A Place of Greater Safety

De: Hilary Mantel

Narrado por: Jonathan Keeble

It is 1789, and three young provincials have come to Paris to make their way. Georges-Jacques Danton, an ambitious young lawyer, is energetic, pragmatic, debt-ridden - and hugely but erotically ugly. Maximilien Robespierre, also a lawyer, is slight, diligent, and terrified of violence. His dearest friend, Camille Desmoulins, is a conspirator and pamphleteer of genius. A charming gadfly, erratic and untrustworthy, bisexual and beautiful, Camille is obsessed by one woman and engaged to marry another, her daughter. In the swells of revolution, they each taste the addictive delights of power, and the price that must be paid for it.

©1992 Hilary Mantel (P)2013 W.F. Howes

French Revolution

What a fantastic job Hilary Mantel did on this book and the readers were great,

Ignores basics of audiobook production

This recording ignores the basic principle that the narration should all be within a constrained dynamic range. this is not a stage production. at times it seems that some sections of the story have been recorded at different times and studios than others with very different volume levels. and it is not clear why it was decided that some of the content required or would be served best by the more histrionic high volume delivery. very disappointing.

Less a novel

than an attempt to encompass the whole history of the Revolution in the love triangle of three men. It’s wonderful, and never boring, but is a bit exhausting.

The narrator goes in for voices. Working class characters have cockney accents, which is a bit odd but gets the point across. He gives some of the women shrill and unpleasant accents which is too bad and ruins some passages. His voice for Camille has the stutter which Mantel refers to but does not indicate directly in his speech. At first, I found that hard to listen to, but over time it became my favorite part of the performance.

Phenomenal

In-depth and riveting, this novel provides a glimpse into the French Revolution from the perspective of the revolutionaries themselves. The performance is superb and leaves nothing to be desired.

Totally, Utterly, Brilliant

Everything about this is Just Plain As Good As It Gets.
I used to think Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies were Mantel at her best - which is amazing. Now, I'm not so sure. This is incredible as a novel. As an historical novel, it is superlative. The writing is beyond good. Making sense of the French Revolution, especially The Terror, is Not Easy. But, not only does Mantel do that, she also manages to produce an extraordinary novel on its own merits - and one that is completely relevant for today, or any day.
I read this, a few years ago, and loved it. Then I bought the audio version to listen to on a trip to France. And actually, I think it's even better. The narration is fabulous. A total pleasure to listen to, and , for my money, it actually enhanced the book. Which is rare. Spend a credit on this. You won't be sorry.

Well written dull book

Beautifully written with finely drawn characters and wonderfully narrated, but sort of boring. Story comes alive in the last chapters— but, maybe 3 exciting hours of 30.

A Long and Difficult Listen

This book is better read than listened to as there are many characters, and it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all of them. I had to rewind numerous times.

It baffles me why a novel about the French revolution is read by someone with a British accent. It would have been preferable to listen to a reader with a beautiful French accent, although this reader was definitely good.

Live the Revolution -- the glory and the decline

Would you listen to A Place of Greater Safety again? Why?

Yes, and I probably will, as there's always so much going on that you can't catch it all.

What other book might you compare A Place of Greater Safety to and why?

Mantel's other books, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

What about Jonathan Keeble’s performance did you like?

Some very memorable voices for some of the characters. (Took a while for me to sort them out, especially early on, but over time it helped me remember which storyline we were in.)

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

Lots of laughs at particularly witty cutting lines. Many might be from the subjects themselves, but I'm sure Mantel wrote more than a few.

Any additional comments?

All of Mantel's books have a high barrier to entry, because they start with a lot of characters and a kaliedoscope of events and time passage, but it builds, accretes, and suddenly you're enmeshed in and aware of historical events from the ground floor. Recommend the recordings, as it might be easy to lay the books aside during early confusion, but you can just let it wash over you with audio...

Enlightening and worthwhile.

Once again Mantel offers an interesting perspective on a tumultuous time in history. Perhaps a bit drawn out and rushed in the end but definitely worth the time. The narrator is excellent and in no way detracts from the story. I wouldn't have finished the book in print (knowing how it must end) however Keeble's performance made it enjoyable and easy to follow. Not to be missed if you have an interest in this era or enjoy Hilary Mantel's other books!

A Labor of Love

The last half of this book drug and was challenging to follow, until the very end. I can see how Hilary Mantel has really grown as an author, but the magic dialogue and characterization are definitely pure Hilary Mantel and make it worth the labor. I thought I knew a lot about the French Revolution, but I didn't know much about Danton and Camille. These characters were so alive they were practically there in front of me. (What loud lawyer does Mantel live with?) The ending -you know what is coming - was superb.