To the River cover art

To the River

A Journey Beneath the Surface

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To the River

By: Olivia Laing
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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About this listen

Over 60 years after Virginia Woolf drowned in the River Ouse, Olivia Laing set out one midsummer morning to walk its banks, from source to sea. Along the way, she explores the roles that rivers play in human lives, tracing their intricate flow through literature, mythology, and folklore.

Lyrical and stirring, To the River is a passionate investigation into how history resides in a landscape - and how ghosts never quite leave the places they love.

©2019 Olivia Laing (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Art & Literature Authors Ecosystems & Habitats Environment Literary History & Criticism Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science

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Laing writes beautifully of mood and place, conjuring up the Woolfs, Jarman and moments from English history.
A lovely piece of writing.

Rhythmic and meditative

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I cannot understand why, when Zara Ramm does such a Superb job of narrating the lonely city, that Kate Reading is chosen for the rest of Laing’s books. I find her narration so peculiar it’s hard to listen to. Like it’s been run though auto tune. I had to send it back although I love Laing’s work. Sad times.

Why why choose this narrator!?

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I loved the descriptions, the folk-lore and the history as the writer walked the river. The whole idea of walking the length of a river from source to sea, and cataloguing the natural history, the literary connections and the events that took place there, is fascinating. I shall buy a paper copy and read it for myself. A book to dip into….pun intended!
One slight quibble: the American pronunciations, “boooey” for buoy, “fertle” for fertile, and the long “…ford” at the ends of Seaford and de Montfort, where I would use a “fud”, did just mar this experience slightly. The reader is American; why not get an English actor to read this very English book?

glorious travel writing…odd pronunciation

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This, to me, was a book about existance, death, and how we can find ways to be in this world that we are both destroying and have the capacity to save at the same time. It meandered, like a river, through Olivia’s own thoughts and experiences both during her walk and from other times in her life, the lives of Virginia & Leonard Woolf, Gideon Mantell, Simon de Montfort and Charles Dawson, and some extremely profound thoughts on life and death. 

I found it absolutely mesmerising, deeply moving and know I will be returining to it again and again.

I must also add that Kate Reading's narration was perfect.

A meandering walk through the heart of existence

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Who chooses narrators for audible? I have abandoned so many as I can’t stand the narration. It seems to me that this woman has been directed to pronounce certain words for the American audience fertle instead of fertile being an example. Also ‘twenty one June’ instead of ‘the twenty first of June’. They never afford us the same privilege when American books are printed or narrated for our market! I feel like she is trying to read in that annoying stilted way poets read their work at performance events and has no feeling for the subject. It detracts from the words which speak for themselves. I would much rather hear the author or just someone reading in a pleasant, gentle voice. Don’t think I will be finishing this either.

What dull narration

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I’m sorry to say this, but the narration is really off-putting and makes the listen quite hard going and unenjoyable. Monotone and robotic intonation. Please re-record with a different narrator because the book itself is wonderful.

The Narration Isn’t Good

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What a great book! An unpromising subject woven into a fascinating tapestry of history, geography and canals. Off now to read some Virginia Woolf!

Superb, Scintillating

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I really like this book. I’ve listened to it twice through. It combines a walk with a look at Virgina Woolfs’ life. The narration is great, and suits the story, it’s very melodic, a bit like river walking. The literary stories along the way are interesting and the descriptions of the landscapes are great.

A lovely meandering tale of life

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I found this difficult to listen to, due to the lack of inflection in the narrator’s voice - it just flows on without emphasis. I didn’t manage to get more than halfway through, if that.

Irritating narration

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I'm not very eloquent so won't bother trying to be clever. I really enjoyed this and admire the writing .

great writing

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