Shades of Grey

By: Jasper Fforde

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

"Hundreds of years in the future, after the Something that Happened, the world is an alarmingly different place. Life is lived according to The Rulebook and social hierarchy is determined by your perception of colour.Eddie Russett is an above average Red who dreams of moving up the ladder by marriage to Constance Oxblood. Until he is sent to the Outer Fringes where he meets Jane - a lowly Grey with an uncontrollable temper and a desire to see him killed.

For Eddie, it's love at first sight. But his infatuation will lead him to discover that all is not as it seems in a world where everything that looks black and white is really shades of grey . . .If George Orwell had tripped over a paint pot or Douglas Adams favoured colour swatches instead of towels . . . neither of them would have come up with anything as eccentrically brilliant as Shades of Grey."

©2010 Jasper Fforde (P)2010 Isis Publishing Ltd

My Favorite Author

Another amazing creation by Jasper Fforde - the best reinventer of worlds! I can't wait for the release of book 2!

Awesome book

I really loved this book! can't wait for the second one to come out! I've reread and listened to it a number of times.

As Jasper himself would have read it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Shades of Grey to be better than the print version?

I like them both, but the audio version really did bring the book to life. I especially enjoyed all the different voices by Gareth Armstrong.

What other book might you compare Shades of Grey to and why?

The Eyre Affair and The Big Over Easy by the same author. He takes you to a completely different place with each novel, and keeps it going at a rollicking pace, making it a good, fun read.

What about Gareth Armstrong’s performance did you like?

He was spot on with all the voices, adding a little venom here, a little uncertainty there, and was an absolute pleasure to listen to.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Perception is everything,

Any additional comments?

I can't recommend this highly enough - it was a wonderful thing to listen to in the car (I put it on my iPhone and listened through the car speakers), and highly entertaining.

You have to read it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Shades of Grey to be better than the print version?

The narrator is fantastic and adds a dimension to the story beyond the depths of my imagination - and that's deep!

What did you like best about this story?

The plot is so very clever. Simple on the surface, but with complex layers like the colour spectrum he uses as the premise of his story. Jasper has done a great job - again... and, if possible, I think better than his Thursday Next novels.

What about Gareth Armstrong’s performance did you like?

His voice and narration is charming, dynamic and extremely clever particularly given the demands of the story line and the number of characters. Wonderful. I'd listen to him talk about weeding the garden.

Who was the most memorable character of Shades of Grey and why?

Eddie Russet has to be the most memorable, both for his character development by Jasper through the story and his character portrayal by Gareth. Hard to pick though because Jane is very close.

Any additional comments?

I think if people don't read this book they have missed a brilliant story by an clever author at the top of his game. I'm giving it to friends as a gifts just to spread the love. Thanks Jasper. Marvellous.

My fav on Audible

So lovely pronunciation.
I would listen to this again and again.
I hate the world because it made famous 50 shades of grey instead of Shades of grey. So so horrible world.

an absolute amazing story

Worth every bit, its an thrilling story and really pulls you in. do yourself a favor and listen!