A Kestrel for a Knave cover art

A Kestrel for a Knave

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A Kestrel for a Knave

By: Barry Hines
Narrated by: Gareth Bennett Ryan
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About this listen

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a troubled teenager growing up in the small Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school, and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk.

Billy identifies with her silent strength, and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can, discovering through her the passion missing from his life.

Barry Hines' acclaimed novel continues to reach new generations of teenagers and adults with its powerful story of survival in a tough, joyless world.

©1999 Barry Hines (P)2016 Isis Publishing Ltd Classics Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mining

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All stars
Most relevant  
What an amazing novel. RIP Barry Hines you deserve the world. I wish you could see the impact of this book and hope your family well.

Breathtaking

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I haven't read this since I was at school in the 1970's and I recently rewatched the film and downloaded the book. I appreciated the story and the social history so much more than I did in my youth. I would recommend others who studied it at O Level GCSE do the same.

A childhood memory brought back to life

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A wonderful story which when faced with harsh realities of life descends into sad and poor
Choices.

Rural Encounters Reality.

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Would you listen to A Kestrel for a Knave again? Why?

Yes because I love this book

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Kestrel for a Knave?

When mr farthing watched billy fly the hawk and the sports teacher mr sugdens football game

What does Gareth Bennett Ryan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Great accents

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's sad in places but a great listen

Any additional comments?

No

Great book and film

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Loved this book when I read it at school. Listen again….I feel so bad for billy, his pain is contagious.

Brilliant, must be read

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this takes me back to English literature at school in the mid 90s where we consumed all the classics, I wish this could have been one of them., it's so well written I felt as though I could relate to how the pe teacher would treat the less able kids,.how harsh life can be as a lonely kid growing up under difficult circumstances but finding amongst all the myre an outlet that have him some enjoyment. i hope the author Barry reads these reviews on Amazon and cherishes them as this is a true classic up there with Angela's ashes or of mice and men...

I've not read literature since school

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Just wow. I've just finished this and I have to applaud, not just this beautiful book, but also, the narration. The narration was just perfect. Absolutely perfect. I finished it in two sittings and I'm positive that it will stick in my mind for a long time from now. It has made its way into my top five favourite books.

Just Wow

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Poor Billy, what a lad. Great story, well narrated and nice to have the notes at the end

A brilliant story

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Great book couldn’t listening did this for GCSE discovered the narration through Graham Norton’s book club

Jonathan

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I first watched Kes when the school TV was wheeled during my last year of Prinary School, and the syory of Billy and Kes has stuck with me ever since. Brought up in tge North of England during the mid 70's what we watched that day just seemed normal and thirty year's during the age of mobile phones and social media I made both my children watch Kes too. they both loved it, and I hope that when the time comes, Kes will ve watched by my grandchildren too.

Better than the film

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