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Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain

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Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain

By: Barney Norris
Narrated by: Claire Skinner, Christopher Benjamin, Hasan Dixon, Joe Jameson, Linda Bassett, James Doherty
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About this listen

There exists in all of us a song waiting to be sung which is as heart-stopping and vertiginous as the peak of the cathedral. That is the meaning of this quiet city, where the spire soars into the blue, where rivers and stories weave into one another, where lives intertwine.

One quiet evening in Salisbury, the peace is shattered by a serious car crash. At that moment, five lives collide - a flower seller, a schoolboy, an army wife, a security guard, a widower - all facing their own personal disasters. As one of those lives hangs in the balance, the stories of all five unwind, drawn together by connection and coincidence into a web of love, grief, disenchantment and hope that perfectly represents the joys and tragedies of small-town life.

©2016 Barney Norris (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt

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All stars
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Really enjoyed listening to the audiobook, the narrator's were fantastic and added so much to the story.

Wonderful novel set in Wiltshire

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Very touching, inducing to soul searching. I feel like reading it again immediately, I probably will. I found myself reflected in so many similar situations and characters.

It certainly touched me, maybe because of my own personal moment.

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There are sections of this book which evidence the author's remarkable insight into people's feelings and fears in a poetic and beautiful way. I found myself rewinding some paragraphs to hear them again because Barney Norris's prose was astute and delightful. I wish I had Barney Norris's ability, thoughtfulness, insight into the human psyche... but I don't. Luckily, authors like Norris are there to express them for me.
The story is really interesting; seen from the different perspectives of five very different characters.
I note from another review that they did not appreciate the swearing. I don't feel that it was utilised gratuitously and was appropriate for that character to say. Perhaps I've had a less sheltered upbringing and see/ hear real life every day.
Barney Norris, you are a great writer. Keep writing!!! :)

I really enjoyed this book!

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I struggled to listen to it, its a book of stories, joining up at the end, but still fragmented.

Fragmented story not my style of book

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For me this book was a rare find. I loved the stories and how each intertwined, I loved the people and how each narrator brought their character to life. I loved the language, the good and the bad. I thought it was beautiful.

I Loved It

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What did you like best about Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain? What did you like least?

Most of the characters were very interesting and fascinating to listen to - especially Rita and George. Alison was a desperate case.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The way the stories build, cross refer and relate to each other.

What three words best describe the narrators’s performance?

Solid. Sensitive. Engaging.

Was Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain worth the listening time?

Yes,

Interesting literary experiment.

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this was a book club read, due to time constraints i listened rather than read

wouldn't ever pick iit up again

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Very enjoyable. having lived in Salisbury many years I could visualise everything as the story unfolded.

Salisbury

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Norris writes beautifully, lyrically and voices with equal comfort the thoughts of teenager, old farmer and troubled woman and lonely wife. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys exploring the interior lives and thoughts of a set characters whose lives intersect in a compelling narrative

Sensitive and thought-provoking

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If you're suffering from depression, I strongly advise you to give this a miss as it will only make you feel worse.

I couldn't get past the flower-seller section. She was a very interesting character who came across as a real person, but her deep depression and the constant - and I mean constant - swearing, made it unlistenable. I'm certainly not a prude and I can swear like a trooper, but this was just too much.

I have also just read his most recent book, Undercurrent, which I enjoyed, and the reason I chose this book, so I'm disappointed.

Depressing, with constant foul language

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