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The American Boy

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The American Boy

By: Andrew Taylor
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
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About this listen

 A Richard and Judy Book Club Selection.

England, 1819. Two enigmatic Americans arrive in London and soon after, a bank collapses. A man is found dead on a building site; another goes missing in the teeming stews of Seven Dials. A deathbed vigil ends in an act of theft and a beautiful heiress flirts with her inferiors. A strange destiny links each of these events to the American boy Edgar Allen Poe, brought to England by his foster father and sent to the leafy village of Stoke Newington to be educated. Soon the intrigue enmeshes a poor schoolmaster, Thomas Shield, who struggles to understand what is happening before it destroys him and those he loves.©2003 Andrew Taylor (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery Regency Regency Romance Romance Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives England

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Critic reviews

A Richard and Judy Book Club selection

"Jennings reads with such enormous variety that we are consumed by his characterizations.... The listener becomes completely absorbed with the persona of the novel." (AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant  
Found this fascinating - particularly the addenda
Can’t quite work out how Tom got so involved and could have walked away but … minor point. Interesting representation of society and life in the early 1800s

An incredible insight

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This is a substantial novel; excellent, well plotted and richly told. The sure hands of Andrew Taylor insist that listeners are carefully taken through the multi-layers of mystery, colourful characters, awful characters, teasing characters and earnest characters. Alex Jennings is exceptional in creating the world of the novel and his voice characterisations are faultless. Listeners will chill at the voice created for Carswell, for example. After enjoying several of his novels, I have come to regard Andrew Taylor as one of the most reliable writers producing fiction today. Whatever the world of any novel, Andrew Taylor makes it believable, real enough to feel that you are there. With an author like Andrew Taylor you begin to worry that the novels will run out; thankfully his list is long. Audible represent his work very well, but it would be good if some unrecorded novels could be added to the list.

Worthy of Wilkie Collins or Dickens at his Best

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... but back here in the modern form of Andrew Taylor. It was a compelling mystery that I'd recommend to any fans for Conan-Doyole or Collins - not to mention Poe of course!

Wilkie Collins is not dead...

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I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I bought it. I was attracted by narrator Alex Jennings who is such a superb actor. He doesn't disappoint as we're led through a labyrinthine tale of early 19th century England. not exactly a thriller or murder mystery, it has the feeling of The Woman In White. loved it!

Really enjoyable - echoes of Wilkie Collins

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This is a beautifully written, well researched and brilliantly narrated book.

Will look out for this author.

Informative historical fiction

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rather a long drawn out story I have certainly read better Andrew Taylor books

Not the best Andrew Taylor book

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I’ve listened to nearly 200 audiobooks and this is in my top 10. It’s a well written story which unfolds with many twists. Enjoyed the narrators performance. Going to look for more books by this author .

Bravo! Great quick paced tale .

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I found it difficult to remain engaged with this book. It’s a complex and sometimes dark tale of love loss and murder.

Because I struggled to listen I found it confusing at times and had to repeat sections to get the gist of the plot. It’s a twisting tale and fortunes go up and down. Well narrated.

Long winded and occasionally dreary

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Why did the boy have to be Edgar Alan Poe? It didn't seem to have any greater relevance to the story. Was it to attract Poe enthusiasts?
I think the epilogue was unnecessarily long. I wasn't that much bothered about what had happened afterwards,, and it didn't add anything to it.

Interesting but leaves me wondering.....

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This book took an age to listen to and I'm still not sure it was worth it in the end. The plot was confusing as was the huge range of characters. I kept having the overwhelming urge to grab the main character and shake him til his teeth rattled, he seemed so utterly spineless and accepting of his lot throughout so much of the novel. The performance by Alex Jenkins lifted the experience but I can't help but think that the whole book could have been condensed in half the time.

The jury's out....

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