Capital

By: John Lanchester

Narrated by: Colin Mace

It’s 2008, and things are falling apart: Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers are going under, and the residents of Pepys Road, London - a banker and his shopaholic wife, an old woman dying of a brain tumor and her graffiti-artist grandson, Pakistani shop owners and a shadowy refugee who works as the meter maid, the young soccer star from Senegal and his minder - are receiving anonymous postcards reading "We Want What You Have." Who is behind it? What do they want?

Epic in scope, yet intimate, capturing the ordinary dramas of very different lives, this is a novel of love and suspicion, of financial collapse and terrorist threat, of property values going up and fortunes going down, and of a city at a moment of extraordinary tension.

©2012 John Lanchester (P)2012 W.F. Howes

21st Century London Comedy of Manners --with Heart

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

I would absolutely recommend this audiobook!

John Lanchester paints a portrait of 21st century life in London with sympathy, humor and dead-on accuracy. At first you think you're getting yourself into one more social satire -- aren't these materialistic wannabes so terrible (or at least so much worse than I am?). And Lanchester nails all those details perfectly with pitch-perfect nuance. But then the book opens up and gives us real human lives with humor, heart and insight.

Have you listened to any of Colin Mace’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator is incredibly good!

He's funny, sympathetic, smart, and gives perfect intonation to both dialogue and narration. True, some of the African accents were not so great, but to be able to assume the accents and perspectives of so many people of multicultural London -- a Polish builder, Hungarian nanny, City bankers, artist with a fake East End accent (for his street cred), Pakistani shopkeepers male and female as well as their children ("Daddy!"), an 82-year-old middle class lady named Petunia -- constitutes a true tour de force.

If you could take any character from Capital out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I loved the Kamal family and begrudgingly admired and even loved Mrs. Kamal's determination. I think I would enjoy their argumentativeness, intelligence, and willingness to connect with one another.

Any additional comments?

I'll be looking out for more novels from John Lanchester and more books read by Colin Mace.

Froze my iPod

I like this writer, and was excited to hear this book. But it froze my iPod at 13 minutes into part 1. Audible couldn't find anything wrong on their end, but the problem never got solved.

Comedy of Manners for 2008 Economic Meltdown

Any additional comments?

I read a non-fiction book by John Lanchester about economics and '08 banking crisis. He was great at making some complex economic matters comprehensible to a lay person. So I was curious to read a book with a fictional take on the same period. The novel maintained my interest throughout and managed to be of the period without polemics or becoming didactic. It was amusing throughout, in spite of the author touching on darker matters: terrorist threat, immigration, 1% rapacity. In spite of that backdrop, the characters were all rather likable, ordinary (in the best sense). It reminded me how we are all caught up in history, just trying to get on and make sense of things. Great read.

Insightful & Observant Author

An excellent book. The only reason it didn't garner 5 stars is that I thought the ending needed a bit more.

Capital is a treatise of the author's insight and how he is a keen observer of situations and of people in all walks of life.

👍

Never found out what "we want what you have" was supposed to mean. Series did a better job of trying to explain it. Not bad.

Wonderful characters, great story

I loved every minute of this book. Lanchester brings all his characters out through action and conversation and he has a great handle on what was happening in London during the 2000's. Looks at the era from a lot of different viewpoints. I cared about all these people, whether I liked them or not. There are a few references which require some background in English culture, but you won't have a problem if you don't catch them. Very nice story, really couldn't recommend it more highly.

The Way We Live Now

If you could sum up Capital in three words, what would they be?

Ordinary but profound.

What did you like best about this story?

This Altmanesque story touches upon the lives of "typical" Londoners. The book does not dazzle you with creativity. It settles for small insights. Its greatest virtue is that despite its breadth it never hits a false note.

Any additional comments?

The narrator is outstanding. I have seen interviews with John Lanchester, the author. The narrator has the same tone and inflection.

Tom Wolfe minus the sardonicism

This is a perceptive novel about people who live and work on a gentrified street in London in 2007 - 2008, just before the stock market crash. The tone of the book is intelligent, compassionate, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Colin Mace's narration is terrific. The author handles his panoramic cast of characters well (think Dickens, Balzac, Zola) and with insight. If you have liked Tom Wolfe's novels but sometimes find his sardonicism mean-spirited or irritating, you will appreciate Capital. I enjoyed this novel tremendously and have recommended it to friends.

Good read

Where does Capital rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Several writing conventions made this an interesting book. First, it told several intertwined stories that were held together by geography. All of the main characters lived on a small street. The historical perspective of the street was typical of London. An old woman had lived there her entire adult life, her daughter and grandson lived different lives but were tied to the street for different reasons; a "master of the universe" type had moved in, thinking the street would be the next great neighborhood; an immigrant family lived on the fringe of the street and ran a small store ... their aspirations lent perspective and a phenomenal athlete, being evaluated by a leading soccer team reflected the "outsider" view. Finally the Greek chorus was provided by a handyman that worked on the street for two of the protagonists. The people had such different lives and perspectives it gave authenticity to the varying stories. It was tedious and slow in places but worth the work.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Capital?

The handyman finding the money in the wall.

Have you listened to any of Colin Mace’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

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

no, it required some reflection

Modern Dickens

For a devotee of London and Dickens this was one huge treat. A sort of British, set-in-the-90s version of Tom Wolfe's, set-in-the-80s, Bonfire of the Vanities. Enjoy!