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Small Island
- Narrated by: Andrea Levy
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
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Small Island
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Publisher's Summary
Small Island by best-selling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction, as well as many other awards, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread. Now a major BBC drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris, its enduring appeal will captivate fans of Maya Angelou and Zadie Smith.
It is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh's neighbours do not approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but Queenie doesn't know when her husband will return, or if he will come back at all. What else can she do?
Gilbert Joseph was one of the several thousand Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight against Hitler. Returning to England as a civilian he finds himself treated very differently. It's desperation that makes him remember a wartime friendship with Queenie and knock at her door.
Gilbert's wife Hortense, too, had longed to leave Jamaica and start a better life in England. But when she joins him she is shocked to find London shabby, decrepit, and far from the golden city of her dreams. Even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was....
What the critics say
'A great read...honest, skilful, thoughtful and important.' ( Guardian)
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What listeners say about Small Island
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- dominique
- 2023-03-02
So well crafted
If you enjoy historical fiction and learning about historical periods through differing perspectives you’ll enjoy this listen. Loved the way time and characters wove together. Loved the narrator and the way she added richness to the text. Loved the way the author wove humour into the harsh reality of the characters lives.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stacey
- 2018-02-24
Wonderful book!
I had read this book a couple of times and loved it, but listening to it made me appreciate it so much more. I noticed things in the audio version that I missed while reading and the characters came so wonderfully to life with the narration. A very rich and rewarding experience.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- VL
- 2021-02-06
Gut wrenching and side splitting
This book is so well performed and the story very engaging. Racism is addressed without explanation or excuse. A must read.
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