The Red Necklace

The French Revolution, Book 1

De: Sally Gardner

Narrado por: Tom Hiddleston

France 1789: a time of terror; a charismatic boy, Yann, who must find out who he is; the daring rescue of Sido, an aristocrat's daughter: these are the elements in this tremendous adventure by a consummate storyteller, a marvellous tale of the first days of the French Revolution.©2007 Sally Gardner (P)2007 Orion Publishing Group Ltd

Amazing

It was truly enjoyable, I became addicted to lessoning to it. I think for a first audio book, I picked the right one.

Unlike any other audiobook I've listened to

I bought this book as an escape from my business and personal development books, and because Tom Hiddleston narrated it. I didn't know much about it, and had no expectations. What I got was a story filled with magic and mystery, and was pleasantly surprised when I realised Tom was playing all the characters as if he were in the theatre. The way he can manipulate his voice is impressive. This book kept my attention and I was entertained from start to finish. A fantastic plot, and a brilliant performance from Tom. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this book is adapted to the big screen now. Thank you Sally for your imagination, and to Tom for your devotion to bringing the audiobook to life.

Absolutely superb!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes I will and I have

Who was your favorite character and why?

ooo thats hard I fell in love with so many of the characters good and bad.

Which scene was your favorite?

That's a hard question. I cant really pick one as there where so many that were so moving and others that were genius and funny. The ones that moved me the most was Topolain's last stand, the bravery gave me shivers. Another one was Sido's scene when she pulled her self together and walked with her head high to face her judgement.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes definitely. It took me 2 days to listen to it. I listened to it everywhere, even in the shower and fell asleep to it at night. I will most defiantly listen to it again.

Any additional comments?

The performance was superb! I connected with all of the characters could not have imagined that it was read by only one person.

Fantastic story!

The story is wonderful, and read with amazing character voices by Tom Hiddleston. Looking forward to reading more of Sally's books, and hearing more of Tom's narrations.

Brilliant!

I never listen to abridgements on principal. When I listened to this I didn't realise it was abridged. It was only when I noticed "The Red Necklace" listed as a new addition and for 2 credits that I realised what I had done. I may have to revise by "rule" regarding abridgements. This is an astounding, historical fiction novel written primarily for the Young adult market. Don't let that put you off. You will love this tale of adventure , suspense, magic and friendship. I bought it because my son (9) is interested in the time period and there is a dearth of material on this subject for children. Because of the subject matter I previewed it and decided very quickly that it was a little mature for a 9 year old boy, but much to my son's annoyance I did not stop listening. This is one of the best audio download decisions I have made. I have not heard the narrator of the full unabridged 2 CREDIT version, so I can't compare but Tom Hiddleston does a brilliant job with this book. I just cant imagine anyone performing this story better than he did. I am going to listen to it again very soon. I very rarely do that. Definitely credit worthy.

Good book for younger audience

Overall, the book would be a great read for a younger audience or an audience who knows little about the French Revolution. As someone who has done their homework on the subject I did find several inaccuracies but that wasn't enough to ruin it for me because the devil was only in the details.
Unfortunately, there are way too many British common phrases and expressions used by the characters which periodically pulls me out of the French setting. I know that some would argue that it is the dramatization which may do that but I am not bothered by Tom Hiddleston's impressive array of accents. I am used to watching many shows set in France played by British actors with British accents and take no issue with them. The dramatization was wonderful and engaging, albeit the voice of the dwarf does sound like Dobby the House Elf from the "Harry Potter" movies.

Good overall, but not engrossing

I listened to this coming and going from work, but unlike most audiobooks it took me almost four months.

So here's the thing about this book - I did enjoy it. I did. But the pacing didn't particularly lend itself to pulling me forward through the narrative. I would listen to it for a half hour or so, and then decide to listen to some music or a different book for a while. It's not that I didn't want to know what happened, it's that I felt no urgency about it.

Obviously, the audio performance by Tom Hiddleston was lovely - with one very grating exception. The voice he chose to perform the dwarf with was so scratchy and annoying that a lot of dialog with that character would often be the impetus to swap out for music for a while.

The story itself, which involves gypsy magic, revolutionary France, murder, secrets, betrayal, the theatre, and the plight of a young man and woman who might be fated for each other was well woven. I liked the setting, and it was obvious that Gardner did an excellent job with her research.

All in all, I'm glad I read the Red Necklace. I liked where the tale ended enough that I'm not sure I need to keep going with the series, however. I might physically read the second book, rather than listening, however.

An entrancing reading of an intriguing story.

I doubt if I would have liked this book enough to finish it if I had read it myself. Tom Hiddleston’s performance brought the characters to life and made me feel like I was at a play. I forgot about the reading and watched the drama play out in my imagination. I enjoyed this very much.
I know he is very busy but organise more Tom Hiddleston readings of audio books please.