A Perfect Narration

Well done Swan Barrett for taking the trouble to do the research and pronounce Swedish words and place names correctly. It greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the story. Tack så mycket!

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1 person found this helpful

Struggled with this one

I have always enjoyed Mankells books but to be honest I struggled with this one. I finished it but have been left with an unsatisified and somewhat depressed feeling - it seems death just invades the whole book and even the wonderful reading of Sean Barrett does not lift the dark atmosphere.

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The characters hold you at arms length

It is hard to warm to them as they are too involved in trying to find themselves. But in no way does this stop you thoroughly enjoying this well constructed and intriguing tale. You end up becoming seduced by these irritating characters. I find Henning Mankell a welcome addition to my audible family of authors, even if he is a frustrating one.

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Heavy going but worth hanging in for

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not exactly a light and airy book but then again I wouldn't expect that from Henning Mankell. In the end I was caring for the characters and rooting for them which is a good sign for a book of this demeanour.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have made it lighter, but then again I haven't sold a book, Henning has sold millions so something works.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

I would, probably on my own though.

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Bleak!

Would you try another book written by Henning Mankell or narrated by Sean Barrett?

I have listened to all the Wallander books available, and love the stories and Sean Barrett's narration. Sean Barrett read this book as well as usual and I did listen until the end to find out what happened. I enjoyed the fist part of the book and was interested in the main characters, but as the book went on I just found the whole thing far too bleak. I think was was to do with not liking or empathising with any of the characters enough. All in all, a depressing experience!

Would you ever listen to anything by Henning Mankell again?

Yes

Which character – as performed by Sean Barrett – was your favourite?

All of them, bar this one!

Did Italian Shoes inspire you to do anything?

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1 person found this helpful

beautiful life story

fabulous narrator and story. interesting characters throughout and the places they go to. Love it.

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A different kind of story

I enjoyed this book. It wasn't what I expected. The characters were interesting. The description of his island were good. The main character isn't a hero or a particularly good man but there is an honesty about him and he's likeable.

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Just beautiful

Love, loss, life.... compelling listening. Who knew life on a quiet island could be so mesmerising!

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I wanted to cry...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book is on a different level from Wallander, it is well constructed, and thought through. Sean Barrett is a supreme deliverer of Mankells prose, however the theme is somewhat depressing, as it seems to revolve around death.
It wasn't helped by the lack of a plot, we just drifted through the book, wondering how our hero would resolve his life. He started out on his island in self imposed exile, missed great chunks of his life whilst he was there stewing in his self pity, missed out on his daughters childhood, blaming his girlfriend because she hadn't told him she had had his child, though why he had expected that, is beyond me as he had basically walked out on her with no explanation.
The dots of his life begin connecting after the long suffering girlfriend arrives at his island, terminally ill and through this encounter he meets his daughter, and we discover why he has run away to the island all those years ago.
So it drifts on, all the time the greyness of the Scandinavian winter swirls around us, and the gloom descends.
I felt encumbered by gloom and thoughts of my own mortality began to creep into my thoughts whilst listening,so much so I turned off the audio, so I could return to the sunshine.
The book is well written, and I love Sean Barrett's delivery, but I just wanted to cry.

If you’ve listened to books by Henning Mankell before, how does this one compare?

A great disappointment

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Sean Barrett has a deep melodic voice. Apart from that if I was reading this book I would struggle with pronouncing names and places, which would frustrate me.

Could you see Italian Shoes being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No it would be very depressing and probably account for a number of suicides.

Any additional comments?

It hasn't put me off Henning Mankell, I just think that he must have written this book when he himself was facing a crisis of his own.

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2 people found this helpful

Outstanding

An amazing, ethereall, thought provoking book. Very different from any Walander novels, but something of the tone carries over. Outstanding narration also.

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