
The Custom of the Country
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Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Grace Conlin
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By:
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Edith Wharton
About this listen
Critic reviews
Named a Staff Pick, Selected by the Staff at the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library, November, 2007
A terrific book
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Beautifully read and worth persevering with
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Who was your favorite character and why?
I don't know that I had a favourite character - there were lots of characters I felt profound sympathy for, but I don't think there were any really admirable people in the book.What three words best describe Grace Conlin’s voice?
Staid, hesitant, satisfactory.If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Something about how far someone could go for what they want.Any additional comments?
The main character, Undine Spragg, is completely selfish and ruthlessly sets out to get what she wants (money and social standing) without any concern for anyone else's health or wellbeing. She occasionally exhibits a bit of sentimental concern, but it has no real depth. Her beauty and manipulation do get her what she wants, but then those things don't fulfill her for long and she starts plotting her next selfish moves... However, astonishingly, I spent quite a lot of the book feeling sorry for her. She is simply completely unaware of what is really important in people's lives (trust, caring, etc). I suppose she's a psychopath. I was stunned at her coldness, and yet I pitied her inability to see beyond the narrow confines of her overwhelming and selfish needs. I have never read or listened to anything by Edith Wharton before, but I will definitely do so again.Subtly but Extraordinarily Insightful
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Thought provoking and relevant
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Monster Mum
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cutting
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brilliant novel
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But why, oh why, can't audiobook producers edit the chapter breaks appropriately?
After the most tragic and emotional moment of the whole story, the editor has cut the sound when the last word was barely finished - and then thrust us unfeelingly and thoughtlessly into the next chapter heading.
It was like pushing the author of their stool at the most poignant moment of a live reading - or chucking in the adverts at the most sensitive moment in a TV drama - don't we all shout at the TV when that happens?
Unfortunately this unbelievably bad editing style is common to a lot of the books I've bought from Audible, and it destroys the intimacy and feeling of involvement that is part of the way audiobooks work best. You'd think audiobook sellers would want to increase that feeling, not drive a car through it
And do audiobook producers (or Audible) really save that much money, by cutting out a few seconds of playback time?
When you experience this total jolt in your listening experience, it feels disrespectful and uncaring, and insults the writer and narrator as well. Grrr.
But please don't be put off this book, the other millions of seconds they didn't edit out of this book, are worth every bit of your money and your time!
Brilliant story & narrator but editing glitches
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I gave up ...
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