felt that Atkinson was teasing and tantalizing her readers, probably with a bit of mischievous humour as she meted out tidbits of the story one by one. Post WWI England was so vivid, and the narrator, Jason Watkins, did a fantastic job! This was one of my favourite ‘reads’ ever! I couldn’t put it down, longed to find out how it all would end, and then hated for it to be over… although it had a very satisfying ending.
It’s not often that a book is beautifully written in the literary sense, has a riveting plot, and a narrator that is a delight to listen to. Wow!

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Why?

Why would a male narrator be chosen for this book? The characters are mainly women, and the narrator makes them sound winy, dramatic and fake. It's an insult to the book, and to women.

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